Remove vacuum hose and check O rings on both ends of the vacuum hose. You would have to contact the technician and have them email the version you would like to downgrade to, and then follow the same steps. 2023 Copyright Backyard Homestead HQ. You may now remove the USB device. They wont give me the files to take it back to my old 5.0.12 file. Harvest Right freeze dryers dont usually need manual calibration, although sometimes the touch screen may need recalibration. c. Watch the Replacing Vacuum Sensor video. I would love to purchase an additional unit if I had the money, but don't right now. If the fan is working then do the following: b. This form must be submitted within 30 days of purchase in order to register your warranty with Harvest Right. For instance, after running a vacuum test, you press Start to begin a new batch. NEW SOFTWARE VERSION 5.X.24New software Harvest Right Freeze DryersPlease read through instructions to know which of the four updates you need to download. Now we are building a backyard homestead and immersing ourselves in this wonderful new lifestyle. If that is the case, do the following: Remove the food (or other material) from the chamber. You can hear it and you can feel it blowing air out the sides of your freeze dryer. Theres no exact rule to this new updates can be released monthly, yearly, or every other week. Power off your freeze dryer and wait for 10 seconds. --------------------------------------------------- This community is not affiliated with Harvest Right. If none of these check out as being the problem, then go through the PDF: Vacuum Error Solutions. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply. b. Either way, the best short-term solution will be to move the freeze-dryer to a different socket, where hopefully, it works. Youll want to use a smaller flash drive (16GB works fine), and youll want to format the flash drive and add the files that you received from your Harvest Right technician. 0:00 / 7:34 Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Trouble Shooting Three Little Goats Homestead 40.9K subscribers 243 11K views 1 year ago ARKANSAS Freeze Dryer Trouble Shooting I have had my Harvest. These include on/off issues, resetting, and a vacuum error. This takes you to a test screen. Is the vacuum pump filled with oil to the middle of the sight glass? Many older units will only work well with older firmware versions. I haven't been able to test if this has solved the problem because the screen is frozen telling me to change the oil. This will only happen if youve subscribed to their email list. If none of those categories help, this site also has a helpline where we can speak to a freeze-dryer technician. If you come across any sort of trouble, which isnt impossible, turn the dryer off, insert the USB and try again. Anyone know. Harvest Right Customer Support | Harvest Right | Home Freeze Dryers | Freeze Dried Food Storage Customer Support Freeze Dryer Problem Diagnosis Guide Need help? IMPORTANT Please read before updating software: First, identify the middle number in the software version on your machine (software version is located in the top right corner of the main home screen), then you will download the version 24 software update with the version that has the matching middle number. Was it Worth It? This will recalibrate the touchscreen. After that, your start menu will load and all the buttons should be working just fine. First check for a frost pattern by powering on the freeze dryer. (The small handle on the valve should be perpendicular to the direction of the drain tube.). So, a function that was available in the older models was charged as a luxury in an update for newer models. Wait until you see the new home screen with version 5.x.24 in the top right corner. The demister may just be clogged. If this is the case, your pump may need maintenance, repair, or it could need to be replaced. However, mistakes can happen as these emails need to be sent out by a person, so its possible that an update was uploaded to the Harvest Right website and you werent notified. It is important to note that this new software release only works on freeze dryers that have been purchased since 2017. If you hear it running, press START, then press NOT FROZEN and continue the process. If no cooling or frost pattern on the inside of the chamber is detected, it could be either a refrigeration condenser failure or a refrigeration relay failure. Then press the leaf multiple times until you get into Final Dry. Make sure the update is compatible with your unit and/or existing firmware version. Wait for a couple minutes and then touch the heater pads that are below each shelf where the trays are placed. If the unit registers a vacuum that is lower than 2500 mT, even though the vacuum pump is turned off, it will report a Vacuum Sensor Error. No luck yet. Afterwards, my freeze dryer worked fine. If this doesnt work, there may be an issue with moisture inside the processing unit of the machine, or the display may have broken. This is particularly likely if the machine has been plugged into an extension cord rather than the wall. Does it blow and shake extensively? Click on Recovery. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. On one side of the freeze dryer it will be sucked to the holes and on the other side it will blow away from the holes. This is an important and often overlooked question you need to know your current version before the update! Once I load it with food, it hovers around 1000 mTorr. Updates are rarely needed. Need to remove food (put in freezer). Hudson Valley Lyomac makes freeze dryers for medical, military, pharmaceutical, food-processing groups, and companies. Once weve done that, we can also check that the machine is working by running the Functional Testing mode on the freeze-dryer. Since your freeze dryer isnt as simple as your home computer, updating the software is tricky for some people. Vacuum pump will turn on. Watch and follow the instructions in the video, "Removing Shelf from Freeze Dryer", 1. This is nearly always a sign that the computer relay for the heaters is stuck open. Should You DIY A Portable Power Station Or Buy A Commercial One? Error Freeze Dryer Not Cooling Firmware is detecting that the unit is not cooling at all. If the switch is out of place, flip it back, depending on what type of fuse the house has. Learning from your own experience is important, but learning from others is also smart. Wait until you see the new home screen with version 5.x.24 in the top right corner. I ran a few successful batches, although it had intermittent vacuum errors. Today I am showing how to troubleshoot your harvest right freeze dryer if you are having issues reaching vacuum. Send us your posts, videos or photos, or use the hashtag #harvestrightcommunity in your posts, for a chance to be featured in this space and to be entered into a contest to win Harvest Right accessories! Insert the USB device with the Harvest Right file into the USB port on your freeze dryer while it is still turned off. Receive 0% interest until paid in full. Is the vacuum pump securely plugged into the back of the freeze dryer and is it powered on? Proudly made by hand with features like a plexiglass door, and high density insulation to achieve -40 F. Food Retains Nearly All of Its Nutrition, Preserve Dairy, Meat, Produce, and Complete Meals, Smart Technology Makes Everything Automatic, Home Freeze Dried Food is 13 the Cost of Store Bought, Food Per BatchFresh: 4-7 LBS Freeze Dried: 1-1.5 GAL, AnnuallyFresh: 840 LBS Freeze Dried: 195 GAL, Food Per BatchFresh: 8-13 LBS Freeze Dried: 1.5-3 GAL, AnnuallyFresh: 1,450 LBS Freeze Dried: 312 GAL, Food Per BatchFresh: 15-23 LBS Freeze Dried: 3-5 GAL, AnnuallyFresh: 2,500 LBS Freeze Dried: 546 GAL. On most phones, you can reset your phone through the Settings app. This site uses paid referral links from carefully selected advertising partners. Once weve done this, the machine should be ready to freeze-dry a fresh batch of food. Find the update on Harvest Right's website. A great place to start fixing any Harvest Right freezer error is their handy online troubleshooting guide, which we can find at this link (it opens in a new window). They are the go-to name brand for at-home freeze-drying and sell nationwide to us normal folk. The machine will let out a sound and a circle will start flashing. To update your freeze dryer, you need to: Its easy to find out whats your current version, but installation and calibration of new software are a bit more complicated. If youd rather get a lot of fun emails from me (and let me keep an eye on updates for you), make sure you subscribe to my totally-free newsletter. I was told by their technicians that this is a software problem that they have been unable to fully fix. Read below for our top tips to solve common freeze-dryer maintenance solutions, such as fixing a failure to start properly, vacuum errors, and running a hard reset. Once the unit has cooled down, you can test for this condition by just powering on the freeze dryer. I had some issues with power failures, but have it plugged into its own breaker outlet now. Check to make sure that the shelf cable is securely connected. With your freeze dryer still turned off, put your USB drive into the port. In the case of a black screen, things may be more difficult. Backyard Homestead HQ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Wipe out the interior of the chamber to insure it is clean and free of ice and water. Aside from this instance, updates are usually free. This latest 5.X.19 update is the first one Ive heard about that fixes a bug that impacted the end product. Whats up with the version 19? Hello! For example, if you are currently using version 5.2.23, you will want to download HarvestRight-v5.2.24-Update-v5.2.x. Any ideas? Once you have downloaded the folder with the compatible file name to your computer, open it by double clicking on it. If your Harvest Right Freeze Dryer has version 5+, then you dont have press any special buttons. Defrost chamber and dry it out. During a repair they upgraded my files from 5.0.12 to 5.0.16, that I DIDNT want upgradedAT ALL!! Relay Failure? The installation is now complete, and your freeze dryer is ready to use the new software. Your settings wont change after updating your freeze dryer and you wont need to calibrate it after updating. You just need to download the firmware to the flash drive, turn off the unit, add the flash drive and the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer will automatically update the system. Next, bring the freeze dryer back to the Start screen by powering it off and back on. Does it blow against your hand? If the unit is out of warranty, that will be done at a rate of $90 per hour. A vacuum error means the freeze-dryer cannot create or sustain the vacuum necessary to properly extract water vapor from the freeze-drying unit. Double check that your freeze dryer has software version 3.6.11, or above, before you continue. Another example is if you are in the middle of a batch, while the vacuum pump is running, and need to start over. Someone may have opened the drain valve. Additionally, you may get an email from Harvest Right notifying you of software changes and providing instructions for installing the software. Harvest Right freeze-dryers are great, but as with any machine, sometimes troubleshooting issues will arise. I only promote products I like, use, and recommend. Does that help pull a lower vacuum? If you tried this several times but to no avail, contact tech support. 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Having an extra set of trays is a total game-changer, and I highly recommend you get it! Try putting your finger or palm over the exhaust. Garage/Shop/Room. This function wasnt available on new devices until the update and anyone who wanted that update needed to pay for it. Vacuum Failure in the middle of a batch. Let the unit finish the batch. Temperature is being measured, but, there is not detected heat. If your software is older (a lower number) than v3.6.11, do not continue with installation. Firmware controls the hardware. Does your Touch Screen not work properly? Ready to set up your freeze dryer? This, too, will cause a Vacuum Sensor Error because the chamber is under pressure when Start was pressed. After a beep, well be asked to press three targets that appear on the screen. Harvestright 3070 W California Ave Ste Freeze Dry Now LLC Primary Industries Business Services Research & Development Industrial Machinery & Equipment Manufacturing Contact Information Headquarters 95 N Foxboro Dr Ste 100, North Salt Lake, Utah, 84054, United States (801) 386-8960 Revenue $19.8 M Employees 78 Founded 2011 Funding History Setting up a Harvest Right freeze dryer can be done in as little as a few minutes (for placing the unit) up to several hours, depending on what's being run during the testing of the chamber. The only way to know if there is an available firmware update is to compare a units current version to the latest version shared on Harvest Rights site (link here). If you still cant pull a vacuum below 500 mT, try a toilet paper test. And hes right. Reading some of the posts on this subreddit, it seems requesting to swap it out for a new one hasnt gone well. Not all freeze-dryer software versions need updates. I have changed the oil, but the unit doesn't seem to recognize this and still is frozen on 'change oil' screen. The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, many common freeze-dryer problems are easily solved.