Is there a reason my vacuum sealer won't vacuum after the first package? For several months, every time I break down a large pack of meat, the first bag vacuums and seals perfectly, but every bag after that it barely draws any air out. I checked the vacuum tubing a few months ago and didn't find any leaks, and I changed the gaskets shortly after that. Neither one did much to change how it operates. Thanks
by swright831
9 Comments
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Is there anything in the liquid tray? Is the portion of the bag that is being sealed clean, eg any food material or liquid? If neither of the issues are present run the bags 10 minutes apart. If the second bag 10 minutes later works properly it’s an issue with the pump. Under load from the first bag the pump is heating and failing.
Thats the wrong kind of bag. You need the ones with the one side rough or bumpy or textured or whatever you want to call it. These smooth/flat bags are meant for chamber sealing. The foodsaver will just smash the two smooth sides together and not be able to pull air out of it. (Literally did this by accident this weekend)
My foodsaver does the same unless I gently press down on it while it’s sealing. It needs a little extra pressure on top of the machine to help it along.
The foam seal is likely compressed and not forming a good seal. It can be removed and either replaced (if you can find one) or at least re-seated so it’s not as compressed. I have done this on mine several times when it starts to act fussy.
Mine has issues sometimes, i have to push down on the top of the machine and sometimes let the food ‘hang’ for it to process properly.
Might be a dumb question, but are you engaging the lock on the right side before sealing? I have this same unit (which has been going strong for many many years) and if you dont lock it before sealing/vacuuming, its useless. Also, are you pressing the correct button (the labels wore off mine as well)? The one in the right is vacuum, the left is seal-only.
Just put some pressure on it, over the seal, with your hands. There are small cracks or imperfections that form around the seal and cause this. If you just push down a bit, lean on it while it’s doing its thing, it’ll work fine. If you replace the gaskets, it’ll most likely reoccur. I did it twice. Now, I just lean on it a bit and it works perfectly.
We always had problems with foodsaver brand, it seems like they have a very definite life of vacuuming, ours still seals great, but we had to get a chamber one to vacuum, the foodsaver works better to make bags, or I just haven’t figured out the chamber one yet