FoodCycler by Vitamix Eco 5 Unboxing and Final Review

[@WorldComposting]

To purchase your own: www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/compact-food-recycling amzn.to/3Zbcxnp (Referral Link)

[@industrialtumbleweed3849]

Glad to see you back! This is a lot of money for a small appliance, but it looks like it could be helpful in some cases where more standard composting methods aren’t feasible. Thanks for the review. I’d like to see some long term updates on it.

[@WorldComposting]

I'm going to continue using it but it will be in the rotation for items that can't be given to the worms. I agree it is a lot of money which is why I didn't purchase one in the past.

[@davidissko9796]

What does size have to do with cost?

[@RecoMyst]

I have this. It’s great. I tried an indoor composter and it gave me no end of trouble and smell.

[@Wordsalad69420]

People are losing their mind over this appliance. Yes, it's not a composter. It's a FoodCycler. Vitamix is not claiming it's a composter. Its job is to process your food remains, grind them up and dehydrate them. It does so very well. It's better than the competition, because the filters are refillable, there's no subscriptions and it's not "smart". I have a lot of animals hanging around my property, so composting outside is a pain, because no matter where I bury my remains, they will dig them up. The FoodCycler solves that problem. In the winter, the composting worms break it down much more quickly. I also compost a lot of eggshells and it's a pain to grind them up by hand. The FoodCycler does that for me. For me, this is a great appliance.

[@idio-syncrasy]

That's really interesting. Thanks for the review. 👍

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for watching!

[@MikeTrieu]

Yeah, having your worm bin overheat due to bacterial metabolism is definitely an issue. I solve it by feeding the output of the FoodCycler to my Reencle aerobic digester. Those microbes are thermophilic, anyway, so they don't care and 24 hours later all food odors are gone and the nutrients are immediately bioavailable for plants to uptake. I guess I could also feed the digester output to worms, but I've already got so many compost worms in my raised bed that I don't have any issues with them turning that material into castings. In fact, I do notice them going into a feeding frenzy at the surface of the dirt whenever I mix it in. It's great to see.

[@MikeTrieu]

My Eco 5 died after 7 months of use. Not because the motor gave out or the drive nut stripped or the blades got damaged. No, those are all solid. It gave up the ghost because I had a bunch of paper stuck in the bucket and tried to dissolve and force it out with boiling water. I think the steam generated must have shorted out a fan sensor and now it throws an error code that's not in the manual and refuses to run. It might be an easy electrical fix, but I didn't want to void my warranty just yet and FoodCycler/Vitamix offered a free replacement, so I'll work with that for now. If anyone else has stuff stuck in bucket, *DO NOT* add boiling water while the machine is running! Maybe add some of that enzymatic black tank dissolver stuff for RVs if the boiling water alone isn't working fast enough.

[@melissaterris8050]

Have you ever had a problem with the grinder jamming up so it won't even turn? I have the FC-50 and several times it has jammed to the point you have to loosen the screw in the bottom to free it up.

[@WorldComposting]

I have had this happen but I've never used a screw to loosen it up. Typically I would add water to loosen up the mass that plugged it then add some try woody material typically peanut shells. After this I would restart the unit and it would clear the jam all by itself. I have found that this happens when the material is too wet and/or too much stringy.

[@sarahbperkins]

@worldcomposting; do your worms like the dried food? Are they churning through it quickly? Do you find you have to add water to the worm bin? I really love the idea of this - I'm tried of food processing all food waste to help the worms get through it faster (the mold/mildew makes it super gross).

[@WorldComposting]

So far they seem to be going through it pretty quickly. It does heat up which can be an issue in a small system. But my African Nightcrawlers seem to be really enjoying the heat it generates especially with how cold it is in my basement. I also have tried dumping this outside in my yard and it take a while to soak in. I would recommend digging it into the soil or adding it were people wouldn't be walking so they won't bring it back in the house.

[@claraho646]

just wondering how to wash the bucket and its lid? thx

[@WorldComposting]

I haven't had to wash the bucket but it can hold water. The lid to the bucket comes apart and is just plastic. The internal lid inside the machine itself you can just pop off and clean off in water.

[@bevmartin7493]

the bucket should be cleaned every time. I add water to the top of the blades and let it soak for a short time. use that water to water your plants and then off you go again

[@mllokie9075]

I got one for Xmas all my meat minus beef and pork bones What my worms are not able to eat up goes in there So easy I just use the mixing upstairs is good so far

[@WorldComposting]

Great to hear that it is working for you! It is really easy to use which is a major advantage for a lot of people!

[@AM-ll1cf]

Do you think the 5.0L bucket is too big for a household of 7? I prefer to dump all of our food waste into the bucket daily, rather than waiting for 2-3 days before it is full.

[@WorldComposting]

I don't think that would be an issue at all. It has a lid you can use during the day while filling the bucket and prevent odors. Then I would run it every night to ensure there is enough space for tomorrow's food waste. What is great is any leftovers from dinner can also be thrown in as well such as pizza crust or even paper napkins. Just don't overload it with fibrous foods such as asparagus, celery, or artichoke as they can jam it up. The harder part for you might be getting rid of the dehydrated fluff that comes out of the unit. I spread mine out over the yard and it takes a bit of time to soak in with the rain. If you dump it in a pile it takes quite a while to dissolve into the soil. It would work really well with a compost pile or container system as it will heat up when mixed with some browns.

[@NanasWorms]

I like making bonemeal for our garden. I've being grinding it up in a food processor, but the bits are still a bit too big. This unit is probably overkill for my needs, but I may look at one of the cheaper models just to make bonemeal. My worms take care of the rest of my food scraps. ~ Sandra

[@WorldComposting]

I agree 100% the worms take care of 90% of my food scraps this takes the other 10%. Granted now I have to see how my worms are doing as I really have been neglecting them.

[@iamGrowing]

Great video. Thanks

[@WorldComposting]

Glad you liked it!

[@cheersmeme]

Oh yeah, I remember you unboxing this. I have seen different kinds of these things to. I've always wondered how they worked.. Wow, I never thought it would be that good. As for the $$, I can't see me getting one anytime soon 😥😞 So everything you put in there, goes into your soil as fertilizers Right ? Your 🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱 Are yelling at you,,,, HAY POPZ !!! 🪱 STOP FEEDING THAT THING OUR FOOD 🪱 🪱 WE ARE GETTING HUNGRY 🪱 PUT THAT NEW TOY AWAY 🪱 FEED US 🪱🪱 😆🤣😆🤣😆🤣 cheers from Toronto

[@WorldComposting]

I agree they are expensive which is why I never purchased one in the past. Everything that went in would just get flung in the yard pretty much. I did keep some and add it to my worm bins. I know my worms are probably really shrinking in size and numbers as I have really neglected them. I'm hoping to get back into videos this year with them!