# Freeze dryer, opinion after 7 weeks of use



## BarbadosSheep

I bought a freeze dryer made by Harvest Right in mid November. It was not cheap (over $3000), but after using it non stop since then, I can honestly say it was worth the investment!!!

We raise and butcher most of our own meat. in 2015 we raised two hogs, 100 meat chickens, and our bull goes to the butcher this week. Plus deer hunting. Because of this, we were running 4 chest freezers. Every time the power goes out, I panic. We have a generator but how long can we keep 4 freezers going? 

So in October, I discovered that there was a freeze dryer available for home use. Until then, freeze dryers cost in the $20,000 range and up. I did a bunch of research and ordered it. 

The freeze dryer holds up to 10 pounds of food at a time, and completes a batch in usually 24 hours. A few very wet batches have taken as long as 30 hours. The food is then packed in mylar with oxygen absorbers for long term storage. 

Since I'll be getting beef soon, I did an experiment this weekend with Filet Mignon. I had the butcher slice them 3/8" thick. I seared a few, and also freeze dried some raw. The results were outstanding. dehydration for about 5 minutes in cold water and the steaks look fresh again. Cooked....they are very, very close to the original. 

I have freeze dried all sorts of veggies, soups, stews, raw and cooked meats (chicken, pork, beef, venison, sausage, ham) and the results are simply amazing. Things that can't be canned can normally be freeze dried (with just a few exceptions). Even milk, eggs, cheese and ice cream can be freeze dried! 

I will be happy to share some links where you can read more about them. Just let me know! I love my freeze dryer.


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## suitcase_sally

Pictures are worth a million words. You should do a tutorial. I'm not going to spend $3000, but would be interested in learning.


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## fishhead

I wonder if we could do that here during cold spells (colder than -20 F) with just a fan.


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## BarbadosSheep

A cold climate and fan won't freeze dry. It will just freezer burn. The freeze dryer chills food down to -40 or so and then the vacuum pump turns on. The tray heaters turn on and off, as moisture is released the vacuum pump pulls it out. The food comes out of the machine looking almost exactly the same as it went in but light as a feather and totally dry. I'll post some pics later. I am not sure how to do it from my phone.


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## BarbadosSheep

filet mignon. Some cooked and some raw. Also pulled pork


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## BarbadosSheep

lasagna. Yum!


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## BarbadosSheep

shredded cheeses, broccoli and sour cream


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## BarbadosSheep

ice cream and pumpkin pie


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## terri9630

Harvest right has a lay away plan now. I was looking at it last night. It says $250 down and pay as you can. I haven't called and asked about it yet but plan to here in the next few weeks.


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## BarbadosSheep

Yea and its interest free. Once you have paid $2500 they will ship to you and finance the rest over 12 months.


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## hickerbillywife

I have had my Harvest Right for almost a year. I absolutely love it! It is amazing for building a long term storage supply.


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## sisterpine

I actually looked for this thread and did not see it right below my own DUH


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## Jokarva

Very neat, this would be great to co-own with family or trustworthy neighbors.

How do you rehydrate the non-solid foods (ice cream, sour cream), don't they turn into soup?


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## hickerbillywife

Most people eat the ice cream just as is, freeze dried ice cream, also called astronaut ice cream. Sour cream turns into a powder. I have not rehydrated any but I understand you just add a small amount of water or milk if you have it. Let it sit then add more liquid if needed, then whip it until it looks like it should. I would imagine you could toss it into a recipe without rehydrating but again I have never rehydrated or even used any of my sour cream.


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## BarbadosSheep

Sour cream and cream cheese you mix a bit of water and whip it with a wire whisk. Cheese can be spritzed with water or mixed into soups. Meats.....just soak in stock or water and it rehydrates quickly. Sausage patties hydrate in about 15 seconds. Ice cream and yogurt is eaten dry but yogurt also rehydrates really well with a bit of cold milk or water.


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## DryHeat

Any monitoring or estimates of what the current (kilowatt hour) draw is for a typical processing cycle? I doubt that it'd be a deal breaker but would be interesting to calculate whether 50c a cycle versus $2 or whatever. I also wonder about the life of what must be several types of gaskets and O-rings in the door seals and pump(s). Would be a shame if there were some weak link that would start having vacuum fail enough that the process would get unworkable and cost a bundle to get fixed. I have to say, even trying to have eyes open about such risks, I've brought the idea of considering one up to DW a couple of times now, more in the framework of being ready to jump if I happen to see it on Craigslist, an estate auction, or such, despite risks of such things used rather than new.


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## BarbadosSheep

My power bill went up around $30 the first month. And that includes the freezer working extra hard due to me getting in there so much for food to FD. Not bad at all. Vacuum pump oil is pretty expensive.....around $20 a gallon. But I have been filtering mine with a home made filter so I'm still on the first gallon. There are a few weak points where a vacuum leak could develop, but those are all easily fixable. Harvest right does have an extended warranty available. An extra two years full coverage for $450. I went with this option just because there is not a long proven track record. But even without this, repaired really should not be thst costly. A new vacuum pump runs around $350. The cooling system is repairable by anyone who repairs refrigeration equipment. The control panel and touch screen are available from the mfg for less than $100 each. So all in all, there really isn't much to go wrong with them that can't be easily repaired. Trust me....I did not undertake this purchase lightly. I had been saving to buy a tractor for a long time but once I did my research on this freeze dryer, I knew it was the solution I needed to reduce my dependency on my freezers.


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## BarbadosSheep

The door gasket is very thick and well made. I bought a second one for $50 so I'd always have a clean dry one for the next batch. I found if I used the freshly rinsed gasket on a new load, I sometimes had ice develop inside the grooved edge which caused vacuum problems. There are no o-rings on the hose connections....it's a machined metal to metal fit. Snug it down tightly and it's holds vacuum well and there are no o-rings to wear out.


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## pampam

Can you freeze dry, for example, cooked pork chops, and then when ready to use pop them in the microwave to reheat? Is there a better way to re heat cooked food? 

Another question, what are they wrapped and stored in?


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## hickerbillywife

Yes you can FD cooked pork chops as well as raw pork chops. I have mine deboned. I bag mine in a vacuum sealer and then put into mylar with an O2absorber. You will need water to rehydrate, but you can warm in the microwave or with just hot water. You can FD almost anything except butter or very oily things, and cakes and breads do not rehydrate very well. However I did see that someone had FD Little Debbie Oatmeal cream pies to eat with out rehydrating. They were cut into small pieces.


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## terri9630

Have you tried to do milk? My girls give me a ton of milk spring, summer and fall but I don't have room to freeze it so have to end up buying it in the winter. I always dry my girls up when it gets cold. I'm a fair weather milker... Dry them out in the winter and have babies mid spring. I hate being cold.


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## hickerbillywife

I have not done milk but some in our facebook group have.The name of our group is harvest right freeze dryers if you would like to read more about it. Betty is the group leader and she is so very helpful. She has a lot of you tube videos Inflorida is her name.


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## terri9630

hickerbillywife said:


> I have not done milk but some in our facebook group have.The name of our group is harvest right freeze dryers if you would like to read more about it. Betty is the group leader and she is so very helpful. She has a lot of you tube videos Inflorida is her name.


Thanks. I'll look into your FB group and find Inflorida on you tube. Is it Inflorida4252?


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## BarbadosSheep

another really great FB group is called Harvest Right Freeze Dryers - Freeze Drying adventures. It's the fastest growing FB group related to freeze drying. Lots of very experienced users there.


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## Riverdale

$250 of right now!


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## Ellendra

Has anyone tried making aerogel with their freeze dryer? It's supposed to be the best insulation ever developed, but one type is basically freeze-dried agar. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEAgel )

Aerogels are the main reason I'm looking at getting a freeze dryer. I did the calculations once, and 1/4 pound of agar mix would be enough to winterize a small cabin. But pre-made aerogels are ridiculously expensive.


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## DryHeat

I've been keeping an eye on prices and availability on this unit since I saw the thread and don't think anyone's pointed to a series of reviews on Amazon's listing for it: http://www.amazon.com/review/R30JDW...=Tx380ZTNAQULPTC&store=kitchen#wasThisHelpful

This link is to an intensely critical review, followed by a series of pages of worthwhile comments on the review. One thing that definitely surprised me, not shown in most of the promotional You Tubes, nor mentioned earlier in this thread I don't believe, is that there's an external vacuum pump maybe half the size of a microwave that sits beside it attached by hoses and noisy enough you may not want it in your kitchen nor your house. Also, that a somewhat expensive oil has to be changed from the vacuum pump, possibly every few weeks, and needing a homemade filtering rig to avoid serious extra expense if you just threw the used fluid away... which also tends to spray around during the change procedure. Less of a factor but still something that an honest company would present in videos is a several-hour defrost cycle needed after every FD cycle plus chipping of sizeable ice chunks out of the unit.

Still, the majority of users doing reviews seem to love what they've gotten. For a full-fledged farming homestead operation, especially one wanting to hedge against TEOTWAWKI sorts of emergencies with robust food storage, my guess would be that this thing would pay for itself in 2 or 3 years even allowing the various listed problems. That's assuming your individual unit didn't slide into that (rare) "lemon" category after a year or so of use and after warranties had expired.


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## BarbadosSheep

The vacuum pump isn't that big. It's the size of a normal 1725 rpm electric motor, but a bit longer. It has a single hose that connects to the freeze dryer. mine sits on the cart below the freeze dryer. Oil changes are super simple, as is defrosting. Here's my normal routine. 
When the batch is done, I release the vacuum and open the door....check food for doneness (if it's not done, it will be cold inside). Remove food trays and take them to the kitchen. Turn the machine on auto-defrost and also open the oil drain valve. Then I go to the kitchen and package the food either into mylar bags or 1/2 gallon canning jars. When I am done, I return to the machine and close the oil drain valve and refill the pump with clean, filtered oil. I stop auto-defrost and finish defrosting with the help of a hair dryer. Auto defrost takes 2 hours, air dryer takes 10 minutes. Then I wipe the inside with a paper towel and restart the machine for the next batch. Total time elapsed is 20 minutes or so. The next day before I am preparing to drain the oil again, I dump the previous day's oil thru my DIY filter. I have used the same gallon since November. My batches take between 23 hours and 32 hours, depending on the moisture level in the food. 

noise level....when the vacuum pump is running, the noise level is very similar to a window AC unit. You can talk over it, but it does put off heat so I would not want it in my kitchen. Many folks keep them in spare rooms or laundry rooms. some in the garage. 

The only really messy part of pump maintenance is a power flush which only needs to be done once in a while. It's best done outside. oil does not spray around the room though. I also open my pump up and clean the internals once every couple of weeks. Its messy so I do it outside. 

I'd buy this machine again in a heartbeat. So worth the expense and effort.


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## thericeguy

I read this thread a while back and was left wondering what that ultimate purpose of such a machine was. I am not saying your choice to own and enjoy one is wrong, but what benefit is there in creating very long term storage foods only to eat then in a relatively short time?

The only benefit I could come up with was use as part of a "prepping" plan, where food storage becomes a bigger issue.


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## BarbadosSheep

A lot of my food that's stored won't be saved for use in 25 years. Maybe I'll eat it in five. But it will last much longer freeze dried yah frozen or canned with no loss of quality. I also do a lot of batch cooking for very fast easy meals or for lunches at work. It's a great way to take advantage of when fruit goes on sale. It's also a great way to make sure I'll have fresh eggs all winter when my hens Are on break.


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## DryHeat

I can easily see the process as an alternative to having multiple freezers with the risk of power failures plus capital expense and power usage of having them. We have three freezers including the fridge-combo one and I'm certain we're losing stuff that's buried in the unknown wasteland deep in them despite doing a lot of vacuum sealing for such storage. Occasionally great deals come along on things like TV dinners, too... like 50%/75% off combined with sales and those are bulky for a freezer but could be microwaved, consolidated, and freeze-dried and stacked in a corner in foodsaver bags for real savings. Just this afternoon I bought a half dozen 1-lb chubs of good ground sausage for $1 each. Even if I made patties and pan fried it all first, freeze dried would save a LOT of space; I must have two dozen similar frozen right now. One local store has seasonal sales in the range of avocados 5/$1, mangoes 3-4/$, tomatoes, apples, pears, peaches, squash all 2-3 lbs/$ and so on. Guess I'm swinging a bit more back towards springing for the unit.


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## BarbadosSheep

food saver bags don't work for long term storage. They transmit air. Not much.....but enough to make long term storage questionable. Most of us store FD food in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Glass canning jars work well too, as long as you keep them in the dark. 

One of my main reasons to get a FD was to reduce my dependency on my four freezers. And I am well on the way to achieving that goal. When I cook braised pork chops and gravy for dinner, instead of cooking for two I cook for 8. The rest goes in the FD. 

We raise most of our own meat and there are only two of us. So when we butcher something, there is meat in abundance. Now I have a way to keep it longer. Same with the garden. As it starts to produce, I will have veggies in abundance and a great way to preserve them. FD is SO much easier than canning! I'll still can broth (although it can be FD too), but it's doubtful I'll can much else.


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## Murby

Big thank you for posting this thread.
I've been considering building one of these units for a long time but have not gotten serious because of a lack of testimony to the effectiveness of the results. 

This was a good thread.. thanks for posting the photos..


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## BarbadosSheep

you are welcome. Check out the facebook group I mentioned. lots of honest discussion there. Also....if cost is an issue, they are on sale right now for less than $3000. they also just came out with a smaller version that's right at $2000.


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## Murby

BarbadosSheep said:


> you are welcome. Check out the facebook group I mentioned. lots of honest discussion there. Also....if cost is an issue, they are on sale right now for less than $3000. they also just came out with a smaller version that's right at $2000.


If I get into it, I'll probably end up just converting a beer keg and build it myself. It would be nice if I could find something bigger than a keg but to keep the cost down I have to start with something cheap and easy to find. Stainless kegs go for about $75 and would do a find job as a vacuum chamber.


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## BarbadosSheep

You'd be better off using a section of schedule 40 pipe for the vacuum chamber. If you cut the end off of a beer keg, it will no longer withstand full vacuum. It will collapse.


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## Ellendra

Murby said:


> If I get into it, I'll probably end up just converting a beer keg and build it myself. It would be nice if I could find something bigger than a keg but to keep the cost down I have to start with something cheap and easy to find. Stainless kegs go for about $75 and would do a find job as a vacuum chamber.


Beer keg won't hold up. It takes a very strong vacuum.

I'm in the process of gathering parts to make my own. I'm using a heavy-duty steel safe as the vacuum chamber, I got it used for $80. The sticking point right now is the vacuum pump itself. The wrong kind will send a mist of lubricating oil into the system, and I don't want that on my food. The right kinds of pumps are expensive, so the project is sitting on the back burner until I can save up enough for one.


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## BarbadosSheep

Ellendra said:


> Beer keg won't hold up. It takes a very strong vacuum.
> 
> I'm in the process of gathering parts to make my own. I'm using a heavy-duty steel safe as the vacuum chamber, I got it used for $80. The sticking point right now is the vacuum pump itself. The wrong kind will send a mist of lubricating oil into the system, and I don't want that on my food. The right kinds of pumps are expensive, so the project is sitting on the back burner until I can save up enough for one.


Harvest Right uses a pump made by JB industries. Here's a link to it. http://www.jbind.com/products/product-search-detail.aspx?SKU=DV-6E

The only way this pump can malfunction and send oil mist into the vacuum chamber is if there is a serious vacuum leak. And even then, usually the pump just send out an oily mist which is captured with a home made mist eliminator device.


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## Ellendra

Thanks Barbados. Good to know!


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## shelljo

Glad to see this thread, as this is on my wish list. Might move UP on the wish list status.


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## Ziptie

I was wondering. When I make pasta I use durum wheat. I have found after I dehydrate the pasta I have about 2 months till it starts going rancid.

If I freeze dry.... I assume I have to cook the fresh pasta first then freeze dry. Right? If I do this will the pasta last longer?

I am not on Facebook to ask.


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## KatsFarm

Ziptie said:


> I was wondering. When I make pasta I use durum wheat. I have found after I dehydrate the pasta I have about 2 months till it starts going rancid.
> 
> If I freeze dry.... I assume I have to cook the fresh pasta first then freeze dry. Right? If I do this will the pasta last longer?
> 
> I am not on Facebook to ask.


I am not saying this is a definite, but I saw/read it somewhere that in order to dehydrate fresh pasta and not have it turn bad it should be cooked al dente before dehydrating.

It makes sense because it isn't safe or recommended to dehydrate foods which contain any sort of fat or oil, etc. Our homemade pasta contains eggs, therein lies the issue.

At the price of the freeze drier, I would try this method before spending all that money.

I will try it myself the next time I make pasta and see what happens.


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## Ziptie

hmm did not know that. 
Def be interested on your results.
When I dehydrate pasta I do not make pasta with eggs.

I am pondering over getting one due to our food allergies. We can not eat out anywhere nor at other peoples' house. The kids are getting bigger and they will start going on trips for school (and it would be nice for them to visit family in other states).

I am thinking if I could make freeze dried food pouches that would be better than shipping canning jars of food and frozen meat to places before they show up.

But..that price tag..ouch.


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## Gadget_Lover

I'm glad you had a good experience with Harvest Right. Mine was awful. I never finished one batch because of constant errors on the machine. It spewed oil each time and wasted food. It's annoying when you wait for a batch to finish and you get an error after 10 hours! Then you have to start over. What an annoying machine!


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## JohnHoward

So what is the advantage of a freeze dryer of a dehydrator?


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## Taotejen

Food that loses very little of it's nutritional value, that with proper storage can last upwards of 25 years without refrigeration, and which is easily transportable (especially when stored in mylar bags). Also, unique culinary applications to use with your everyday cooking / baking - mainly in the form of vegetables and fruit powders for me.

You have to learn a lot, and be prepared to perform regular maintenance, troubleshoot issues, and perform minor adjustments and repairs to the pump (if you are an active homesteader, you are probably well prepared to handle this). It is relatively new "home use" technology which I am sure will improve as the customer base increases. Which it will, as prices have been dropping, and options, including where you can buy them from, are increasing.


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## KatsFarm

JohnHoward said:


> So what is the advantage of a freeze dryer of a dehydrator?


The only difference is rehydration time. Freeze dried rehydrates in minutes, whereas dehydrated takes hours. I use both, buying freeze dried foods for when I want quick results as in MREs. But mostly I either pressure can or dehydrate most foods. Properly dehydrated and stored foods will last indefintely with no loss of nutrients. Same with canning. Obviously, dehydrated or freeze dried foods are easier to store.
For myself until the price comes down into the hundreds rather than thousands of dollars, a freeze-drier is a costly extravagence.


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## Mr. D

JohnHoward said:


> So what is the advantage of a freeze dryer of a dehydrator?


I have read (via Harvest Right Ad) that when you pressure can you lose about 40% nutrition from the food you can. When you dehydrate, about 25% and when you freeze dry,,,you only lose about 1 to 2%. How true this is I have no idea. Since it came from the FD manufacturer I guess you have to take it with a grain of salt.


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## Mr. D

I am considering purchasing a freeze dryer. I have noticed at lease a couple persons in 'Homsteading Today' stated they were very happy with their FD. Their comments were dated 2016 and/or 2017. 
My question to them now, in 2018 (almost 2019) is are they still happy with their machines?
Thank you.


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## jersey girl

I have been looking at these for a year! I keep reading about issues with the oil pumps. Are they now equipped with the newer version that works well? Now I really want one. Your information is great! I am going to look into the lawayay plan right away!


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## Mr. D

jersey girl said:


> I have been looking at these for a year! I keep reading about issues with the oil pumps. Are they now equipped with the newer version that works well? Now I really want one. Your information is great! I am going to look into the lawayay plan right away!


jersey girl,
I talked to Harvest right earlier this week. They no longer have any of the early model oil pumps (good news). They now are selling an oil pump (included with the machine) that has a few improved parts, such as stainless steel splash guard. It is the same type pump but does not corrode quite as bad/quick. Still must do the frequent maintenance. Back flushing is all important just as the oil changes. 
Even though it is so very expensive (for me) I am considering buying one with the oilless pump. 
I am hoping to find someone report how much they like their machine now after having it a couple years.
Take care.


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## Alldreka

terri9630 said:


> Thanks. I'll look into your FB group and find Inflorida on you tube. Is it Inflorida4252?


Yes. I beliebe that is correct. Very helpful group and so are her videos.


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## Mr. D

Is there anyone out there that has been using their FD for three years now and still in love with it? I am about to buy one but would love to hear from someone (and how they still love it) after a few years of medium to heavy use. Thank you.
PS: I am computer stupid. Can I watch FB pages without joining FB? I don't wish to join FB.


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## #1 WV BonBonQueen

Mr. D said:


> PS: I am computer stupid. Can I watch FB pages without joining FB? I don't wish to join FB.


I don't think so, but most of the stuff on FB is also on Youtube, so go there and see what they have in the line of videos about what you want to know about anything. lol Hubby watches it more than any kind of TV he ever watched before, we rely on YT for all of our entertainment and news. No, I didn't say it was all true, but I did say entertainment. There are a lot of informational videos there tho, can teach you to do almost anything, from all I have seen so far.


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## Mr. D

#1 WV BonBonQueen said:


> I don't think so, but most of the stuff on FB is also on Youtube, so go there and see what they have in the line of videos about what you want to know about anything. lol Hubby watches it more than any kind of TV he ever watched before, we rely on YT for all of our entertainment and news. No, I didn't say it was all true, but I did say entertainment. There are a lot of informational videos there tho, can teach you to do almost anything, from all I have seen so far.


Thank you for your response. It was helpful, re: FB.


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## Mr. D

It is my intention to purchase one of these FD by or before spring. It would be very helpful to me to know how much you folks like the machine now, in 2019, that have been using it for at least two years. And secondly, would love some feedback on how their oil-less pump is working out after using it for at least six months.
Thank you in advance.


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## Texasdirtdigger

I called and placed one in Layaway.... Had to pay Property taxes in two homes, Insurance and register all vehicles.... So, i'll do layaway for a couple of months. I do hope I love this thing....DH, is more pro freeze dryer, than I am right now.
I have been reading the love /hate relationships, folks seem to have.....The proof is in the pudding..... I am committed to it now.


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## Wyobuckaroo

Is there anyone out there that has been using their FD for three years now and still in love with it? I am about to buy one but would love to hear from someone (and how they still love it) after a few years of medium to heavy use. Thank you.
@#$%
I also looked into a FD machine several years ago. Price was a deal breaker then. Price now is a big concern still. 
Problem I read then and now was, like said people having trouble with the vacuum pumps. No service, no warranty, virtually no help at all. What little I have researched of late still shows major problems.. 

Good luck to you, but unless some major improvements happens with the equipment, and the price, soon, I'm totally out and give up...


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## Texasdirtdigger

Actually, I met some one, a few days ago, that has a FD for 5 yrs, uses it non-stop, with no issues. I offered to buy it from her!!


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## siberian

Sounds like a crap shoot in vegas


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