Care + Cleaning; Vacuum Pump Maintenance - Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer Owner's Manual

CARE AND CLEANING

7.1 VACUUM PUMP MAINTENANCE

Oil based vacuum pumps are ideal for
freeze drying due to their increased
performance with sublimation. We
recommend you change your oil
frequently in order to ensure high
performance (every 5-7 batches
depending on usage).
for tips on how to extend the life of
your vacuum pump oil.
Harvest Right has chosen a vacuum
pump that lives up to its build
quality and lifespan:
7, Vacuum Pump Maintenance
Schedule, for recommended oil
change and power flush schedule.
Oil Change
To complete an oil change, you
may want to place cardboard (or
something similar) to avoid any
spray or spills, and avoid a potential
mess on the floor.
1.
Turn off vacuum pump and
disconnect it from the the freeze dryer.
2.
Find a container (or containers)
that can hold a quart of oil.
3.
Locate the drain valve for the oil
reservoir located at the bottom of
the reservoir. (See figure 9)
4.
Place your container beneath the
drain valve to collect the oil.

See Section 9
See page
Figure 9 - Oil Reservoir
Location of the drain valve
5.
Use your hand to open up the valve
as far as it will go (you can't completely
remove it without using tools, so turn
with hand until it stops turning).
6.
Drain the oil from the vacuum
pump reservoir into your container(s).
Once drained, close the drain valve.
7.
Tip the pump on its face, with
the sight glass window on a table
or cart, and drain the remaining oil
from the drain valve. Once all the oil
is drained, close the drain valve and
place the pump back on its feet.
8.
Using new oil, refill the oil reservoir
to the appropriate level (covering the
small circle inside the middle of the
sight glass window,
Figure 5). You may need to top off the oil
slightly once the pump and oil warm up.
9.
Plug the vacuum pump back into
the freeze dryer.
see image on page 7,
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