Sorry people are griping about your previous recommendation of Dairyland. Personally, I greatly appreciate you sharing with us as you learn!! Thank you for the time you spend trying, teaching, filming, and editing! I have a gallon of Dairyland I won't be using, but think the value of your content far surpasses what I paid for it!
I spoke with Scott Neville (Harvestright customer service rep). I asked about the use of Dairyland oil in Standard pump with ballast. Scott told me that the old JB pumps had an issue with the check valve getting stuck open which would lead to the contamination of food from the oil. This would wreck your food whether you used dairyland or standard oil. At least with dairyland you will know right away because it does have an odor to it. Anyways, Scott assured me (that at least in the standard pump with ballast control that) Dairyland is perfectly fine to use. In fact Scott informed me that he uses dairyland in his personal FD unit. So take it for what it's worth. Don't go to bed losing sleep like I did after watching this video before contacting HR the next day. I thought I had ruined 8 months worth of FD food after watching this.
Ok, so I just had the food contamination situation actually happen yesterday and I did lose sleep wondering how in the world the oil can get to the food and contaminate it. I have the 2nd Gen standard pump (green label front) with the ballast. I don't use it that often and I've been running dairyland oil for maybe 10 batches. My unit is 2 years old and we have maybe 30-40 cycles on it, 10 on dairyland oil, as a guess. I had just run a batch of grilled tri-tip and noticed an odor when I took it out of the freeze drier. I decided to rehydrate 2 pieces and I ate them. I noticed an off taste, but my disbelieving side of me kept eating thinking it wasn't so bad. Well, not so. I had a nasty taste on my tongue for 12 hours until I went to bed, from the oil apparently. I also had a slight digestive discomfort as the meat digested. Didn't sleep the best either. Woke up this morning pretty distressed thinking my freeze fryer is a brick because I don't know if I could ever eat food from it again. And now I'm wondering if any of my previously sealed food is contaminated 😔. On top of this, the FD has the dairyland oil odor inside it currently, and I'm at a loss on how to proceed. I'm guessing, based on your info, that my check valve is stuck open, so I'll look into diagnosis of a bad check valve. I'm wondering if I may have to spring for an oilless pump so I can trust it again. For now I'll look into the check valve issue, and clean out the inside of the dryer unit. Any suggestions are appreciated. My confidence in freeze drying went from 100 to zero in one day 😔.
This has really helped. I have my Harvest Right on order now. I will go ahead and order the right oil ordered and have that taken care of. I appreciate your help and the site you are doing to help all of us.
We've been using dairyland since day one in our standard pump and its been excellent. I tear the pump down every 30 cycles to clean. There is never anything in it. This is after almost 200 batches. Dairyland is what all the farms near use. If its good for them its good for us.
@@farmsteadpreps Change the oil (depending on which pump you have) every 2-5 cycles. He tears down the pump (takes it apart to clean it) every 30 cycles.
This is such great info!! I just got my medium with standard pump about 2 weeks ago!! Has not stopped running since. I ordered extra Robinaire from HR. The filters that come are crazy!! I see the genius in it though. The water mixed with oil stay in the top because the water sinks in the little dip before it all goes through the filter. I just change the oil every cycle and allow the old oil to filter slowly. I will start cycling through the old oil a second time and so forth. I have 2 of the HR filters to help make this easier.
$177.32 for the 12 pack or $14.77 per quart. Home Depot sells it for $12.99 and Tractor Supply $14.99. And Harvest Right is $15.98. I'm in and out of HD all the time so I'll order it from them and hopefully get free shipping to my store or my house. I appreciate the information on all this oil....who knew?
I’ve personally had great success w/the Dairyland oil. I’m able to see & further separate the water from the oil and accumulated particulates by letting the oil settle out prior to filtering. By tilting the pump after the oil stops draining any accumulation of water & particulate sediments drain into a glass beaker. I then freeze the captured solution, pour off the good looking oil and properly collect and dispose of the contaminated residual solution.
That is the same oil that Harvest Right sells on their site, the Robinair. I ordered the standard pump with my FD and after watching your videos I decided I should have some extra oil on hand for when it gets here so I went to their site and that is what they sent me. Thanks so much for all your work on these videos.
I normally run Amsoil The ISO 46 compressor oil lasts, I get better vacuum, and get many uses out of it. Will the filters you are looking at 6000-8000 hours out of it
I’m at my wit’s end! We used Retired at 40’s affiliate link to buy our Harvest Right. Our new Harvest Right can’t fully freeze dry the veggies. Even after days and multiple efforts. Our Premier plus oil pump is filled with very cloudy, milky oil. Hubby drained it and is running it through the filter. I think it’s a lost cause, and we should replace the oil. I would LOVE to join the MEWE group. We applied days ago, but haven’t been approved for some reason. Was it something I said? Is there a secret handshake? How do you get approved? Now we have a very large item that we spent a lot of money for. I won’t call it a freeze dryer until it actually freeze drys something. We need help. Hubby spoke to Harvest Right. They told him to filter the oil.
Have run 50 oil changes thru the new picture filter. Still on the original filter. I change oil pretty much every cycle. What I like about the new filter. The water stays at the top of the filter. Virtually no water bubbles are in the filtered oil. Have missed a few loads with out changing oil out. Have found that the pump still keeps most of the water in the pump between cycles. Get twice much water in top of filter if go two loads. Also notice pump losses efficiency about 10 mils on pump at end of cycle. My pump in Florida gets down to 245 mil at end of cycle on new filtered oil. 256 on second load and goes up each cycle from there. My conclusion is filter every cycle cheap insurance to save wear to a minimum. Bill R
You say "Do not use Dairyland !!!", but I literally watched a December 8, 2019 video before this one where you promoted Dairyland. We have been gathering info on dryers and it came up on my list. Perhaps you need to look at it and determine if it needs to be removed.
Great minds think alike. I have used Robinair since I bought my FD'er 5 years ago. I checked out your vids and checked the equipment you bought for your process. I have the same scale after reviewing many regarding quality and price. Regarding Robinair, I buy it by the gallon and have used less than two gallons over 5 years. I just filter the crud and water and usually a quart lasts me many cycles, only needing to add a tablespoon every few cycles for loss due to filtering.
If you have oil vapor in the room when you open the valve it can totally ruin your batch by sucking it into the chamber. I have made a sound proof air box that cools and exhausts. I have a small freeze drying kitchen so it was a necessity to make. I used to open the doors and windows, if I didn't, it would look like a rock concert in the basement. If you can smell the oil, don't open the valve. If you're getting oil taste anyway you might have a small vacuum leak. These machines have NEAR perfect vacuum. 8 m/torr per minute leak is acceptable. Something to keep in mind.
Super informative...thanks. I was thinking of just dumping the oil and going with fresh new oil after 20-25 batches in the Premier Pump. I’m thinking the cost may be a little more, but if I get it in a case, the cost of replacing oil every 20-25 batches will fairly low, and hopefully will extend the life of the pump. It’s not like the old pumps, where the oil needed to be filtered every 5 batches, which would have been costly to replace with fresh oil every time. What’s your thoughts?
Thank you so much! Probably a dumb question...but Robinair has so many different Oils, do I only want to get the 13203.. or a different number. I have, from what you have shown the 2nd generation oil pump. The one with the window but not the newer one. God, I hope that makes sense! I really appreciate any answer you can give me. Unfortunately Dairyland is the only one I have used. Thank you again for your help and your videos!!!
Still looking into getting a freeze dryer question with the used oil from the oil vacuums I guess can it be used for other things like a oil lamp, probably could use it to lubricate chains and hinges things like that of course what is a flammable
Regarding the smell of the DL oil, I see that as a positive. Unfortunately, the valve system on the new pump design isn’t as effective as the JB was. As a result, there are several situations that cause the vacuum in the chamber to pull oil-laden air from the pump into the chamber. It’s happened to me a few times. With an odorless oil, that will still happen but you won’t notice. I now manually control my pump so that I never have a back flow issue. Now my food has no oil odor to it if there’s an error, etc. I also separate my oil with a glass separator every single batch and there’s plenty of water each time, so the pump is not doing much separating, if any.
I should also add that this issue is very well documented on the Facebook groups. I have a camera that alerts me to when the cycle changes, and I have the pump plugged into a Smart Plug. When the machine wants to turn the pump on, I turn it on. When the cycle is done, the pump remains on until I open the drain valve and turn off the pump manually to prevent air from being sucked into the chamber from the pump. Works great, no smell in the chamber.
@@wit2008 I am currently experiencing the issue of odor contamination. I was using Dairyland oil, and recently had to throw away $50 worth of meat that was contaminated. Can you clarify your procedure to manually run your vac pump. I've seen videos of oil backing up the vacuum line of an older JB pump at the end of a cycle. I have a 2nd Gen standard (green label) pump with a black vacuum hose so I can't see the oil, but odor is definitely getting into the FD. Seems like as long as you were at the machine at the end of the cycle and immediately released the vacuum, wouldn't that suffice or is there more to it? I'm not on any Facebook groups as I don't have an account so my sources on this are limited. I'm trying to solve my contamination issue and info is hard to come by. I just switched to Robinair oil and I'm running a test batch. I never imagined having this problem. Any additional info on what's causing this and how to overcome it is greatly appreciated. I'm available by email if you prefer. jayquinty@yahoo.com Thanks
@@jayquinty Hi Jay, basically I control the pump manually. I have it plugged into a smart outlet, so I can switch the power to the pump with my phone. So I'll start a batch (almost always pre-frozen) and I'll set the dry time to 20 hours instead of the default of 10. I know that between 1 and 2 hours after the food goes in, the machine will want to turn the pump on. I have a camera mounted in front of the screen, and when it changes what's on the screen, I get notified. Once the machine wants to start the pump, I turn it on manually ("Alexa, turn on the harvest right pump"). Then it's business as usual until the final dry is done. I set the 20 hour final dry so I can empty it anytime after 10 hours. Once I'm ready to turn it off, I open the drain valve, wait a bit, then turn the pump off. As soon as enough vacuum is released I open the door. The goal is to not have the pump off when there's still a vacuum in the chamber. The camera setup is a bit over the top, but it makes it easier during that first 1-2 hours to get the timing right. Hope that helps.
@@wit2008 Very helpful. Thank you for the explanation. I'll adopt a version of your methodology. Biggest takeaway is to not allow the vacuum pump to stop, prior to releasing the vacuum so as to prevent the odor backing up into the FD. Thanks again.
I thought I saw a video where you recommended the Dairyland oil and you gave me a link for Amazon now you're saying it's no good which one is it I have the premier pump I just bought a gallon of it by your recommendation now I see this video please advise
I have never recommended dairyland in the premier pump. In fact it will ruin that pump. Dairyland can be used in the old jb pumps and the standard HR pump as stated in this video
That's what I'm saying. He suggested the dairy land oil so I went and bought 8 gallons of it. Now he says it's no good and go back to the original harvest right oil? I'm not sure if I believe it or he's just affiliated with harvest right and that makes him $ 🤔
HR does not make oil and i did not say you can't use Dairyland in any of the pumps but the premier. You cannot use it in the premier because it will not allow the water to escape the oil as intended.
I got a 3rd party pump when my JB eliminator died. Been using Dairyland in it. When I change the oil, before filtering I put it in an old water bottle and freeze. This separates the oil from the water along with much of the debris. And yes, the dairyland oil smells - mostly during operation form the vacuum pump exhaust. Not noticed in the food. Only problem I have is this pump lacks an anti-siphon valve, so I have to vent the chamber at the end of a cycle.
My Harvest Right premium pump manual actually states this, not to use Dairyland. So for people saying they do it anyway, you will likely void your warranty….
HR sends the Robinair and Navac I am assuming its not okay to mix them. I used my first jug of Navac and will drain filter and go again then turn to the Robinair.
What actually sets the at point of an oil change rather then just a filtering if it is so clean? Is there a viscosity test for this determination? Or is it just an educated guess at this point. ??? An important thing to know if I have 15 to 20 freezers going at the same time. No, I did not stutter just now...I said 15 to 20........ Thank you in advance....
Hey thanks for the info about dairyland. The technician from Harvest Right supports your information in my recent troubleshooting appointment. Is the Robinair oil link in your information section the one you purchased through? I am switching from Dairyland to Robinair, hoping to save money, I have 2 full gallons of dairyland I have no use for now. Thank- you!!!
You gave your opinion on the oil but not what Separates the oil technically. You can get data from oil manufacturers on detergents and oil specs. Would have been nice to actually get some specs on the oil like type, grade manufactured location, base oil type. Just suggestions to help technical people. Sounded more like an ad for oil companies.
It was probably costing me over $30/mo for Robinair oil, buying it locally until I saw the case price for about half what I was paying when I purchased 1 qt. at a time. Then, b/c of your previous videos, I ordered a gallon of Dairyland--mainly b/c there was residue at the bottom of the oil display (I have a regular pump) and I was hoping Dairyland would take care of it. However, the residue cleared up before I even got to try the Dairyland maybe because of a new process I started: I do a small "flush" with oil before each new batch... So I drain the oil after each batch (getting the water out & filtering for re-use) and before I fill the pump again, I pour around 2-4 oz of filtered oil in the pump, let it set a few seconds and then empty it. I never fail to get more water out of the pump, and sometimes some residue as well. Then I filter that little bit of oil again for re-use. I'm hoping this "flush" would be helpful in extending the life of my pump. Since I bought the Dairyland, I'll use it, but just occasionally as you recommend. Thanks so much for your good tutorial.
We run Dairy Land in a standard pump. After two or three cycles, it comes out dirty, and we just change it out and discard. The filter that came with the pump doesn't do a good job of filtering it, and skimming water off the top seems like a questionable practice. We figured out we could buy a LOT of Dairy Land oil for the price difference for an oil-less pump.
plus, most ppl don't know they have to ship the oiless pump back every so often (2 - 3 yrs, i think?) for new seals(?) or something- at a huge price4 for shipping both ways PLUS labor!!! i'm glad i read that before i made my choice.
I took the face of my pump off to clean the inside. As a comment or two below indicated the inside part behind the face looks rusted. The only oil I've used so far is the one that came wit it. So why the rusty looking part? Thanks. I'm going to try the Dairyland oil and see how it come out. I've already purchased it so, may as well use it.
I went and bought a gallon of Dairyland also, damn. Guess will try to get some Robinar oil. Would also like to upgrade to premier pump, what do they run
My pump is less than a year old. It came with Dairyland oil from Harvest Right. If it is so terrible, why would Harvest Right ship my machine (the one on the right) with Dairyland? I'll stick with Dairyland like Harvest Right recommends.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity I bought it asweoo because of your recommendation, but it is awesome that you come back to say that it's not good. much respect turning off my machine now and replacing oil.
I followed his advice on Dairyland and ruined my first Standard Pump. Cost me over $300 for a new pump. Then, it started acting up. Called Harvest Right and now will follow their advice not this guy's.
I am confused. I watched you say use Dairyland in a video yesterday, but in this video you say don't. Why didn't you pull the other video? Would have also been nice to clear up the water information for new people. Just made more questions.
If you watch the entire video, the answers to your ?s are all there. If you have the old jb or the standard you can use dairyland, some think it puts off flavors into the food but good to clean out gunk in the pump every once in awhile. If you have the premier and use it, it will ruin your pump.
How does the water get into the oil? Could it be possible to add a water separator between the dryer and pump? Does the water come in thru the vacuum? Or is it condensation inside the pump from the outside air heating and cooling?
I just had the food contamination situation actually happen yesterday and I am wondering how in the world the oil can get to the food and contaminate it. I have the 2nd Gen standard pump (green label front) with the ballast. I don't use it that often and I've been running dairyland oil for maybe 10 batches. My unit is 2 years old and we have maybe 30-40 cycles on it, 10 on dairyland oil, as a guess. I had just run a batch of grilled tri-tip and noticed an odor when I took it out of the freeze drier. I decided to rehydrate 2 pieces and I ate them. I noticed an off taste, but my disbelieving side of me kept eating thinking it wasn't so bad. Well, not so. I had a nasty taste on my tongue for 12 hours until I went to bed, from the oil apparently. I also had a slight digestive discomfort as the meat digested. Didn't sleep the best either. Woke up this morning pretty distressed thinking my freeze fryer is a brick because I don't know if I could ever eat food from it again. And now I'm wondering if any of my previously sealed food is contaminated 😔. On top of this, the FD has the dairyland oil odor inside it currently, and I'm at a loss on how to proceed. I'm guessing, based on your info, that my check valve is stuck open, so I'll look into diagnosis of a bad check valve. I'm wondering if I may have to spring for an oilless pump so I can trust it again. For now I'll look into the check valve issue, and clean out the inside of the dryer unit. My confidence in freeze drying went from 100 to zero in one day 😔. Sadly, HR wants to charge $45 to speak to a tech, which I will reluctantly do if I can't find answers elsewhere. Any suggestions are appreciated
Ouch. Umberto down there is great, I'd ask for him directly, if youre able. Good luck & thanks for the heads up. Amazon just delivered 3 gallons of Dairyland yday. Returning it now. Not worth the risk.
@@VaultBoy1776 I've read many posts of people using dairyland and not having a problem. It may be my pump. I made a major mistake not too long before this occurred where I had drained the oil into the filter and hadn't refilled the pump. Started a cycle and let it run, not knowing the drain valve was still wide open and no oil in the pump. It ran for several hours with no oil in the pump. 😔 Figured I had ruined the pump, but after filling it up, and cooling down it seemed to pull good vacuum. Maybe two or three cycles later I noticed the smell in the dryer after a cycle. I've since taken the cover off the pump, but no obvious damage. The pump works great, so ive filled with Robinair oil, which doesn't have much of an oil smell. Going to run a couple of test runs with minimal food to see if the issue is resolved. So hopefully that helps. I know the dairyland oil is inexpensive but you can get a case of the Robinair quarts on Azon for around $90.
@@jayquinty ... i HOPE you haven't bought the oiless pump!!! there seems to be hidden costs involved with this fd deal... one is that the oilless pump has to be returned for service (seals or something???) every 2-3 yrs (??) at a whopping charge for that service PLUS the hefty charge for shipping both ways!!! i'd go with the Premier Pump buddy, which i did, for that reason! so darn glad i read about the servc etc. before i bought mine!
@@ohwhatelse No, I replaced my pump oil with HR oil, and now I make sure I'm at the FD at the end of the cycle. That way I can open it up immediately and not allow any odors to get on the food. Seems to have done the trick so far.
i want to buy the premiere pump but i heard they changed manufactureres and the newer one with the circular sight glass window is a bad chinese version, can you confirm this?
Not only can you use the oil for other things like oil lamps question what type of oil is it is it petroleum or is it sweet oils which are food safe which petroleum isn't is it a good mineral oil please what type of oil is it
Ouch! Just purchased two cases of Dairyland after watching your video. My bad! Expensive lesson learned. Waiting to receive my HRFD. Will purchase other oil and use Dairyland every 4th or 5th run for cleaning the pump. Will you still filter and reuse the new oils as you did the Dairyland or should I change and discard each time? Thank you for your honesty. Blessings❤️ PS: I purchased mine with the standard pump.
With the standard pump I would filter your oil, it worth it. With the premier, it goes so long without oil changes, it may not be worth it for some people
Retired at 40- Live.Life.Simple. Thank you so much for responding. I also want to thank you for all your wonderful videos. I so much appreciate all your time and expertise invested in each one. You are a big reason my husband and I decided to purchase a HRFD. We are past retirement age so we were on the fence a bit. You made the decision much easier with all the knowledge we were able to obtain from your videos. Thank you again. Blessings from Texas. ❤️
@@thefreezedryingcommunity when we first got our fd we got standard JB pump and did a few batches and oil turned black. Tried to filter several times with filter from hr and would not get past green. HR said pump contaminated and sent us another. Did several and then got little black specks in bottom when oil drained. My husband took pump apart and found that the inside of the pump had been painted with black paint and guess the heat of the pump and oil made it flake off, so he cleaned it and got it all out. He did this to the new pump and same thing happened. So, we spent the extra money and bought the maintenance free oil less pump. After a few runs started having vacuum problems with new pump and back and forth with HR for months and they finally said send back so they could rebuild it because problem with pump. They fixed it and runs fine. Thing is we were told that every 3 years or so it would need to be serviced and would cost $500 plus shipping. What happened to maintenance free and less noise? So have decided will run till have problems and go back to oil pump. At least have stand by oil pump. Question, what in the h-- would they paint the inside of the pump?
I have 2 of the basic pumps and I did buy the dairyland before I even got the freezer dryer and every batch I dried with it smelled bad and tasted bad. everyone said don't shut off the air lock until after it freezes, then they they said manually operate the pump and have the pump lower. None of that worked. oh yeah and the smaller hose. I had that too. so I just stopped using it no problems with the smell or flavor now. The premier is on back order so I bought a different way cheaper version of the premier pump it's orange. same specs. as far as the 7CFM but the fitting is different. If I could find an adapter or some one who cold make me a hose with the 11/16th JIC flare on one end and what ever the new pump is I'd be happy. Working with HR to see if there is an adapter but that is slow going.
@@nonamenoname9113 It's not the pump. if it is then it's both and that wouldn't make for very good business if 2 out of 2 pumps are bad. Is yours the old JB pump? or the newer basic pump?
@@nonamenoname9113 yeah I have 2 of those. They stink when they start and the food stinks, and tastes worse. there isn't any visible blue oil on the food. when I did cheese I used paper towel and I couldn't see any blue oil on that either but it sure tasted and smelled like it.
@@Ldybugsrus-Nadine That's odd. Perhaps the pump company has some lousy QC. I have only sampled one pump, the one we have. It works great and there hasn't been a hint of bad taste or smell on over a thousand pounds of food in 200+ batches.
Is it okay to mix oils together? I have some HR oil left over that I've filtered that is still good, but its not enough. Is it okay to add Robinair oil combining the two to reach the recommended range?
Quick question I am new and I’m waiting on my fridge dryer to arrive with the Premier pump Since this pump will do 20 to 25 batches why bother with altering that or why not use fresh I would think that would be better and since you have so many batches you can do in between or changes it really wouldn’t add that much cost to your food
I have had my freeze dryer for a couple years running the standard pump and the first issue I had was with Robinair’s oil dissolving the “cap board” coating and turning the oil black. Harvest Right sent me a stainless steel version of the cap board but I found that Dairyland oil cleaned the pump and did not eat the galvanized coating on the cap board. Dairyland contaminates the food? I get that you are saying it’s all your “opinion”... but how can you recommend using Dairyland to clean the internals at the same time you say it makes the food taste funny? I am a bit concerned of any transference of oil into the food... it should be obvious that this would be true for all oils and would be due to a design flaw in the machines. If Dairyland contaminates the food then all oils contaminate the food. Honestly, this is a really weird video for me, it just sounds like an attack on Dairyland which makes me wonder what the motivation is? Robinair’s oil literally ate the galvanized metal internals on the standard pump. I will have to contact Harvest Right to see if oil contamination is an issue......
Seriously? I don't want to have that problem at all. I'll be nauseated all day disgusted vomiting if that happens to me. I really want to invest in a FD but should I avoid the Robinair? 😬
Hi, I used my freeze dryer for the very first time ... well besides the bread one. I have the medium dryer and we have just the pump it came with. My question to you is does the pump turn on by itself or do you have to turn it on manually? I did the 30 min cool and put in my food, and the pump did not turn on so I waited a good while and it still didn't turn the pump on so I did it manually. I hope I didn't mess things up please help. thank you
Is your pump plugged into the freeze dryer? If so, it should turn on automatically - if you leave the pump switch in the "on" position. When you say you turned it on manually, I wonder how you did that unless the switch was off. So maybe after your bread batch, you turned off the freeze dryer and the pump and didn't turn the pump back on. I just leave the pump on and let the freeze dryer turn it on and off - with the pump plugged into it, of course.
@@chrishamill3170 I agree. I also saw a video about the oil-less pump not being maintenance free and that it wasn't that obvious in the sales pitch. Be interesting to see what Ret@40 finds when he gets his new pump - especially over time.
The older pumps counted on running at around 220-230 degrees F, Water boils off at 212 and leaves the oil, you created your own nightmare when you put a fan on the pump, cooling the oil and condensing all the water inside the pump! Dang it Brandon!
I have a brand new pump and running in in a sixty degree f basement, and it was OVERHEATING so that I smelled burning oil..so I set a small fan on it to help cool it. The pump is taking over an HOUR to reach the 500 MTorr..and I'm upset bc the pump was expensive to be having all these issues out the door.
Oil less pump is not all it is cracked up to be. Quieter and maintenance free. Ours was less than a year old and trouble trouble and more trouble. Finally HR fixed it, but told will need to rebuild and maintain in about 3 or so years and cost of $500 plus shipping. They did rebuild and works ok for now, but when breaks down again will go back to oil pump and filter. Changing oil is less than $$ $ for repairs.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity vinegar is too acidic on the stainless steel interior surface of the chamber. Rubbing alcohol would be a better choice to sanitize the chamber and shelves.
They are nice, i have 2 and just ordered a rebuild kit for one. If you can rebuild it when the time comes, you can save some $ and time. It is a pretty delicate operation to rebuild the pump. I tried cleaning one of the units and reusing the old parts with no luck. i do have a kit coming in to rebuild and will post my success or failure.
Sorry people are griping about your previous recommendation of Dairyland. Personally, I greatly appreciate you sharing with us as you learn!! Thank you for the time you spend trying, teaching, filming, and editing! I have a gallon of Dairyland I won't be using, but think the value of your content far surpasses what I paid for it!
As long as you aren't using the premier pump, you are fine to run it through here and there. It cleans your pump.
check his information. He's wrong.
I spoke with Scott Neville (Harvestright customer service rep). I asked about the use of Dairyland oil in Standard pump with ballast. Scott told me that the old JB pumps had an issue with the check valve getting stuck open which would lead to the contamination of food from the oil. This would wreck your food whether you used dairyland or standard oil. At least with dairyland you will know right away because it does have an odor to it. Anyways, Scott assured me (that at least in the standard pump with ballast control that) Dairyland is perfectly fine to use. In fact Scott informed me that he uses dairyland in his personal FD unit. So take it for what it's worth. Don't go to bed losing sleep like I did after watching this video before contacting HR the next day. I thought I had ruined 8 months worth of FD food after watching this.
the ballast on the standard pump is supposed to be shut to the off/closed position corect?
Ok, so I just had the food contamination situation actually happen yesterday and I did lose sleep wondering how in the world the oil can get to the food and contaminate it. I have the 2nd Gen standard pump (green label front) with the ballast. I don't use it that often and I've been running dairyland oil for maybe 10 batches. My unit is 2 years old and we have maybe 30-40 cycles on it, 10 on dairyland oil, as a guess. I had just run a batch of grilled tri-tip and noticed an odor when I took it out of the freeze drier. I decided to rehydrate 2 pieces and I ate them. I noticed an off taste, but my disbelieving side of me kept eating thinking it wasn't so bad. Well, not so. I had a nasty taste on my tongue for 12 hours until I went to bed, from the oil apparently. I also had a slight digestive discomfort as the meat digested. Didn't sleep the best either. Woke up this morning pretty distressed thinking my freeze fryer is a brick because I don't know if I could ever eat food from it again. And now I'm wondering if any of my previously sealed food is contaminated 😔. On top of this, the FD has the dairyland oil odor inside it currently, and I'm at a loss on how to proceed. I'm guessing, based on your info, that my check valve is stuck open, so I'll look into diagnosis of a bad check valve. I'm wondering if I may have to spring for an oilless pump so I can trust it again. For now I'll look into the check valve issue, and clean out the inside of the dryer unit. Any suggestions are appreciated. My confidence in freeze drying went from 100 to zero in one day 😔.
This has really helped. I have my Harvest Right on order now. I will go ahead and order the right oil ordered and have that taken care of. I appreciate your help and the site you are doing to help all of us.
Glad it was helpful!
We've been using dairyland since day one in our standard pump and its been excellent. I tear the pump down every 30 cycles to clean. There is never anything in it. This is after almost 200 batches. Dairyland is what all the farms near use. If its good for them its good for us.
Great to hear!
So we don't have to change the oil till after 30 uses?
I wouldn't even know how to tear down the pump! I hope my pump will last
@@farmsteadpreps Change the oil (depending on which pump you have) every 2-5 cycles. He tears down the pump (takes it apart to clean it) every 30 cycles.
This is such great info!! I just got my medium with standard pump about 2 weeks ago!! Has not stopped running since. I ordered extra Robinaire from HR. The filters that come are crazy!! I see the genius in it though. The water mixed with oil stay in the top because the water sinks in the little dip before it all goes through the filter. I just change the oil every cycle and allow the old oil to filter slowly. I will start cycling through the old oil a second time and so forth. I have 2 of the HR filters to help make this easier.
I just got a medium with premium pump so this was very valuable. Thank you!
$177.32 for the 12 pack or $14.77 per quart. Home Depot sells it for $12.99 and Tractor Supply $14.99. And Harvest Right is $15.98. I'm in and out of HD all the time so I'll order it from them and hopefully get free shipping to my store or my house. I appreciate the information on all this oil....who knew?
I’ve personally had great success w/the Dairyland oil. I’m able to see & further separate the water from the oil and accumulated particulates by letting the oil settle out prior to filtering.
By tilting the pump after the oil stops draining any accumulation of water & particulate sediments drain into a glass beaker. I then freeze the captured solution, pour off the good looking oil and properly collect and dispose of the contaminated residual solution.
Me too. I have had no issues
With which pump?
Totally agree..... My process is the exact same as yours and I have had zero problems with my pump. The pump seems very very clean imo.
@@em2012ish “ditto”
@@aimeegunderson6852 7cfm, 115/60 vac/hz
part # 2TW - 3C
I see a lot of questions that need answers to. I just subscribed to your channel so I’m wondering if you help people out with their questions. Thanks
That is the same oil that Harvest Right sells on their site, the Robinair. I ordered the standard pump with my FD and after watching your videos I decided I should have some extra oil on hand for when it gets here so I went to their site and that is what they sent me. Thanks so much for all your work on these videos.
I normally run Amsoil
The ISO 46 compressor oil lasts, I get better vacuum, and get many uses out of it. Will the filters you are looking at 6000-8000 hours out of it
I’m at my wit’s end! We used Retired at 40’s affiliate link to buy our Harvest Right. Our new Harvest Right can’t fully freeze dry the veggies. Even after days and multiple efforts. Our Premier plus oil pump is filled with very cloudy, milky oil. Hubby drained it and is running it through the filter. I think it’s a lost cause, and we should replace the oil. I would LOVE to join the MEWE group. We applied days ago, but haven’t been approved for some reason. Was it something I said? Is there a secret handshake? How do you get approved?
Now we have a very large item that we spent a lot of money for. I won’t call it a freeze dryer until it actually freeze drys something. We need help. Hubby spoke to Harvest Right. They told him to filter the oil.
Have run 50 oil changes thru the new picture filter. Still on the original filter. I change oil pretty much every cycle. What I like about the new filter. The water stays at the top of the filter. Virtually no water bubbles are in the filtered oil. Have missed a few loads with out changing oil out. Have found that the pump still keeps most of the water in the pump between cycles. Get twice much water in top of filter if go two loads. Also notice pump losses efficiency about 10 mils on pump at end of cycle. My pump in Florida gets down to 245 mil at end of cycle on new filtered oil. 256 on second load and goes up each cycle from there. My conclusion is filter every cycle cheap insurance to save wear to a minimum. Bill R
You say "Do not use Dairyland !!!", but I literally watched a December 8, 2019 video before this one where you promoted Dairyland. We have been gathering info on dryers and it came up on my list. Perhaps you need to look at it and determine if it needs to be removed.
Any thoughts on Amsoil ?
Great minds think alike. I have used Robinair since I bought my FD'er 5 years ago. I checked out your vids and checked the equipment you bought for your process. I have the same scale after reviewing many regarding quality and price. Regarding Robinair, I buy it by the gallon and have used less than two gallons over 5 years. I just filter the crud and water and usually a quart lasts me many cycles, only needing to add a tablespoon every few cycles for loss due to filtering.
Very cool!
Used dairy land oil since 2019 on my large on the standard pump and had no problem.
If you have oil vapor in the room when you open the valve it can totally ruin your batch by sucking it into the chamber. I have made a sound proof air box that cools and exhausts. I have a small freeze drying kitchen so it was a necessity to make. I used to open the doors and windows, if I didn't, it would look like a rock concert in the basement. If you can smell the oil, don't open the valve. If you're getting oil taste anyway you might have a small vacuum leak. These machines have NEAR perfect vacuum. 8 m/torr per minute leak is acceptable. Something to keep in mind.
Thank you. I just bought the case of oil. Under 7 dollars a quart is a great deal.
Excellent!
Hi different subject, How to you add Freon to the harvest right and which kind of freon do I need and where to buy it
Love Dairyland in my standard pump. Not gonna change. 🙂
👌
I’m so confused… do you filter your oil? Change it out fully? What is your routine? I have the medium dryer and I’ve run about 6 batches so far.
Super informative...thanks. I was thinking of just dumping the oil and going with fresh new oil after 20-25 batches in the Premier Pump. I’m thinking the cost may be a little more, but if I get it in a case, the cost of replacing oil every 20-25 batches will fairly low, and hopefully will extend the life of the pump. It’s not like the old pumps, where the oil needed to be filtered every 5 batches, which would have been costly to replace with fresh oil every time. What’s your thoughts?
Robinair, at $7 per quart is affordable and it will buy you 20-25 or more batches in the Premier. It may not be worth it for you to filter.
Hi, would you happen to have the link for the black funnel filter shown in this. Thanks
Thanks. You always answer my questions and concerns
Thank you so much! Probably a dumb question...but Robinair has so many different Oils, do I only want to get the 13203.. or a different number. I have, from what you have shown the 2nd generation oil pump. The one with the window but not the newer one. God, I hope that makes sense! I really appreciate any answer you can give me. Unfortunately Dairyland is the only one I have used. Thank you again for your help and your videos!!!
Thanks for the review of the oils. I still have the original JB pump. I want to upgrade soon.
Still looking into getting a freeze dryer question with the used oil from the oil vacuums I guess can it be used for other things like a oil lamp, probably could use it to lubricate chains and hinges things like that of course what is a flammable
Regarding the smell of the DL oil, I see that as a positive. Unfortunately, the valve system on the new pump design isn’t as effective as the JB was. As a result, there are several situations that cause the vacuum in the chamber to pull oil-laden air from the pump into the chamber. It’s happened to me a few times. With an odorless oil, that will still happen but you won’t notice. I now manually control my pump so that I never have a back flow issue. Now my food has no oil odor to it if there’s an error, etc. I also separate my oil with a glass separator every single batch and there’s plenty of water each time, so the pump is not doing much separating, if any.
I should also add that this issue is very well documented on the Facebook groups. I have a camera that alerts me to when the cycle changes, and I have the pump plugged into a Smart Plug. When the machine wants to turn the pump on, I turn it on. When the cycle is done, the pump remains on until I open the drain valve and turn off the pump manually to prevent air from being sucked into the chamber from the pump. Works great, no smell in the chamber.
Good info, appreciate it!
@@wit2008 I am currently experiencing the issue of odor contamination. I was using Dairyland oil, and recently had to throw away $50 worth of meat that was contaminated. Can you clarify your procedure to manually run your vac pump. I've seen videos of oil backing up the vacuum line of an older JB pump at the end of a cycle. I have a 2nd Gen standard (green label) pump with a black vacuum hose so I can't see the oil, but odor is definitely getting into the FD. Seems like as long as you were at the machine at the end of the cycle and immediately released the vacuum, wouldn't that suffice or is there more to it? I'm not on any Facebook groups as I don't have an account so my sources on this are limited. I'm trying to solve my contamination issue and info is hard to come by. I just switched to Robinair oil and I'm running a test batch. I never imagined having this problem. Any additional info on what's causing this and how to overcome it is greatly appreciated. I'm available by email if you prefer. jayquinty@yahoo.com Thanks
@@jayquinty Hi Jay, basically I control the pump manually. I have it plugged into a smart outlet, so I can switch the power to the pump with my phone. So I'll start a batch (almost always pre-frozen) and I'll set the dry time to 20 hours instead of the default of 10. I know that between 1 and 2 hours after the food goes in, the machine will want to turn the pump on. I have a camera mounted in front of the screen, and when it changes what's on the screen, I get notified. Once the machine wants to start the pump, I turn it on manually ("Alexa, turn on the harvest right pump"). Then it's business as usual until the final dry is done. I set the 20 hour final dry so I can empty it anytime after 10 hours. Once I'm ready to turn it off, I open the drain valve, wait a bit, then turn the pump off. As soon as enough vacuum is released I open the door. The goal is to not have the pump off when there's still a vacuum in the chamber. The camera setup is a bit over the top, but it makes it easier during that first 1-2 hours to get the timing right. Hope that helps.
@@wit2008 Very helpful. Thank you for the explanation. I'll adopt a version of your methodology. Biggest takeaway is to not allow the vacuum pump to stop, prior to releasing the vacuum so as to prevent the odor backing up into the FD. Thanks again.
I thought I saw a video where you recommended the Dairyland oil and you gave me a link for Amazon now you're saying it's no good which one is it I have the premier pump I just bought a gallon of it by your recommendation now I see this video please advise
I have never recommended dairyland in the premier pump. In fact it will ruin that pump. Dairyland can be used in the old jb pumps and the standard HR pump as stated in this video
I thought you said Dairyland oil was the way to go in an earlier video? That is what I bought and use. I guess I will go back to robinair. Confused
Which pump was he talking about?
I thought he did too. Maybe it was a different channel?
Yes he did and it was for the old JB pump that he used to have. did you even watch the video?
That's what I'm saying. He suggested the dairy land oil so I went and bought 8 gallons of it. Now he says it's no good and go back to the original harvest right oil? I'm not sure if I believe it or he's just affiliated with harvest right and that makes him $ 🤔
HR does not make oil and i did not say you can't use Dairyland in any of the pumps but the premier. You cannot use it in the premier because it will not allow the water to escape the oil as intended.
I got a 3rd party pump when my JB eliminator died. Been using Dairyland in it. When I change the oil, before filtering I put it in an old water bottle and freeze. This separates the oil from the water along with much of the debris. And yes, the dairyland oil smells - mostly during operation form the vacuum pump exhaust. Not noticed in the food. Only problem I have is this pump lacks an anti-siphon valve, so I have to vent the chamber at the end of a cycle.
i think you can order a fitting with the valve in it from HR, might have to add an adapter though, use a good grade of pipe sealant on the fittings
My Harvest Right premium pump manual actually states this, not to use Dairyland. So for people saying they do it anyway, you will likely void your warranty….
Yep, it has said that for a long time. Some people don't like to read or follow directions;)
I picked up a freeze dryer from harvestright last week and they said I could use any food grade mineral oil in the premier pump.
HR sends the Robinair and Navac I am assuming its not okay to mix them. I used my first jug of Navac and will drain filter and go again then turn to the Robinair.
Do you have a video on how to change the oil? Im doing a lot of studying before I buy. Thanks!
What actually sets the at point of an oil change rather then just a filtering if it is so clean? Is there a viscosity test for this determination? Or is it just an educated guess at this point. ???
An important thing to know if I have 15 to 20 freezers going at the same time. No, I did not stutter just now...I said 15 to 20........ Thank you in advance....
Hey thanks for the info about dairyland. The technician from Harvest Right supports your information in my recent troubleshooting appointment. Is the Robinair oil link in your information section the one you purchased through? I am switching from Dairyland to Robinair, hoping to save money, I have 2 full gallons of dairyland I have no use for now. Thank- you!!!
Great price on that Amazon link for the Robinair! $5.67 per quart? Heck yeah!
Yellow Jacket SuperEvac oil is very good
This was very informative thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
You gave your opinion on the oil but not what Separates the oil technically. You can get data from oil manufacturers on detergents and oil specs. Would have been nice to actually get some specs on the oil like type, grade manufactured location, base oil type.
Just suggestions to help technical people.
Sounded more like an ad for oil companies.
I would not have understood all that. I think he was just trying to keep it simple.
I watch periodically...from the beginning, always felt this was a spokesperson for freeze-dryers. Commercial-like.
@@chrishamill3170 well, he is an affiliate of Harvest Right. That doesn't mean he isn't giving out good information.
@@welderprincess133 good for you! Enjoy!
Being an affiliate just means that I endorse a product that i believe in.
It was probably costing me over $30/mo for Robinair oil, buying it locally until I saw the case price for about half what I was paying when I purchased 1 qt. at a time. Then, b/c of your previous videos, I ordered a gallon of Dairyland--mainly b/c there was residue at the bottom of the oil display (I have a regular pump) and I was hoping Dairyland would take care of it. However, the residue cleared up before I even got to try the Dairyland maybe because of a new process I started: I do a small "flush" with oil before each new batch... So I drain the oil after each batch (getting the water out & filtering for re-use) and before I fill the pump again, I pour around 2-4 oz of filtered oil in the pump, let it set a few seconds and then empty it. I never fail to get more water out of the pump, and sometimes some residue as well. Then I filter that little bit of oil again for re-use. I'm hoping this "flush" would be helpful in extending the life of my pump. Since I bought the Dairyland, I'll use it, but just occasionally as you recommend. Thanks so much for your good tutorial.
Thanks for your comment, did not think or running some oil back to get more water out, will try it.
I would use the DairyLand 100%, much superior oil in my opinion, we are running 3 standard pumps.
Our pump keeps failing to vacuum down to below 500mt. Standard pump. Three times had to have it replaced by the company. What’s wrong with it?
We run Dairy Land in a standard pump. After two or three cycles, it comes out dirty, and we just change it out and discard. The filter that came with the pump doesn't do a good job of filtering it, and skimming water off the top seems like a questionable practice. We figured out we could buy a LOT of Dairy Land oil for the price difference for an oil-less pump.
plus, most ppl don't know they have to ship the oiless pump back every so often (2 - 3 yrs, i think?) for new seals(?) or something- at a huge price4 for shipping both ways PLUS labor!!! i'm glad i read that before i made my choice.
Have you done a video reviewing the HAWK filter? How well does it work?
where can I buy the 12 pack of robinair vacuum pump oil for my harvest right freeze dryer that you mentioned
I took the face of my pump off to clean the inside. As a comment or two below indicated the inside part behind the face looks rusted. The only oil I've used so far is the one that came wit it. So why the rusty looking part? Thanks. I'm going to try the Dairyland oil and see how it come out. I've already purchased it so, may as well use it.
If have the premier pump, do not use dairyland in it. If you have the standard, the dairyland will help clean up that gunk
What do you think about amsoil
Awesome shirt Bryan...if you got 12 quarts of robinair that would be life time supply for the premier pump.
Yes sir!
I went and bought a gallon of Dairyland also, damn. Guess will try to get some Robinar oil. Would also like to upgrade to premier pump, what do they run
@@gloriatravis8470 dairyland is okay with the standard pump, but not the premier.
My pump is less than a year old. It came with Dairyland oil from Harvest Right. If it is so terrible, why would Harvest Right ship my machine (the one on the right) with Dairyland?
I'll stick with Dairyland like Harvest Right recommends.
So do I just use the Brita water filter cartridges to filter my oil?
The 12 pack is now 120$ in your link...8% inflation my ass Joe...
Damn I bought dairy land oil because you suggested it on this channel 😐
I didn't say that it can't be used, I just recommend rotating it with other oils in the standard and JB pumps.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity The title of this video is literally "DO NOT USE DAIRYLAND!!!" I also use Dairyland based on your recommendation.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity I bought it asweoo because of your recommendation, but it is awesome that you come back to say that it's not good. much respect turning off my machine now and replacing oil.
I followed his advice on Dairyland and ruined my first Standard Pump. Cost me over $300 for a new pump. Then, it started acting up. Called Harvest Right and now will follow their advice not this guy's.
I am confused. I watched you say use Dairyland in a video yesterday, but in this video you say don't. Why didn't you pull the other video?
Would have also been nice to clear up the water information for new people. Just made more questions.
If you watch the entire video, the answers to your ?s are all there. If you have the old jb or the standard you can use dairyland, some think it puts off flavors into the food but good to clean out gunk in the pump every once in awhile. If you have the premier and use it, it will ruin your pump.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity I did. Just thought you could save people time by pulling the video.
What about synthetic oil? Good, bad?
Now I’m confused. I just watched another of your videos that you were using dairyland. Is the robinair just for the newest pumps?
What is your thought on using the round cotton make up remover pads in the Britta oil filter instead of the toilet paper?
How many times can you use the Brita style filter before changing?
Depends on what's in your oil. Once the filtering process takes a long time, its probably time to change the filter naterial
Nice retort stand
How does the water get into the oil? Could it be possible to add a water separator between the dryer and pump?
Does the water come in thru the vacuum? Or is it condensation inside the pump from the outside air heating and cooling?
I just had the food contamination situation actually happen yesterday and I am wondering how in the world the oil can get to the food and contaminate it. I have the 2nd Gen standard pump (green label front) with the ballast. I don't use it that often and I've been running dairyland oil for maybe 10 batches. My unit is 2 years old and we have maybe 30-40 cycles on it, 10 on dairyland oil, as a guess. I had just run a batch of grilled tri-tip and noticed an odor when I took it out of the freeze drier. I decided to rehydrate 2 pieces and I ate them. I noticed an off taste, but my disbelieving side of me kept eating thinking it wasn't so bad. Well, not so. I had a nasty taste on my tongue for 12 hours until I went to bed, from the oil apparently. I also had a slight digestive discomfort as the meat digested. Didn't sleep the best either. Woke up this morning pretty distressed thinking my freeze fryer is a brick because I don't know if I could ever eat food from it again. And now I'm wondering if any of my previously sealed food is contaminated 😔. On top of this, the FD has the dairyland oil odor inside it currently, and I'm at a loss on how to proceed. I'm guessing, based on your info, that my check valve is stuck open, so I'll look into diagnosis of a bad check valve. I'm wondering if I may have to spring for an oilless pump so I can trust it again. For now I'll look into the check valve issue, and clean out the inside of the dryer unit. My confidence in freeze drying went from 100 to zero in one day 😔. Sadly, HR wants to charge $45 to speak to a tech, which I will reluctantly do if I can't find answers elsewhere. Any suggestions are appreciated
Ouch. Umberto down there is great, I'd ask for him directly, if youre able. Good luck & thanks for the heads up. Amazon just delivered 3 gallons of Dairyland yday. Returning it now. Not worth the risk.
@@VaultBoy1776 I've read many posts of people using dairyland and not having a problem. It may be my pump. I made a major mistake not too long before this occurred where I had drained the oil into the filter and hadn't refilled the pump. Started a cycle and let it run, not knowing the drain valve was still wide open and no oil in the pump. It ran for several hours with no oil in the pump. 😔 Figured I had ruined the pump, but after filling it up, and cooling down it seemed to pull good vacuum. Maybe two or three cycles later I noticed the smell in the dryer after a cycle. I've since taken the cover off the pump, but no obvious damage. The pump works great, so ive filled with Robinair oil, which doesn't have much of an oil smell. Going to run a couple of test runs with minimal food to see if the issue is resolved. So hopefully that helps. I know the dairyland oil is inexpensive but you can get a case of the Robinair quarts on Azon for around $90.
@@jayquinty ... i HOPE you haven't bought the oiless pump!!! there seems to be hidden costs involved with this fd deal... one is that the oilless pump has to be returned for service (seals or something???) every 2-3 yrs (??) at a whopping charge for that service PLUS the hefty charge for shipping both ways!!! i'd go with the Premier Pump buddy, which i did, for that reason! so darn glad i read about the servc etc. before i bought mine!
@@ohwhatelse No, I replaced my pump oil with HR oil, and now I make sure I'm at the FD at the end of the cycle. That way I can open it up immediately and not allow any odors to get on the food. Seems to have done the trick so far.
Brian, what is the approximate shelflife of the Robinaire oil, unopened bottles? TIA
I would think unopened it would outlast you! I really don't know for certain though.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity Thanks Brian. Great, so stocking up on it would be a good idea
I’m buying the medio maybe the larger one, do you have a discount code ? So U get credit for the sale and i get a discount
Great content, I love this channel. Thank you a ton!!!
Thanks for watching!
i want to buy the premiere pump but i heard they changed manufactureres and the newer one with the circular sight glass window is a bad chinese version, can you confirm this?
Not only can you use the oil for other things like oil lamps question what type of oil is it is it petroleum or is it sweet oils which are food safe which petroleum isn't is it a good mineral oil please what type of oil is it
I believe it's vegetable oil
Ouch! Just purchased two cases of Dairyland after watching your video. My bad! Expensive lesson learned. Waiting to receive my HRFD. Will purchase other oil and use Dairyland every 4th or 5th run for cleaning the pump. Will you still filter and reuse the new oils as you did the Dairyland or should I change and discard each time? Thank you for your honesty. Blessings❤️
PS: I purchased mine with the standard pump.
With the standard pump I would filter your oil, it worth it. With the premier, it goes so long without oil changes, it may not be worth it for some people
Retired at 40- Live.Life.Simple. Thank you so much for responding. I also want to thank you for all your wonderful videos. I so much appreciate all your time and expertise invested in each one. You are a big reason my husband and I decided to purchase a HRFD. We are past retirement age so we were on the fence a bit. You made the decision much easier with all the knowledge we were able to obtain from your videos. Thank you again. Blessings from Texas. ❤️
@@thefreezedryingcommunity when we first got our fd we got standard JB pump and did a few batches and oil turned black. Tried to filter several times with filter from hr and would not get past green. HR said pump contaminated and sent us another. Did several and then got little black specks in bottom when oil drained. My husband took pump apart and found that the inside of the pump had been painted with black paint and guess the heat of the pump and oil made it flake off, so he cleaned it and got it all out. He did this to the new pump and same thing happened. So, we spent the extra money and bought the maintenance free oil less pump. After a few runs started having vacuum problems with new pump and back and forth with HR for months and they finally said send back so they could rebuild it because problem with pump. They fixed it and runs fine. Thing is we were told that every 3 years or so it would need to be serviced and would cost $500 plus shipping. What happened to maintenance free and less noise? So have decided will run till have problems and go back to oil pump. At least have stand by oil pump. Question, what in the h-- would they paint the inside of the pump?
uk prices for Robinair cost $28 for 946ml ,,, wow joys
Thanks for a great video !
Glad you liked it!
How many quarts of oil do you go through if you use the Harvest Right as often as you do?
When u filter the oil and its clear, can u reuse it? If so how many times? If u can't what else can it be used for?
It's case by case. Best way to tell is when it has been filtered and it's still cloudy.
How is the balast valve doing anything in the regular pump if it is closed at all times?
It is there so people who know how to properly use it, can remove moisture
how many times can you filter and reuse the oil?
What if I uses Dairyland in Premier pump for 3 cycles?
Can I go back to good oil or is my pump ruined?
I would switch the oil ASAP
I have 2 of the basic pumps and I did buy the dairyland before I even got the freezer dryer and every batch I dried with it smelled bad and tasted bad. everyone said don't shut off the air lock until after it freezes, then they they said manually operate the pump and have the pump lower. None of that worked. oh yeah and the smaller hose. I had that too. so I just stopped using it no problems with the smell or flavor now. The premier is on back order so I bought a different way cheaper version of the premier pump it's orange. same specs. as far as the 7CFM but the fitting is different. If I could find an adapter or some one who cold make me a hose with the 11/16th JIC flare on one end and what ever the new pump is I'd be happy. Working with HR to see if there is an adapter but that is slow going.
Maybe you have something wrong with your pump. We've been using Dairyland for almost two years and nave noticed to bad smell or taste.
@@nonamenoname9113 It's not the pump. if it is then it's both and that wouldn't make for very good business if 2 out of 2 pumps are bad. Is yours the old JB pump? or the newer basic pump?
@@Ldybugsrus-Nadine Ours is the newer basic pump.
@@nonamenoname9113 yeah I have 2 of those. They stink when they start and the food stinks, and tastes worse. there isn't any visible blue oil on the food. when I did cheese I used paper towel and I couldn't see any blue oil on that either but it sure tasted and smelled like it.
@@Ldybugsrus-Nadine That's odd. Perhaps the pump company has some lousy QC. I have only sampled one pump, the one we have. It works great and there hasn't been a hint of bad taste or smell on over a thousand pounds of food in 200+ batches.
So how long do you filter and reuse your oil before simply throwing it out and replacing it with new?
It depends on many factors, but 2-3 times has always been best results for me. As long as the oil is not cloudy and degraded, it can be used.
When we know better, we do better. Thanks for sharing what you have discovered/learned!
Absolutely!
What about AMSOIL?????
Is it okay to mix oils together? I have some HR oil left over that I've filtered that is still good, but its not enough. Is it okay to add Robinair oil combining the two to reach the recommended range?
I have mixed oil before. Just make sure that your different oils have life left in them
That Robinair Oil is over $120 for 12 quarts now.
$73 on Amazon for 12 quarts
Is it worth just getting the oil-free pump?
I am not a fan personally, for some it's great!
Darn it!! Bought couple cases of dairyland oil last year at tractor supply! LoL
Me too but through some place else, it's been so long I don't remember. Darn it!
I just bought a gallon too, based on a recommendation from one of his previous videos. He needs to take that old one down.
So did I!!😬
Me too!
Are you saying it’s bad to run dairy land in the standard pump? Or just not necessary.
I think the best scenario is run Robinair, JB or other high quality oil and rotate it with Dairyland to keep clean
Quick question I am new and I’m waiting on my fridge dryer to arrive with the Premier pump
Since this pump will do 20 to 25 batches why bother with altering that or why not use fresh I would think that would be better and since you have so many batches you can do in between or changes it really wouldn’t add that much cost to your food
You definitely could do that. The Robinair is $7 per quart and will get you 20-25 cycles, maybe more
Do you think that would add to the longevity of the pump
I have had my freeze dryer for a couple years running the standard pump and the first issue I had was with Robinair’s oil dissolving the “cap board” coating and turning the oil black. Harvest Right sent me a stainless steel version of the cap board but I found that Dairyland oil cleaned the pump and did not eat the galvanized coating on the cap board.
Dairyland contaminates the food? I get that you are saying it’s all your “opinion”... but how can you recommend using Dairyland to clean the internals at the same time you say it makes the food taste funny?
I am a bit concerned of any transference of oil into the food... it should be obvious that this would be true for all oils and would be due to a design flaw in the machines. If Dairyland contaminates the food then all oils contaminate the food.
Honestly, this is a really weird video for me, it just sounds like an attack on Dairyland which makes me wonder what the motivation is?
Robinair’s oil literally ate the galvanized metal internals on the standard pump.
I will have to contact Harvest Right to see if oil contamination is an issue......
You do know that he had previously made a video saying to use fairyland, so the correction and addressing that it is no longer a good option is valid
Just did my second oil change in my primer pump and I switched to Robinair Oil, my entire house smells like used diesel oil.
Seriously?
I don't want to have that problem at all. I'll be nauseated all day disgusted vomiting if that happens to me.
I really want to invest in a FD but should I avoid the Robinair?
😬
Ty
I'm seeing oil in my effluent melt water with premier pump. Anyone else see oil on surface of water?
Hi, I used my freeze dryer for the very first time ... well besides the bread one. I have the medium dryer and we have just the pump it came with. My question to you is does the pump turn on by itself or do you have to turn it on manually? I did the 30 min cool and put in my food, and the pump did not turn on so I waited a good while and it still didn't turn the pump on so I did it manually. I hope I didn't mess things up please help. thank you
The machine has to reach a certain temp before the vacuum will turn on. Depending on which software you have somewhere in the negatives.
Is your pump plugged into the freeze dryer? If so, it should turn on automatically - if you leave the pump switch in the "on" position. When you say you turned it on manually, I wonder how you did that unless the switch was off. So maybe after your bread batch, you turned off the freeze dryer and the pump and didn't turn the pump back on. I just leave the pump on and let the freeze dryer turn it on and off - with the pump plugged into it, of course.
I’m not seeing the links. Do I need to go on the Facebook group?
facebook.com/groups/retiredat40livelifesimple
@@thefreezedryingcommunity I’m sorry I thought you were posting a link to purchase the Robinair oil for the low price. I guess I misunderstood
Why don't you include the cost of running the compressor in your cost analysis?
The pump is connected to the machine, the meter is coming off the machine, so both the machine and vac pump are figured into my costs
I just spent 100 dollars on the last video recommendation. I have a new LARGE FD, its got the basic pump, so now I shouldn’t it? HELP?!
* use dairlyland oil?
What about the oil-less pump?
No oil changes required! Just kidding. I have one ordered and it will be here soon. Video coming soon
Does anyone know if there’s a rebuild kit for these?
which one??
Why don't you have the Harvest Right oiless pump?
it's on the way. I collect HR vacuum pumps😂
@@thefreezedryingcommunity I look forward to that video. Keep up the great work.
@@shadowmist1246 research first...recently watched a video where someone is on their sixth oil-less pump...malfunctioning.
@@chrishamill3170 I agree. I also saw a video about the oil-less pump not being maintenance free and that it wasn't that obvious in the sales pitch. Be interesting to see what Ret@40 finds when he gets his new pump - especially over time.
@@shadowmist1246 exactly.
The older pumps counted on running at around 220-230 degrees F, Water boils off at 212 and leaves the oil, you created your own nightmare when you put a fan on the pump, cooling the oil and condensing all the water inside the pump! Dang it Brandon!
I have a brand new pump and running in in a sixty degree f basement, and it was OVERHEATING so that I smelled burning oil..so I set a small fan on it to help cool it. The pump is taking over an HOUR to reach the 500 MTorr..and I'm upset bc the pump was expensive to be having all these issues out the door.
Dairyland has STUNK up our FD beyond repair. I will NEVER use it again in my Standard pump.
Some people seem to have that issue and others do not. Use vinegar to clean out your HR
Oil less pump is not all it is cracked up to be. Quieter and maintenance free. Ours was less than a year old and trouble trouble and more trouble. Finally HR fixed it, but told will need to rebuild and maintain in about 3 or so years and cost of $500 plus shipping. They did rebuild and works ok for now, but when breaks down again will go back to oil pump and filter. Changing oil is less than $$ $ for repairs.
@@thefreezedryingcommunity vinegar is too acidic on the stainless steel interior surface of the chamber. Rubbing alcohol would be a better choice to sanitize the chamber and shelves.
Sounds like to use the OIL FREE Pump..?
They are nice, i have 2 and just ordered a rebuild kit for one. If you can rebuild it when the time comes, you can save some $ and time. It is a pretty delicate operation to rebuild the pump. I tried cleaning one of the units and reusing the old parts with no luck. i do have a kit coming in to rebuild and will post my success or failure.
Im confused.... dairyland oil is good.... dairyland oil is bad.... which is it ???