Odds are the problem is the vacuum hose or its end connections, the drain valve, or the door gasket. Based upon my experience I'd double check the fittings while installed on the FDer.
Places like Craigslist are great for buying more or less anything, but there are more specialized online stores for used electronics, such as EquipNet.utilizando; you can also find used freeze dryers on eBay and Amazon.
Exhaust hoods are necessary part of a commercial kitchen. They are needed for safe operation of the kitchen, plus keeping in line with health standards.
Commercial freeze dryers are much easier to find than industrial or laboratory freeze dryers as they’re made for the service industry and some manufacturing sectors.
The one "gotcha" I encountered in making this is that a typical car oil filter attaches with a 3/4x16tpi threaded pipe. I could find no such pipe anywhere. My solution was to use instead a 3/4x16tpi bolt, and then drill a hole through it.
It's awesome! I don't have a freeze dryer yet but am planning to place an order tomorrow. I am super curious how Kerry's scroll pump is holding up... eliminating the oil from the equation would make this whole thing SO much easier.
I'll be looking forward to hearing about the weird and wonderful items you produce. Should be an interesting learning curve.
Back from our trip I turned the unit on and to my dismay found that the display was missing the middle two lines.
The evaporator coils that touch the surface of the stainless steel vacuum chamber reach about -42 F. With food in the chamber and because the location of the thermister is on the middle shelf of the four shelves, the temperature it records is going to range from -25 to -30 F in the 9 hour default freeze time. This temperature is very adequate for freeze drying the food.
Most other methods for extracting water also destroy enzymes and terpenes due to heat being used in the extraction process. Because freeze drying does not use heat during operation, the enzymes and terpenes in freeze dried products are not destroyed.
Never buy a freeze-dryer that isn’t sold by a reputable brand or any location that could have tampered with the device. Most companies vet their authorized resellers extensively, so they may be safe. However, used units sold elsewhere may not have been re-tested by the manufacturer for issues.
The highly-skilled team at Toronto Refrigeration can cover all of these items, and more – even something as complex as a microwave can be salvaged, so you don’t have to buy a new one and dispose of the old unit in an already crowded landfill.
I love that the small freeze dryer can be placed on Buy Now a kitchen counter. Having it in the kitchen makes it convenient and always ready to start the freeze-drying process.
You can also use Facebook Marketplace or specialty groups to find used freeze dryers, but most people will list them in specialized stores because that’s where most people will be looking.