There are so many variables in choosing the right pump for your situation. I hope that I was able to answer any questions you may have in purchasing the correct pump.
I called Harvest Right to ask them about the life of each pump. Spencer told me that, on an equivalent use basis, the oil-less pump would need that $350 rebuild every 2 years. That is because without oil lubrication, the pump elements wear out faster. The standard pump would last about 5 years and the Premier would last 7+. He also told me that he used to work in their service group and the Premier pumps had far fewer issues. This nailed it for me. I ordered mine with the Premier pump.
Thank you! The cost of the rebuild and approx expected interval between services was sorely lacking in the comparison. I do my own fluid services on my personal vehicles & equipment so doing it on the pump wouldn't be foreign. And to be quite honest with YT it is so so simple to learn. I will be going with the Premier as well. Thank you again!
Good news: you don't have to remind yourself to change the oil on the newer units... newer firmware seems to have a timer and prompts oil changes for each of the various pumps 👍
I have a friend who is a Research & Development engineer. He works with all sorts of equipment, including vacuum pumps. He came over to see my medium freeze-dryer and Premier pump. He couldn't believe the pump was running because it had about the same level noise as the freeze dryer. He was accustomed to vacuum pumps being extremely loud. I'm running my 10th load right now and the oil looks crystal clear. HINT: Before buying any complex item, you can download the owner's manual online and see what you will be faced with if you buy it. That's why I went for the Premier pump over the others. Changing/filtering the oil is easy and fast and you'll probably have to do it around once a month. No big deal.
Ma'am please call HR ask about the WARRANTY what is covered and will a service men come to YOUR HOME for repairs. I hope your handy because YOU ARE THE SERVICEMAN. Tech support will diagnose the issue but YOU have to make the repairs. It's not all bad but your 3 year warranty only covers tech support and MAYBE some parts ! Do due diligence and ASK lots of Questions.
@@rustynail10 it’s not a 3 year warranty, it’s only a one year warranty. And, DONT BUY HARVEST RIGHT!! They always break and the company does nothing to repair the machine
When I was ordering my FD in March, I asked about the maintenance on the oil less pump and HR told me they recommend the pump be sent back to the company every 2-3 years to replace bearings and some other things. The cost of the maintenance is $350, plus I assume I’d have to pay for shipping both ways. Since I don’t have another pump, I’d be without for who-knows-how-long? I was going to order the oil less, but after that conversation I opted for the Premier and am very happy with it.
I have heard of issues with the Premier as well, my cousin ran 1 cycle and the pump LOCKED UP . The dryer and the pump are in Ut. Last I knew it's been there OVER A MONTH. All this on the very first batch.
Suggestion for future video: You've several times hinted that commercial operations may require oil-less pumps. This begs the question: Why? Is there a risk to the food with oil pumps?
Thank you! Because of your review & others’ comments, I called the company & swapped out my incoming order w/an oil-free pump for the premier pump. I definitely want a pump that lasts longer…& will look for a refurbished one as a back-up, in case the situation is ever such that we won’t be able to get our pump refurbished. 👏🏼
I was looking for explanation of fog premier pump makes. At first I was shocked with amount of fog or mist in my garage. I thought, one day my garage will blow-up. Now I know, it's not a oil fog, but water... Thank you excellent video
Make sure you don't overfill the pump. If it's above half while running it will generate more (fog). I generally fill to half, start pump, and top off to just below half as the oil level will drop at startup. Hope this helps.
While I haven't bought one yet I don't see why I can't get the "fog" to be directed into a DIY filter chamber to eliminate it as much as possible, if not be able to get it to exhaust to the outside environment.
Great job. Most of the info did not come as a huge surprise except for: I was surprised to learn that the cheapest pump was the quickest to get under pressure --- and that the oil-less took the longest.
Difference in speed to reach vacuum pressure is virtually irrelevant when you consider the average time to run a batch is 24 hours or more. I'd think the base pump is best for folks with a limited budget, premier has the best longevity/reliability with minimal maintenance (this according to the Harvest Right techs i spoke with). IMHO I wouldn't get an oil free pump without a backup pump - the rebuilds aren't cheap either
I have the oil-free pump and have used it for months and mine has never spewed anything out of the check valve, ever. I got mine for $1000 on ebay, by the way and I absolutely love not having to deal with any oil changes whatsoever.
@@laurajanyoung3187 Yes, it heats up the room alot --- I was running 4 of them in the late fall to early winter and really didn't need to turn my heat on until late December.
I am so grateful to all you who posted videos and comments on this pump. I am considering getting into the game and had planned on the oilless. The premier just outshines in all areas. For $700-900 difference. That is a stand up freezer and a bunch of trays and accessories.
I really appreciate your videos. Very informative for helping us make purchase decisions and feel more confident about this new venture. We just ordered our freezer dryer and can’t wait to receive it. It was a $295 upgrade over the standard and felt it was an easy decision to go with. Now, we just have to wait for 5 weeks 😬 Thanks! Subscribed 👍
first of all thank you for all your research and video's. I have learned tons. so, I messed up my standard pump, after only 31 loads. and needed a new one. did lots of research and decided to bite the Bullitt , on the premier pump also. when I went to the Harvest right web sight, I couldn't find the stile you have. but the one they had, had a different face and the description was the same. I found no other specs on it. I wondered if it was still 7 cfm and 3/4 hp. it looked smaller. did extensive search, and even called the office where you order. asking why the body had changed. but of course had to wait for the teck help to call. got impatient and ordered the one on the accessories list. thinking must be the same with the same description , also no other option . anyway. when it arrived, I was shocked to find it was ONLY 5 CFM AND 1/2 HP. so I called again. did not wont this smaller pump for the same price of the 7CFM . why was the price the same. and why no details about the lower cubic feet per inch. and HP. again, the sales office knew nothing about the 5 cfm pump. and transferred me to a teck again. and they gave me a message, they would get to me in 24 hours. i have been weighting a week, for the first thing on the old pump. just a heads up, this primer pump is not the same power as the original. it is much slower drawing air . just not happy at all. now it is a 3 day Holliday, of course. have wasted so much time and $$$ I am hopeful, of fixing all this. but now, I'm not happy should have just got another standard pump. almost 3 times cheaper and pulls more air is a much shorter time
The new premier pump is not the same as the original premier pump. They have gone to a cheaper model but still sell it as the “premier pump”. I have the original Premier Pump, it is great. I’ve had it over two years and it’s still going strong. My friend bought a freeze dryer and purchased the “Premier Pump” with his freeze dryer. He got the new style pump, it worked fine for several batches, then he had problems 3 months into his purchase. Turns out his not so “premier pump“ had failed. He got a replacement. The new one was bad out of the box. He got another replacement it was bad out of the box as well. After several weeks, he is still trying to get a resolution. In testing, we attached my Premier Pump to his freeze dryer and it works great. The local store he bought his unit from, who has been very helpful and supportive, I might add, said he has had many of the new style pumps not work, right out of the box. He is currently working with HarvestRight to get a solution for all of these folks who have got the newer, not so premier pump, but paid for the premier pump. They are down, while they figure out a solution. HarvestRight is really losing its reputation. They are growing much faster in sales than in support and in their ability to test new product before they start selling them. Their support was so good when I bought mine. Now they seem to be in a support tail spin. So sad! I hope they survive the growth!
What is the cost of the oil? What type of oil is used with this unit? Besides the oil, what other items are needed to change the oil? What is the volume of oil needed for each oil change?
I bought the large freeze dryer and it came with the standard pump. I got tired of dealing with oil changes and then ordered the oil-less pump. I've been using it for about two years now with no issues. He is right that the pump spits out a blast of black water droplets on startup, but that only seems to happen if the door or drain valve is open. Once you close it all up and start the vacuum, it starts off noisy, but then the noise level drops considerably. The oil-less pump is very strong. Several times I've seen it pull down to under 100 mTorr on my large freeze dryer.
Thank you for the great comparison! We have the standard pump and are happy with the sound level. It really doesn't seem to be unbearable. With the door open, we still don't hear it upstairs.
I got the premium and it's really quiet. I was afraid I was going to have to leave the door closed which would restrict air flow for cooling & I didn't have to.
Hi Bryan, very informative video, thanks for sharing. You mentioned the mid tier pump would put out water vapour to the room during the process of separating water from the oil. I supposed the entry tier pump isn’t capable of water separation, so no smoke show. How about the oil free pump ?
This video states that the upgrade from standard to premier pump is $700. Harvest Right website shows the upgrade as $295 with the difference between the medium and large size freeze drier as $700. Which is correct price on the pump. Not that it matters much. We are crunching numbers to project a turn-key price but want to crunch the right numbers.
I enjoy all your videos so much and more than a few times they gave me ideas to try new things in my 2 medium size freeze dryers. Maybe just my bad luck, my oil free pump stopped being able to achieve a proper vacuum after less than 800 hours of use (while my standard $295 oil pump lasted through over a year of heavy use). Given how cumbersome I find to try to send it in, I bought 2 additional old style pumps, this way I have a backup one in the box ready to take over any time...
I don't know if the quality is still the same or if drying times will be longer but the new premier pump is now 1/2 HP compared to the older premier pump that was 3/4 HP if anyone has input please chime in so others can decide which way is better to go on pump choices
I have the oil less pump and I’ve noticed it is very loud!! Noticed that some Facebook post recommend the pump be elevated higher than the hose connector on dryer. This is to prevent water vapor build up in pump. May I have your suggestions?
Very important to note - the Premier pump in this video is not the same as the Premier they now sell. The one in this video is a 3/4 horse and the one they sell is now a 1/2 horse. There have been a lot of complaints about the new Premier pump.
We are considering the premier pump but you mentioned (and I have read on the Facebook feeds) that the premier pump puts out that mist once in a while. Is that mist oily at all? Because this is going to sit in a room that it would be disastrous if it was an oily mist along with the water mist. Thanks! Love your videos!
I ordered the oilless pump with my new freeze dryer but when it arrived they had substituted a different oilless pump without telling me. I’m really not happy. In that the new oilless is shipping with medium and small, I figure it’s not as heavy-duty and when I ordered it was for the bigger oilless. Of course, no refund.
Just had our pump die after 2 years, almost to the date. (Last Week) We don't freeze dry constantly but probably use it a little over half the year. We live close enough to Harvest Right to drop it off for fixing. It is costing us $382. Our machine is 5 years old. Don't know if this will make a difference but it has been moved twice to different locations since we bought the pump. Maybe this will help someone in making a decision.
@@DMXGuru We live within 20 minutes of the store. It was fixed in a week so we got it very fast. We haven't had a problem yet but have heard from others that the new pump with oil will last longer.
I fixed the oil mist coming off the Premier pump, I found occasionally a little oil drips out the top near the cap, then burns while the pump is running. My solution was plug a short thick extension cord into back of freeze dryer, then plug the vacuum pump and a cheap Ebay/Kijiji 3M air filter into that. So whenever the pump runs, the 3M air filter runs, I believe cools off the pump and removes 100% of the oil mist. I have a cheap $20 "3M Office Air cleaner", I can cut a regular house furnace filter in half and stick it into the air cleaner.
I have the oil free pump and I thought they were exaggerating the noise and heat it generates. Really loud and runs hot. I wonder if it uses more power.
I have what I think is now standard after the J&B (? no longer sold broke down). From the old one I filter after every batch. I change oil every second I cleaning...maybe after 79 loads per cleaning. There is not a lot to clean I presume because the filtering does a good job on the oil. When I filter there is a bit of a lip on the Harvey-like HR filter (now with cotton) where the water and some dirt accumulates and that I pull out with a baster. On "wet" loads I can get 2 ounces of water which I want out of the pump. If the premier is putting this out as an aerosol you will get a good fog. PS. I think on the standard, you get most of the water out if you raise the back of the machine.
Is there no cold-trap built in to the dryer, or is it pulling that much water-vapour out in spite of such a device? A comparison of time and energy use for a "standard" batch would be a telling comparison regarding the energy/time requirements.
I wonder if you can put the oil-less pump in 3M Novec immersion cooling fluid. It's non-conductive, used in data centers, and utilizes phase-change cooling technology (so it's incredibly effective).
I live in a townhouse and wanted to get one of these to put in my garage to make candy, but think the pumps might be too much of a noise nuisance for neighbors. Once the pump reaches vacuum, it doesn't need to "top off" during the 24 hour process does it?
1) why didn't you take the pumps to someone to see what the maintenance would be on them? 2) 16:33 ever 3,000 hours for the oilless. Do the others not require similar maintenance? What is this cost? 3) how much more buying directly from the company. Oh, and what company? Look up similar pumps? Did I miss you stating the manufacturer?
Thank you for the great video and all the info. Does anyone know how the standard and premier pumps compare with regard to heat output? My standard pump really heats up the pantry area I have it in and before I install a ventilation fan, I'd like to know if I can fix the problem by going with the premier pump instead.
Great videos. I am having an issue with gunk on the sight glass. I have changed the oil and it is almost chunky. Also making excess noise now. Any help like how to take premier pump apart and clean/rebuild would be be helpful.
The oil/water mist in the air with this pump is a serious issue, IMO. This happens every batch with mine. And this is in a well ventliated 400 square foot detached garage! I can't see how I could ever run this in the house. There is clearly enough oil in the mist that I can smell it.
The surface the pump sits on can cause more sound due to the structure. A hollow cavity below it can amplify the sound Placing a rubber matt under the pump can dampen the sound. transmission.
Other than harvest right, can you tell me where I can get my oil less pump repaired, preferable where i might try and look locally? It worked for about 15 loads. I bought it brand new.
I ordered 2 weeks ago; got it on Thurs, built the station today. They told me 10 weeks, too. It took two. Arrived in pristine condition. I did not receive the black cover you place before locking down prior to start up. Will call HR Tuesday.
I ordered ours in November. It came in a box that was clearly beat up. I sent it back. I haven't gotten a replacement yet. Harvest Right says they sent the replacement on the 10th. It is now the 30th. It does make me wonder about Harvest Right.
@@live.life.simple. you can buy Robinair oil at O'Reillys auto parts. I bought their last quart in stock for $8.99 plus tax and ordered 2 more , It went up to $14.39 each.
So you keep stating in the vid that if the pump was bought from the original manufacture then it would cost more. Who is the OEM for the green Premier pump? As you read down the comments the new style/module is not the same and they are 1/2 HP and 5CFM. The larger pump would be nice to have. I really enjoy the vids.
do you think i could run this in an apartment without pissing off my neighbors? I was even looking at rubber anti vibration mats and possible baffling panels..
I suppose you could run it anywhere that fit the criteria, but the constant background noise isn't good for you, if you have carpet, some water could be a problem, will it block egress/ingress routes in the event of an emergency, the heat put off by the pump might be an issue for a small room, you'd also have to run a fan which will just add to the noise, is there a dedicated circuit?? Those would be the first concerns that come to mind.
I am glad to read @jimsember3528 's comment about the life span of the three types of vacuum pumps. To this, I would add that one could purchase many cases of vacuum pump oil (grade 19 or higher) for the price difference between the premier and the oil-less pump. So, I went with the premier on all three of our large freeze driers. I enthusiastically encourage others to invest in a Harvest Right freeze dryer and use it to pack away as much food as you can before inflation makes it impossible to afford food. Helpful hints: By plugging the vacuum into another outlet, so that it is manually controlled (rather than controlled by the software and the freeze dryer's outlet); you can start the vacuum immediately upon closing the chamber. This begins the water evaporation process immediately, thereby lowering the temperature more rapidly (as evaporating water absorbs heat) and reducing the freeze drying time by several (around 6) hours per load. This works very well with non-liquids on the trays. (I made a big mess with unfrozen pureed bananas, though. The bananas were so liquidy, that they began boiling - all over the chamber.) We pre-freeze our loads in our freezer, in order to reduce the time required to lower the chamber temperature before the drying process can begin. Using extra trays, we process everything a few days in advance, load the trays, and put it in the freezer. Frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, etc. all do well. When one load comes out, we bag it, use warm water to rinse out the ice, while cleaning the chamber, and get another load going in less than 30 minutes. Our freeze dryers experience very little down time. Running a vented PVC drain line from each unit to the garden allows for good use of the water, as well as avoiding the need for lugging buckets of drain water. Venting the PVC drain line, with vents pointing upward as water runs downward, prevents water from being sucked back into the chamber upon opening the line.
I was unsure which size and pump I should get. Medium or Large? I was thinking medium just because of the outlet situation. Then premiere pump or oil free? Any additional thoughts you could provide. Also do you get your oil from Harvest Right?
@@kellynightingale My recommendation is to stick with the premier pump. The pump size isn't the issue, inasmuch as we are only trying to reduce chamber pressure to less than 500 micro-Torr. Oil/oilless is the real choice. Again, stick with the oil. Harvest Right specifies any of three brands of approved class 19 oils, in order to avoid voiding of warranty. After the warranty elapses, any brand of class 19 or higher vacuum oil is acceptable. Buy yourself a case or two of oil now, while it is available and cheap. It will be hard to get and considerably more expensive in a few years. You may, but do not need to get the oil from Harvest Right.
I need your advice. I'm building a home and I'm trying to find the perfect location for my Harvest Right. The Premier Vacuum Pump still sounds too loud for my kitchen and open floor plan. The wall I'm planning on placing the Harvest Right on has the laundry room on the other side. If I put the pump in the laundry and made an opening to pull the hose through and kept the Harvest Right in the kitchen how much quieter would it be?
HR no longer ships units with the door pad - too many instances of them interfering with the seal. Dollars to donuts the difference is negligible since the door is 3/4" thick...
I have the premier pump and it seems to run hot. Is this normal? 155 degrees or so, I can see the oil bubbling in the window. Is this normal? just doing my 4th cycle right now, so really new. Thanks
I have been using the low profile oil less for 2 years and I am have problems so I am switching it out with the “eagle” oil less and trying to test the vacuum on the functional test. It has been running for 50 min and has only gotten to 1400 mt. Is that normal. Don’t I want it to get to 500 mt?
Question!!☝️ It's getting to spring harvest time here in North TX. Do I have to defrost EVERY TIME between batches? I do however change oil every batch. I have another batch waiting to be dried.
Jim Sember commented about speaking to Spencer at HR about the cost and service interval of the oil-less pump, with average use it would be about 2 years. With the Premier pump lasting approx 7+ years, and oil changes being a simple task, it has the best ROI. At least in my opinion.
Thank you for saving us $1500+ dollars! Why would I pay more for a little less hassle when the oil free: Is way more expensive, has a shorter lifespan (and/or more upkeep costs), is WAY louder, and uses 50% more electricity?! And takes up more space! Thanks!
@@live.life.simple. Glad I did my homework on that one too. Also I spoke to one of the guys at HarvestRight and he told me the Pharmaceutical and lab models are NOT for food. the 8 tray was what I was going to buy but I plan on using mine solely for food so that was a no go.
Are these pumps interchangeable on the freeze dryers? If I go with the premier and decide to replace it, can I replace it with an oil free pump (and vice versa)?
A question: I upgraded to the new std pump after the JB blew a rear seal and cooked it, the new pump worked great, really quite but after it went through 6 cycles it wont hold the pressure, it gets to 500 or below then as they do it goes up to about 700 torr but that's where it ends won't go below 500 then the unit stops with a error saying didn't achieve correct pressure, any thoughts what do you think could it be a leak elsewhere, they did send me another one and that did the same thing. thanks.
You can save even more money, and just purchase a 3rd party vacuum pump. my neighbor uses pumps that are 1/3rd the price of these. So I guess when my pump goes. i'm thinking I'll use something simular to one he rigged up. But not sure how often he changes oil? I'll have to ask him.
