Chamber Vacuum Sealers, 2014–

[Martin Fisher]

On 1/14/2016 at 8:39 PM, dscheidt said:

I use the 10X15 bags (which is bigger than Vacmaster says fits in the machine, but as noted above, a three dimensional object in the bag makes them effectively shorter, and they work fine.) 

 

I finally ordered and received 1,000 10" x 15" pouches for use in the VP-215.

I'm glad I did...I should have done it a LONG time ago.

They're a pleasure to work with compared to the 10" x 13"!!!

Ordering 1,000 10" x 13" pouches was a HUGE mistake!

Oh, I'll use them all eventually...but there are hundreds left.

[Martin Fisher]

On 3/26/2019 at 9:47 AM, lemniscate said:

Does anyone have any experience with LEM brand vacuum chambers?

 

No, but I have experience with other LEM products.

Customer service is horrible.

The products were sub-par.

I wouldn't buy anything from LEM.

[lemniscate]

Noted.  Costco had LEM chambers for $600.  Couldn't find any info on them.  Thanks.

[CanadianHomeChef]

It arrives

 

just curious how far on the gauge you can get the needle? I can get about half way through the green zone. 99 second vacuum with filler plates. It kind of maxes out after about 30 seconds. Is this normal?

[Coogles]

9 hours ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

It arrives

 

just curious how far on the gauge you can get the needle? I can get about half way through the green zone. 99 second vacuum with filler plates. It kind of maxes out after about 30 seconds. Is this normal?

 

I get almost all the way to the end of the green zone after 30 seconds.  Check that your lid gasket is in good shape and properly seated.  Also check that the rim of the chamber which the gasket seals against doesn't have any dents or deep scratches and that your oil level is at 1/2 or a little higher on the sight glass.

[CanadianHomeChef]

3 hours ago, Coogles said:

 

I get almost all the way to the end of the green zone after 30 seconds.  Check that your lid gasket is in good shape and properly seated.  Also check that the rim of the chamber which the gasket seals against doesn't have any dents or deep scratches and that your oil level is at 1/2 or a little higher on the sight glass.

Oil is about 3/4 full (more towards the max limit than the min). No issues with the gasket that I can see 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Actually upon closer inspection, I noticed this near the Center part of the backside. I’m assuming the gasket is supposed to be all one piece. 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Nope. Looked up the replacement part and it is just a straight piece rather than a complete circle. So that little bit seems to make sense. Unless it’s suppose to be tighter? 

 

I’m not really a science person, but maybe it could have something to do with my altitude? I’m in Calgary at 1045 metres /3428 ft (according to Alexa)

[pep.]

3 minutes ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

Actually upon closer inspection, I noticed this near the Center part of the backside. I’m assuming the gasket is supposed to be all one piece. 

 

I don't know this specific model, but gaskets are basically long silicon strips that are pushed into a seam. At one point, the two ends do have to come together. 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Found this:

 

1. Perfect Vacuum: is the absence of all air. A perfect vacuum, if such thing even exists, is the absence of air, or any molecules. There is nothing, only space.

4. Absolute Pressure: is the pressure referenced to perfect vacuum.

 

Elevation vs Absolute Pressure

As the altitude increases, the absolute pressure decreases. The fact is that the absolute pressure is always the same given the same altitude regardless where on earth (excluding pressure changes due to Temperature). This is why an absolute pressure gauge can be used to measure altitude.

 

https://www.sanatron.com/articles/high-altitude-package-testing-utilizing-an-acrylic-vac-chamber.php

 

I get to just under 0.09 MPa where the gauge seems to max out at 0.1 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Okay. I think I’m good! 

 

Found this: As a general “Rule of Thumb”, for every 1000 feet above sea level, the maximum possible vacuum is reduced by approximately one in-Hg (0.491 psi). By using this rule one can quickly determine the maximum possible vacuum for the area. 

 

https://vacmaster.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/202402637/Effects_of_Altitude_on_Vacuum_Systems.pdf

 

According to Vacmaster the maximum vacuum that can be achieved in Los Angeles at sea level is 29.92 in-Hg. Using the rule of thumb, I subtracted 3.5 (round altitude to 3500ft) and got 26.42. Punched that into a google conversion calculator and got 0.089468389 MPa, which is pretty much what my gauge reads. 

 

Now I don’t fully understand everything that I did , so if anyone with a better grasp of the science could confirm (or not confirm) my calculations, that would be great. Just want to make sure I’m getting maximum function out of my

machine.

Edited April 6, 2019 by CanadianHomeChef (log)

[CanadianHomeChef]

But so far it’s only the gauge that’s causing me worries. Without it, I’d think the machine was working mighty fine. 

 

Here is is a package of bacon I reseated after taking a few pieces. 

[Martin Fisher]

FWIW,

You can check the gasket fit by placing a small piece of typing paper incrementally in spots the entire way around the seal, close the lid, and press down lightly.

If there are any problem areas the typing paper will move freely.

[Coogles]

Here's how my gasket looks, the ends should be butted up right next to each other to minimize leaks.  If your machine was new when you got it the gasket should be in good shape and you might just be able to tug the ends together a bit to close the gap, just be gentle so you don't tear it.  If you got the machine used and the gasket is worn or hardened you can get replacement ones pretty cheap.  The machine should work fine for most things as-is, but you might have an issue trying things that require a strong vacuum like vacuum compression of fruits.

[CanadianHomeChef]

Anyone know if you can vacuum seal yeast? I always seem to buy too much of it, and I hate to see it go to waste. But I could see it killing it off.

 

Also what about products with yeast in them (e.g. pizza dough)? If anything, I'll just it to nicely seal them in a bag that's not vacuum tight.

[Kerry Beal]

4 hours ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

Anyone know if you can vacuum seal yeast? I always seem to buy too much of it, and I hate to see it go to waste. But I could see it killing it off.

 

Also what about products with yeast in them (e.g. pizza dough)? If anything, I'll just it to nicely seal them in a bag that's not vacuum tight.

Fresh yeast? I've bought it vacuum sealed so I suspect you can. I certainly vacuum seal my dry yeast and pop it in the freezer until I need some more to replenish the fridge bottles.

 

Pizza dough usually gets the non vacuum seal bag treatment in my house.

[rotuts]

as above.  SAF instant yeast is sold vacuum'd

 

I add the sealed original ti a new bag and vacuum that , as sometimes the initial bag has a leak.

[horseflesh]

I am a home brewer and also wanted to store extra yeast slurry. I contacted a couple of yeast manufacturers and the one that replied said it should not be a problem. So I tried it, and it has worked fine. The yeast is viable for months as it was when I used other vessels. 

 

I don't take pains to pump down all the way, I do about 70-80% vacuum, just in case a harder vacuum might be bad for the little guys. 

 

In the case of beer, if there is any sugar left in the liquid, they will continue to ferment it and produce CO2, even at fridge temps. A few times I have had to re-bag yeast after a couple of months when the bag swells. 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Thanks you all. I've never seen instant yeast vacuum sealed locally, so that's good to know.

[horseflesh]

If I can seal "awake" liquid yeast, dry should be no problem at all! 

 

if I were you I would do a little experiment: seal some at max vacuum, and some more gently. See if you can discern a difference in vitality. My guess is that there will be little difference since I have seen big bricks of yeast in the store that look like they are sealed very compactly. 

 

[CanadianHomeChef]

Good idea horseflesh. If it works, I think I'll be doing a lot more baking.

 

I just went through my pantry last week and sealed a bunch of flours and stuff that normally get thrown out well before I use them all. This included some OO flour for pizza making. Today, I went to go use it. I just cut a little slit in the corner of the bag. So easy to just pour out what I need and then vacuum seal again! Much easier than scooping it out of a bag

 

 

[CanadianHomeChef]

And I thought I was crazy when I first bought this thing. It's proving to be much more useful than I could have possibly imagined. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

10 hours ago, CanadianHomeChef said:

Anyone know if you can vacuum seal yeast? I always seem to buy too much of it, and I hate to see it go to waste. But I could see it killing it off.

 

Also what about products with yeast in them (e.g. pizza dough)? If anything, I'll just it to nicely seal them in a bag that's not vacuum tight.

 

One could vacuum seal instant yeast but I have never seen the need to.

 

[EsaK]

I've been pondering the purchase of a chamber vac too.. Never owned a regular sealer, but chamber vac just seems like so interesting device in all its' modernist uses along with more basic sealing of various things. Now, I've narrowed my options thus far into two. On one hand there's the VacMaster VP215EU version, which I assume is exactly the same as VP215, except it's with EU plugs. I can get that shipped for 900€. The other option currently is Henkelman Mini Jumbo with the high lid. That combo is about 1300€, though they promised bags worth of 100-200€ to come with it. 

 

I talked with the Henkelman distributor, and one thing he mentioned was that the 0.3 kW / 4m3/h pump is sort of small-ish. He compared it to driving in the motor way with a car that has a small engine, it can work but a) it affects durability and b) it's slower. Does anyone have views on whether that's just sales talk or is that something to worry about in home use? I don't think speed of vacuuming is going to be an issue at home? I'm not sure, but as I've understood it, VP215 has the same sized pump (1/4 HP I suppose converts into something close to 0.3 kW or little less, someone correct me if I'm wrong!). 

 

Also, I'd be really keen on sealing canning jars. I've got a collection of jars, ranging from under 9cm in height all the way to about 11.5cm. With the high lid in Henkelman, I think the chamber height gets to 13cm or so. VP215 seems to be 12.7cm. I read that during vacuum, that compresses somewhat as the lids push down? Are you able to put a 11.5cm jar in the VP215 upright? 

 

Additionally, I know there are at least a lot of people with VP215, so does it (or the Henkelman if you happen to know) allow you to seal bags without pulling a vacuum? In other words, to use the sealing bar alone? And other random questions to which I haven't been able to find an answer to.. Does VP215 have soft air release? Do they require some special oils or can you buy "bulk" oil for both? Does either have "cyclone operator" to protect pump from water and debris (yeah, I read this from MC..)? Any other considerations anyone has? I guess Henkelman's Busch pumps are the A-class, but I'm unsure whether it's that much better than the VP215? Much appreciate all help. 

[rotuts]

Im extremely happy with my VP215.

 

it has an oil pump , which is important to get viz water vapor damaging non-oil pumps

 

I had nopt thought of jars.  I took out the one ploy board I use all the time in the VP

 

it decreases volume in the machine , thus makes Vac-ing a little faster.

 

the jar I used that cleared the top closed ( I didn't have the machine plugged in for obvious reasons )

 

was 5.25 inches = 13.335 cm.  something a tiny bit taller might have worked , but I didn't have anything

 

incremental at hand to check.

 

bags are o course far less expensive for chamber vacs than the textured kind for regular vac's

 

I get mine at 

 

https://vacuumsealersunlimited.com/product-category/commercial-chamber-vacuum-sealer-bags-pouches/3-mil-chamber-bags/

 

I have 8" x 10 "  and 10 " x 13 "

 

I sometimes cut the larger bag in 2  , to make narrower bags for ground herbs which I then freeze

 

I open the narrow long bag , take out what i need and reseal that same bag and pop it back in the freezer

 

keeps everything ' fresh '

 

in terms of sealing w/o a vac , there may be an official way to do this 

 

but you might just be able to push the ' stop ' button as soon as you start , which creates a seal

 

I have 30 seconds set as my seal time , but I watch the pump and seal just after the second to the last

 

' tick ' on the pressure gauge.

 

I have no issues w the time it takes to seal my bags , re: pump ' pull '  if I really wanted something faster

 

mine seal in about 20 seconds , depending on size , I could put a piece of wood or something in the chanmber

 

to take up ' dead space '  but I don't ming 20 second seals.

 

if I had to seal 100 bags in a session , one at a time , that might be different.

 

I can't say how much bags are gong to cost you , or how many bags you might use in a year

 

shipping on bags is relatively expensive as they are heavy  500 and 1000 bags are the optionns

 

ive used.  so look into where you can get bags for your VP-215  before you buy,

 

I don't know anything about the Henkelman Mini Jumbo  I assume it has an oil pump.

 

look into actual bag costs , for both machines , size , number / box etc

 

Id also look into guarantee's and servicing .  Iva had no problems a the VP-215 so far.

 

good luck and please report back when you get the machine of your choice.