5) Next up I insulated the pipes where condensation forms directly from the compressor. I used inexpensive water pipe insulation from copyright or Home Depot to wrap all exposed parts that had potential for condensation.

No way, that's pretty cool. Do you have a picture of it, how much are we talking here? 600 lbs seems rather unlikely; I'm thinking more like 60.

Laura McDonough says: 2 years ago We bought one around the Y2K crises which never happened, ended up using it some, then selling it. I will not clutter up my place with useless crap of all kinds in the future, me and friends said (been there done that).

One of the reasons I like the small freeze dryer is the size. At the same time, my large freeze dryer takes up space equivalent to a clothes dryer—the small one doesn't.

Removing the ice from between the chamber wall and the insulation (hopefully will never have to do this again)

Question for you: I'm impressed by the shortening of cycle times. Obviously some of that is from the improvement in insulation on the lines, etc., but I'm wondering how much of it might be from "drying out" of the insulation and outer walls of the freeze drying chamber.

Easy preparation. Food is prepared for freeze-drying the same way food is prepared for regular freezing. After rinsing and removing blemishes, blanch most vegetables; pretreat fruits if necessary to prevent browning; meats can be freeze-dried cooked or raw; casseroles are typically assembled from already cooked foods.

They’re all great articles, packed full of helpful information. My goal is always to provide helpful information, so let me know if you don’t find the answers you need. Enjoy!

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5 Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) Gypsyman: Proof again that "great minds think alike". In my initial pondering, I thought using an oil filter base would be a logical approach -- but I didn't have one handy and figured my car might miss it. Besides, one of my goals was to keep this affordable, and they tend to be a little pricey.

I’ve seen Walmart offering freeze dryers online, at least. Here’s the link to their freeze dryers.

Run full system test with pelo food in chamber (results, 630 mTorr lowest steady reading - looking through the oil level window, some bubbling seen in oil even after an hour of pumpdown - some "air" noises from pump)

It would also be best to get more info avoid pawn shops. Although they can be a goldmine for trinkets, they’re usually not a great place to shop for advanced machinery.

3) Inside the front panel I installed a plastic shield over the display card and a water deflector just below the hole to route the exterior condensation to an 11x17 pan beneath the FDer.