Foodsaver dying

15 years ago

Morning all, a question from a Harvest lurker.

I went to pack up some items last night for freezing with the FS and while it is vacumming, it is not switching over to the sealing action. The unit is about 3 to 4 years old.

Anyone every had thiers repaired? Is it worth it, or do I bite the bullet and just get a new one? This is not the time of year I want to be without it.

I have cross posted this over at Cooking also.

Peppi

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Comments (4)

ksrogers
15 years ago
The problem may be due to a crease or improper placement of the plastic bag. Hope your using the embossed bags! I would assume that the bag has been 100% sealed on 3 sides. Then, allow the open end to reach the area where the vacuum will suck out air and the bag should noticably collapse. On mine, there is a button that allows an instant seal to override the vacuum process. There is built in circuitry that will detect a specific amount of vacuum, and then switch to the heating element. It could be that the heater element is broken open someplace too. Its under the tan color teflon strip near the front. If the heater is open, that will cause a seal failure. I use a seperate impulse heater that can take continous use without any problems to the heater. The newer FS units also have a built in timer that will shut off the machine if it overheats, which can happen if you are sealing a bunch of bags in a hurry. Repairs on these have gone past the 1 year warrenty and would not be very economical to fix. Today, is the last day of a special sale at Food Saver, a $200 unit is on sale for just $60 and has free shipping as well. You cannot access that special price directly from their web site, unless you are on their email list and have received the recent sale email, and click on its link. For that link, it brings you to the model V2830 thats on sale, and once in checkout, the discount and free shipping are applied. To get a copy of the FS email, I can only forward it to a valid email address, so you must email me first through here. Check the other FS post I just posted here about 2 days ago. The sale ENDS at 11:59PM tonight, so time is of the essence.
pkramer60
Original Author
15 years ago
Jardin has their v2830 on sale for $59.99 until midnight tonight, so I placed the order. The promo code you need is 18FEAAA(for v2830 for $59.99).
Off to borrow my neighbors for a few days...
Thanks for the help and the emails!
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Wow! I just went to Target and bought the Rival for 50 bucks. Quite a deal when compared to the Food Saver brand of vacuum sealer. They were between 75 and 119 dollars. I actually looked at the sealing mechanisms, gaskets, and heater strip on the floor models in the store when comparing the Rival with the Food Savers and found them to be nearly identical. Of course I had to use it as soon as I got it home. My first thought was WOW... so THAT is what they are SUPPOSED to do! The old one never worked right to start with, even when it was new. After suffering with that stupid Deni for 3 years that wouldn't suck or seal well, this is a real treat. The bag actually clings to the food, and air doesn't creep back in after use! So simple to use, and so effective. I guess time will tell how long it lasts, but for now, I'm thrilled. If anyone is considering a Rival over a Tilla brand Food Saver, I'd recommend it for sure. The only thing I don't like about the Rival is that you have to hold the lid down (requires a good bit of force too) for much of the process. You can let it for the last little bit, but that's it. I *think* on the high end Food Savers that you can just press a button and don't have to actually hold the lid down, but I don't know for sure. Does anyone know about that? I'm off to vacuum some more things! I've already done the cheese, salad, and leftover macaroni... I'm running out of stuff. Maybe I'll do the gallon of milk next! Of course I'll use it mostly for things that go in the freezer, but I don't have any of those things right now.
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digdirt2
15 years ago
Yeah, my old one does the same thing now and then. Usually if I just re-align the bag - sometimes I have to trim a bit extra off it - it works. But it also helps to just unplug, let cool comletely, and then wipe down the sealing unit well with some vinegar. The heating elements get coated over time and need the occasional cleaning.

Hope this help.

Dave

PS: I also took advantage of the great deal Ken posted.
ksrogers
15 years ago
Can you supply the model number of the unit you are having problems with? I do find a web page listing product manuals and some parts for some models of FS machines. I think they refer to the heater tape as a 'Seal Profile', but they list several part numbers.
Here is the link for product manuals- http://www.foodsaver.com/Support.aspx

Here is a link that might be useful: FS Parts on 4 pages

Foodsaver dying

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ksrogers

pkramer60
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Comments (4)

ksrogers

pkramer60Original Author

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