We sold a grainmill also, hyped by a friend who had several. Used it some also. Nothing happened and other things incl food was donated or tossed. Now retired, who has time or money to throw away again? not me.
. We have some really great 'techy' type guys here who are, as they have been exploring the FD mechanics and sharing that in their posts, writing what is turning out to be a 'troubleshooting manual' for us less capable folks.
After the 3rd cycle I had hit my 20 cycle oil limit so it was time to change the oil. This time I took the time to add a flush port to my pump. When I replaced the plumbing with larger diameter brass and a cutoff valve I did not think to add the oil flush out port.
I sent Harvest Right a note with a picture and they immediately shipped me a new display. Great Service again from the support team there! I think water had dripped down the front and the back of the unit and onto the display card shorting it out.
Monitoring the FDer internal temps and once I see -40F I start the dry cycle, except for high sugar content food which I give an Em excesso hour. I'm still experimenting with Ice cream and a few fruits to determine optimal freeze time to get the best results. The cooling cycle ends up much shorter.
And once you have resolved your issue I hope you will stay around and talk to us all about what you have been drying in your machine, etc. 1
There are certainly bad shops you want to avoid, and in today’s article, we’ll be taking a look at the best places to buy a freeze dryer, so we can avoid the worst.
This method of food preservation causes little damage to the nutritional value of the food being preserved compared to other methods that use higher temperatures, such as canning or dehydration.
Using sublimation, the food retains much of its original texture, flavor, and nutrition when rehydrated. Freeze drying is broken down into two simple processes: freezing and vacuum drying. Foods are first frozen to well below 0°F. The colder the freeze the more efficient the next step will be. Once frozen, foods are subjected to vacuum drying. The air and water vapor (gas) are removed from the food processing chamber using a vacuum pump. This includes removing the water vapor that was once inside of the foods. When these two steps are properly completed, the food is dry enough to allow for safe storage at room temperature. Is freeze drying food safe?
This product does not come standard with a new freeze dryer order. Current customers with an older model freeze dryer will need an adapter for the oil free vacuum pump. Harvest Right will provide the adapter free of charge.
This is why so many people are buying their own freeze dryers to use at home. The market is essentially cornered by Harvest Right, which isn’t a bad thing since their quality and customer service are both superb.
Dehydrators take the water off the surface first, then water eqilibrates with the surface, more water is drawn off the surface. You are left with a shrunken item, with some residual water. Makes gorgeous leather.
I am looking for a more defined "heuristic" curve based get more info upon the internal temperature. I am sure that your engineers probably have tables for such things. I also know that different foods freeze at different rates, that is why I am asking for a heuristic answer.
So the bottom line is this: If you can afford the money and time to spend on freeze-drying your own food and you believe the need for the food is many months or years away, then eventually the Harvest Right freeze dryer will pay for itself.