I honestly think putting a thermometer inside the unit is an excellent idea. I sent the following note off to Harvest Right Support in an effort to gain a little better understanding of the process.
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 found out the hard way about the anti-drainback seal when I first tried the filter and got... nothing. I did do some research afterward and learned, as you point out, that there are some filters than don't use the seal but by then I was committed. Fortunately, it wasn't all that hard to remove it, but definitely better not to have to.
Theoretically, you could use the machine for both gluten and gluten-free foods. However, we choose to put only gluten-free items in our freeze dryer to avoid any potential cross contamination.
Unlike canning or dehydrating, freeze drying retains 97 percent of the food’s nutrients. Freeze dried food also tastes more like fresh food than canned or dehydrated foods.
The unit can also connect to and communicate the freeze dryer cycle data to a nearby PC through an ethernet cable.
Is it as cheap as buying at the store? No. But properly freeze-dried and stored meats can last ten years or more without refrigeration. The freeze-drying process can be challenging, but those who have the time and patience should consider doing it.
So I corrected the oversight - I drilled and tapped the elbow to add the port. Here is a picture. It worked great today when I flushed the pump to clear out the gunk.
•The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
.. Hence the vapor barrier. But once I opened it up I figured I may as well insulate the bare ports as well, and insure that the water was diverted away from the electrics of the system. Once I sealed up the insides I noticed that the condensation on the front panel increased dramatically as the air was trapped between the plastic vapor barrier and the back of the front panel. That was when the drip rail was installed on the front of the unit.
Other key factors also include energy conservation. Energy efficient freeze dryers use power saving features to meet the required energy performance standards. Helping the business not to compromise on quality, An investment in an energy efficient system helps get more info businesses reduce operating expenses.
The only way I know to filter the water vapor out would be a cold trap. They usually use liquid nitrogen or dry ice to keep the temperature low enough that all the water condenses out. Obviously you would need a supply of the liquid nitrogen or dry ice that would probably not be cost effective for most of us. The other option to get that cold would be to use a cryocooler and build a cold trap around it. It could be done, but would be pretty expensive. I've been watching some electronics on ebay that have cryocoolers in them, but the cheapest I've seen is around $600. Still not a cheap option, but you wouldn't need dry ice or liquid nitrogen to feed it.
Depending on how you want to use freeze dried food, it doesn’t have to be reconstituted. There are some freeze dried foods I like to powder in my blender or food processor and then add to other foods. These powders can be used in smoothies, soups, and baked goods.
Slight delay at customs but my head was spinning at how fast this was resolved for something that was out of there control! Bravo!