I have a similar problem to PositiveMD – a chamber vacuum sealer that’s not sealing, but I can’t figure out why.
My machine is a Vac-Tec Compact chamber sealer. It looks a lot like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017RKJD8K, but is essentially also the same as this SousVideTools Lite machine https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017W9MLW6, and has a lot in common with this Buffalo one https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B017DYD9LM - they clearly all come from the same original manufacturer.
By “sealing bar”, I mean the bar at the bottom, covered in Teflon tape, that heats up to seal the bag. By “sealing strip”, I mean the black bar embedded in the lid that (I assume) presses against the sealing bar.
The sealing bar still gets hot – that’s not the problem. I’m definitely getting a vacuum, and the lid seems to be closing fine. I think the reason that the bags aren’t sealing is that the sealing strip isn’t pressing against the sealing bar when the lid closes – they seem to remain about 7mm apart. But on the other hand, each of them seems to be in the right place! Neither is loose, and their position looks pretty much the same as in online photos.
I can’t really see how they ever met before: the sealing bar is slightly below the level of the edge of the chamber, while the sealing strip is recessed relative to the edge of the lid. So even when the edge of the lid is jammed tight against the edge of the chamber, the strip and the bar aren’t going to touch. But my bags used to seal fine … until they suddenly stopped doing so.
I’m completely mystified. Can anyone help?
