Use and Care Manual

29
the thickest piece. If it is cold or wet
in the middle, there may be a bit
of moisture left in the food, and it
should be put through the vacuum-
dry cycle one more time. While rare,
this may occasionally happen. In sum:
Sometimes the trays will be warm,
sometimes they will be cold. This
depends on when the food is taken
out. Either way, the food will be dry.
I packaged my food and it was very
dry when it came out, but now it is
not dry. Why?
1. Properly packaging the food is
vital. It is important to promptly
package your freeze-dried product in
Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber
(in order to seal thoroughly, we
recommend you seal the bags at least
twice to be safe), in a #10 can with an
oxygen absorber, or a mason jar with
an oxygen absorber. To ensure long
shelf life, store in a cool, dry location.
2. Occasionally all of the food will
be perfectly freeze dried with the
exception of a couple of pieces. This
can happen if you cut a few pieces of
your product much thicker than the
rest. If packaged, one wet piece will
re-hydrate the whole batch. When
a batch is complete, it is a good idea
to break the thickest piece of food
on your trays in half and taste it in
order to be sure that the product has
completed the drying process. If you
nd that the food is not completely
dry, simply put the food back in
the freeze dryer and press “More
dry time” to get right back into
the vacuum pump/drying portion
of the freeze dry cycle. The freeze
dryer will then nish the pieces that
weren’t quite complete.
What if my screen won’t respond to
my touch? Or, when I press a button
on the screen, it recognizes it on a
different part of the screen?
Your screen may need to be
recalibrated. Reference calibration
screen on page 40 for instructions.
9.2 MIST COMING OUT OF PUMP:
If mist/smoke is coming out
of your pump for more than 5
minutes, it is likely that you need
to do the following: make sure the
drain valve is closed, assure that
the seal on your door is latched
tight, the vacuum hose is tight,
and that there is no liquid on the
food or chamber. Your freeze dryer
WILL NOT pull a vacuum on the
chamber if there is a major leak. If
this happens, refer to Section 6 of
this manual.
9.3 PUMP ISN’T TURNING ON DURING
THE DRY CYCLE:
Make sure your pump is plugged
into the back of the freeze dryer
and is switched to the ON position.
While the machine controls the
pump turning on and off, it cannot
do so unless the pump is switched
to the ON position (switch is located
on the back of the pump) and
plugged into the freeze dryer.