Use and Care Manual
HarvestRight.com | 1-800-700-550814
10. Ensure that the acrylic door
makes contact with the rubber
gasket by examining the door in the
fully closed position. You will see
a thin line around the gasket as it
presses up against the door. For the
rst couple batches, when the pump
turns on, make sure the door fully
seals around the gasket. If you have
problems completing this step, call
Harvest Right Customer Support at
1-800-865-5584 for assistance.
11. You are now ready to load freeze
drying material onto trays. It is
best to freeze dry materials that are
somewhat similar in moisture content.
12. Place the trays that have the
material on them in the shelving
unit. Make sure the trays are fully
supported by the heated shelf with no
part of the tray extending out of the
shelving unit. The trays are heated by
the shelving unit and must t well in
order to receive the appropriate heat
to drive off the moisture.
13. Place the black insulator door
pad in the opening of the vacuum
chamber (within the opening of the
black rubber gasket). This insulates
the acrylic door from the extreme
cold in the chamber and prevents the
cold from forming ice on the door.
14. Close the acrylic door and turn
the door latch clockwise as far as it
will go. This will compress the door
closed against the rubber gasket.
Visually check the seal to make sure
the door is sealed properly to the
gasket. If the door is not latched tight,
there will be a vacuum leak which
might damage your vacuum pump
and void the vacuum pump warranty.
15. Close the drain valve. In the
closed position, the drain valve is
perpendicular to the hose.
16. Power on your unit (press the
switch on the back of your freeze
dryer to the up position). Now, press
the “Start” button. You will then
be reminded to “Please close drain
valve...” Once you have done this, the
word “Freezing…” will be displayed
on the touch screen.
17. When the freezing cycle is
completed the vacuum pump will
power on automatically. The display
will then read “Drying…” Within
10-20 minutes the display will show
a vacuum pressure that displays
a number below 2500 mTorr. (If
your freeze dryer does not achieve
a pressure within the specied
time period, the vacuum pump will
automatically turn off. This will
alert you to a vacuum leak and likely
Figure 7 - Freeze Dryer Display
Press “Start” to begin.