Use and Care Manual

5
10. Make sure to close the drain valve
on the freeze dryer (located on the
left side, toward the back, beneath
your freeze dryer). If the drain valve
is not closed, there will be a vacuum
leak which could damage your
vacuum pump, cause an oil spurt, and
void the vacuum pump warranty.
11. As described in steps 6-11, it is
your responsibility to make sure
your door is closed properly, that the
drain valve is closed, and that the
hose connecting the vacuum pump
to the freeze dryer is connected
properly. If your freeze dryer doesn’t
pull a vacuum, an oil spurt will make
a mess as it may spray a cup (or
more) of oil out of the pump. Again,
it is your responsibility to make sure
that you have a good vacuum seal.
12. Turn on the freeze dryer (on the
back of your freeze dryer press the
switch to the “up” position). Next,
in order to perform a quick test and
assure that your freeze dryer is set
up properly, please complete the
following steps. To accomplish this
task, your freeze dryer chamber
must be free of any moist material,
water, or condensation. It needs to
be completely dry.
• Press “Start” on the touchscreen.
You will then be reminded to
“Please close drain valve.” Ensure
that this valve is closed.
• Initially, you will see “Freezing for 9
hours” appear on the display. Now,
press the small blue clock in the top
right corner of the display. This will
automatically turn your vacuum
pump on (the initial vacuum will be
a bit loud, but will quickly settle to a
hum that isn’t too noticeable.)
• When the vacuum pump rst
turns on, the display will read
“>2500 mTorr”. Within 10-20
minutes the display will no longer
read “>2500 mTorr”, but will begin
to show a lower number (starting
with 2500 and moving down). This
number represents the vacuum
pressure inside the freeze dryer.
A lower number represents a
stronger vacuum pressure.
• Eventually, the pressure will go
from 2500 down to 500 mTorr,
and possibly lower. If you see
that this is the case, it means that
your freeze dryer has been set up
properly and you are ready to start
your rst batch. If you are unable
to achieve a vacuum of 500 mTorr,
or lower, after 30 minutes (or if the
screen still says “>2500 mTorr”)
check steps 2-11 of this Quick Start
Guide to assure that there are no
air leaks at any location on your
freeze dryer.
Figure 2 - Freeze Dryer LCD Display