There are 3 ports on the chamber that I made slits in the plastic to get around and taped them up once around them. Do not tape to the insulation. Tape only to the vapor barrier plastic. It doesn't take long, just be careful. After the plastic is in place and secure around the chamber I sealed the plastic to the back of the front and back panels using the packing tape. All the way around the front and back of the chamber to completely seal the chamber from outside air and humidity.
The characteristic timeless design is as popular today as in the 50's. It was first developed by civil engineer Alvar Lennin.
I have no adverse vacuum performance change with the catch can in place. It just catches any oil. I still smell oil vapor when the pump first starts up, but not nearly as much. I've only emptied the can once or twice since I've had it installed. I slightly over filled the pump and it blew out into the can, then ran it with the FDer valve open for a few minutes. Nothing got past the can. I used the outside port as IN and the middle one as out. I did take the port off and the longer one should be the inlet port. It's not a great deal longer. Tony Edited January 22, 2016 by TonyC updated (log)
When isolated, the pump seems to behave well. Short of putting a meter on the pump, my impression is that it is operating properly. I'm considering investing in a good meter to verify that it is reaching a good ultimate vacuum.
Freeze dried food is easy to ship Absolutely! That’s one of the benefits of freeze dried food–it’s lightweight so it’s easy and inexpensive to ship!
I did a couple of batches (peas and carrots, and another load of precooked chicken meatballs cut in half) and it all worked perfectly. Looking forward to trying out some new things and sharing the results.
Freeze dried foods are delicious by themselves or powdered and used in smoothies or baked goods. I have found I can freeze dry apple slices, powder them, and add a little water to make applesauce. It’s a lot easier than making applesauce in a traditional way.
The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
Colin Arnason Albert was very responsive and answered any questions or concerns I had. Great product and I’m enjoying using it.
A funny lesson I learned is that we no longer freeze-dry many fruits or vegetables. I know this goes against what most preppers say but I’ve come to a different conclusion. We did tons of fruits and vegetables at first but considering the time it takes we found that we are better served by spending that precious freeze drying usage on more expensive items like meats, eggs, and complete meals.
Unlike other conventional methods of drying, the original structure of the food is preserved with freeze-drying which ensures better quality for the consumers.
The only way I know to filter the water vapor out would be a cold trap. They usually use liquid nitrogen or dry ice to keep the temperature low enough that all the water condenses out. Obviously you would need a supply of the liquid nitrogen or dry ice that would probably not be cost effective for most of us. The other option to get that cold would be to use a cryocooler and build a cold trap around it. It could be done, but would be pretty expensive. I've been watching some get more info electronics on ebay that have cryocoolers in them, but the cheapest I've seen is around $600. Still not a cheap option, but you wouldn't need dry ice or liquid nitrogen to feed it.
As I mentioned before, freeze dryers are an investment. They're an investment because of all the benefits they bring to you and your self-reliance.
Making food in your own freeze dryer is less expensive than purchasing it commercially. You can purchase food in bulk and freeze dry it for later. With the current high food prices (which could easily continue to skyrocket), it’s nice to buy in bulk or on clearance to save money.