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.

I routed the exhaust from the catch can to a home made catch can that consisted of a jar with two ports with steel wool inside. I wanted to see just how much oil would escape the newly install catch can and collect in the jar.

After the 3rd cycle I had hit my 20 cycle oil limit so it was time to change the oil. This time I took the time to add a flush port to my pump. When I replaced the plumbing with larger diameter brass and a cutoff valve I did not think to add the oil flush out port.

Do you have any vacuum gauges at all to test the pump? ( Though I doubt that is the problem based upon your tests )

Granted, most of that time is the freeze dryer doing all the work, but the process is not without effort. Once the food is ready it must be put into appropriate containers with oxygen absorbers and sealed properly so they can last.

However, be very careful when buying any machine that was already used. Make sure to test it and see if it works properly before actually buying it.

Whichever freeze dryer model you choose, be sure you’re getting it from a trustworthy source. The only place where you’re guaranteed complete satisfaction is the manufacturer’s store or their website, so that’s where I’d buy if it were up to me.

You get all the same when you buy a freeze dryer in person, but buying it online takes less effort (and it’s more comfortable since you’re sitting on a couch).

Size of machine. This is not a small appliance, as shown by the table below using specifications from a popular “home” freeze dryer manufacturer:

Door seal appears good against the plexiglass side, even stripe of contact, nice and wide. Inside gasket groove has been checked for debris and cracks. Looks OK, but the design seems odd to me!

Is it flash freezing and dehydrating at the same time? Do the items need to be kept frozen, or stored at room temp?

While the reduced footprint of the small freeze makes finding a spot to set it up easy to figure out, the power requirements provide another distinct installation advantage. That's because the Harvest Right Small Freeze Dryer requires a standard 110-volt outlet.

Upon turning off the pump (pelo isolation valve on the pump - standard setup), the chamber pressure rose quite rapidly going to 2000 mTorr and continuing up in a couple of minutes or so.

Fermenting foods is perhaps the oldest food preservation method and has grown in popularity website in recent years due to their touted “gut”, probiotic, and other additional health benefits. Fermenting at home is an inexpensive way to control what goes inside yo