5) Next up I insulated the pipes where condensation forms directly from the compressor. I used inexpensive water pipe insulation from copyright or Home Depot to wrap all exposed parts that had potential for condensation.
Pelo way, that's pretty cool. Do you have a picture of it, how much are we talking here? 600 lbs seems rather unlikely; I'm thinking more like 60.
Reattached hose and ran another full system test (results, 750 mTorr lowest steady reading - looking through the oil level window, some bubbling seen in oil even after an hour of pumpdown - some "air" noises from pump)
One of the reasons I like the small freeze dryer is the size. At the same time, my large freeze dryer takes up space equivalent to a clothes dryer—the small one doesn't.
One oil free pump. The oil free vacuum pump can be used with any size freeze dryer. They are quiet, fast, and easy to use. The Harvest Right oil free vacuum pumps do not require oil changes and do not require regular user maintenance.
So I corrected the oversight - I drilled and tapped the elbow to add the port. Here is a picture. It worked great today when I flushed the pump to clear out the gunk.
Oil Mist Filter: Both pumps come with an oil mist filter. However, the Premier Pump’s oil mist filter allows for no oil spray at all and it will last much longer.
I have one of those hand held heat guns (inexpensive from HF), but I was afraid of accidently burning the insulation. My gun gets very hot! I do the same technique with a fan, shock the ice and listen for the cracks as it separates from the chamber wall.
14 Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) On 7/31/2015 at 11:12 PM, TonyC said: Somehow this post got posted twice so I'll edit the second one with some more useful information. I remember reading somewhere in this thread where somebody was asking how long you run the freeze cycle with pre-frozen food. I have my chest freezer set to -12F, and I usually let the freeze dryer cool for an hour before I put the frozen food in. After I load the food in I wait another half hour to start the drying process. I've had a lot of cycles that the Perfeito time between pulling one batch out and starting the more info drying cycle on the next is around 2 hours. I'm running mine in a cold garage, so it cools down pretty quickly. If you have yours in a warm room it would probably take a little longer.
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Harvest Right’s large Pharmaceutical is the solventless’s industry standard freeze dryer for a reason: they’re affordable, can dry a lot of hash in 24 hours, and are easy to set up. We sell more of them than just about anyone else in the industry to hash makers everywhere.
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.
The key is to freeze as fast as possible then dry as slow as possible. The freezing stiffens the cells so that when it is dried, it still maintains it's shape and texture.
Fermenting foods is perhaps the oldest food preservation method and has grown in popularity in recent years due to their touted “gut”, probiotic, and other additional health benefits. Fermenting at home is an inexpensive way to control what goes inside yo