Introduction to the Leybold Sogevac® Neo D 16 rotary vane vacuum pump.

In this video we look at a vacuum pump made by Leybold.
This pump is on loan to Epicenter so we can test it with our Harvest Right home freeze dryers!
This is an 11CFM, 1.2 HP pump (nearly twice the CFM of the HR pumps).
Since this 1.2 HP pump draws more power than a Harvest Right can supply, there are additional items needed to be able to control the pump. We have run many batches with this pump since the video was made, and we have successfully run 2 freeze dryers at the same time with this pump!
In a future video we will go over what is needed to be able to connect 2 or more freeze dryers at the same time with this one pump. Be sure to subscribe so you get a notice when that video is posted.

[@johnkillen588]

I bought this pump ( leybold) and its been running non stop for about 8 months.................i am in love with the pump as it does what a tool should do.................run like hell and not be a problem....................

[@syexplorarconmigo8853]

John--- How often do you need to do Oil Changes on that Pump? Do you run more than one pump off of it? Please message me so we can chat offline? Thank you sir... 🙏

[@johnkillen588]

I have this pump and finally got the system working ( two freeze dryers with one pump).......pump seems like quality from sales to trucking to delivery. Looks great, very quiet and powererful. Have first batch of salsa in now.. I certainly recomend Bryan from the epicenter..........walked me through several issues and has just been a Gem! .......Bryan, you get my vote!

[@billjustbill5739]

Just subscribed because I like what you are doing by showing what can be done with "off the shelf" equipment and because you push the envelope of seeing what could make freeze drying better. I found an old style, medium size Harvest Right with a stainless steel cabinet at an estate sale. It came with the strip heater sealer, the original brand of oil vacuum pump, instruction book, and some company Mylar bags. I paid only $275.... With you and your group's kindness and honest opinions of how boundless and common sense ideas work, I'll learn on the old vacuum pump, but plan to upgrade the software and invest in an oil less vacuum pump. Thank you for your time and sharing what ya'll do. From Texas, all the best!

[@SchoolReports]

We enjoy watching your freeze dry videos because you have multiple people, with different tastes, to try the rehydrated foods. We made a video of vacuum pump cleaning and seal replacement because I was surprised by how clean our pump was when I opened it after 56 batches. I don't plan on opening it again for 100 batches this time. We had to use still photos for our video because we had not planned to make a video at all because you already had a great video about replacing the seal. Thanks for that! (we put a link to your video in our description) Both the oil-less pumps and the Leybold pump look like good pumps, but I'm sticking with the original vacuum pump. (at least for now) We have been using it for 2 years now and just finished batch 220, all with same 2 gallons of oil we started with. Once a continuous filter system with a water absorber is in place, the oil type pump seems more cost effective than buying one of the more expensive pumps, $300 vs $1600. Please keep making rehydrating, taste testing videos with multiple people trying the food.

[@JohnInBibs]

You are a genius! Thank you for inspiring me to purchase my Harvest Right!

[@chf1949]

Very impressive! I await your further testing, and a review on your "adapter" for the new relay box for the higher required current.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Perhaps next week!

[@geohomography5617]

Ditto. Thanks Brian.

[@jerrysmith372]

Yea, I don't get it. Why Brian would introduce a pump that goes back to using oil - cost more - and requires an interposing relay. I have the Harvest Right oil less pump and am very happy with it. Just my opinion.

[@EpicenterBryan]

This pump is more for industrial users or people who want to run multiple freeze dryers with a single pump.

[@tonywilliams8091]

@@EpicenterBryan How does one run multiple driers from a single pump? Are they both connected at the same time?

[@NYlathecuts]

This pump would be great for vacuuming NEON tubes. I used to have The Cenco Hyvac 7 with out the diffusion stage pump when I had my neon shop in NYC.

[@pacearrow4620]

I bet the government used eminent domain to shut down your great neon factory in NYC. The government has gutted NYC of anything industrial and put up a shopping mall in its place. RIGHT?

[@NYlathecuts]

NO, eminent domain wasn't the reason, back in 1988 there was a price war on, especially the Korean owned shops at that time. I could not compete with those cut-throats. Richard Baciano the owner of Show World canceled my lease. Today The New York Times 50 story building sits on the former site where my neon shop was located at 244 West 42nd St. 10036. Baciano sold most of all the buildings he owned to developers.

[@nikkiheat4027]

Thank you Bryan for your video! Question, have you tested to see how long a good vacuum is held with this new pump after the pump has turned off? Often i can't pull my food out when the freeze drying has stopped, and need to leave it in the dryer maybe up to 24 hours after the pump stops. Thanks! :)

[@nikkiheat4027]

Bryan, with your testing of this new pump are you typically seeing 1 to 10 MTorrs? and does it drop to under 500 MTs quicker than HR's scroll or basic pumps?

[@hb0292]

Where is the second vid on this unit

[@MrJti8899]

Where is that follow up video mentioned in this one? I would love to see how that system was rigged up, and how it held up over time. Thanks

[@dalethornton1113]

Not to be a spoil sport but I found an Agilent tri-scroll 300 commercial unit on Ebay for $700 and it seems to work great with less noise and no oil (and a gas ballast too).

[@syexplorarconmigo8853]

How long have you been using it now--- any issues? I am curious to hear your feedback....

[@garycourtright7451]

I have really enjoyed your videos on freeze drying with the harvest right , will you be doing more like that/

[@EpicenterBryan]

Yep. This summer has been a bit crazy, but lots more videos planned.

[@yoyobah1862]

G'day Brian, was wondering if the pump could handle up to Australian 240v? Cheers.

[@EpicenterBryan]

There is a version that will work in AU. Drop me a line at bjnelson at TheEpicenter dot com. I'll put you in touch with the rep for AU. But you also want to stay tuned for the video about what's involved in being able to have the HR control it...

[@tracietackett5104]

This isn't the same new oilless pump that harvest right just advertised about a year ago? If not will this be their new pump when I order my HR?? Glad I waited to order mine.

[@jerrysmith372]

No - Harvest Right is not offering this pump. Just my opinion but I have the Harvest Right oil less pump and am very happy with it's performance. No oil to deal with and it's cheaper. And it will run directly from the dryer - no need for an interposing relay box. I wouldn't be able to justify an extra $600 for this pump set up. (pump plus extra electrical work)

[@tracietackett5104]

another question does harvest right use food-grade oil in their pumps

[@ghermansizer]

Nope. I upgraded on the oil less pump. But the pump was on backorder and harvestright gave me the oil pump till I got the oil less. I finally got the oil less last week and so far it's totally worth the extra money. Way less noisier, no oil changes, and stronger. The oil pump was so loud it was hard to escape from the noise in our small house.

[@annaana]

This seems like a quality pump! I look forward to you doing some more videos on this pump. Is this an American made pump? You don't have to change the oil after every use, right? How does this compare with the oil less pump of HR? I just subscribed and look forward to more informational videos!

[@jerrysmith372]

I've been using the HR oil less pump since January and I can tell you for me, it was worth the extra money. I hated dealing with all the oil changes and filtering. Very messy at times. The oil less pump is very easy to maintain and runs much quieter. Mine did develop a very loud noise after 8 months of almost constant use. HR rebuilt it under warrantee and even picked up the tab on the shipping. I had it back in just 2 weeks. It's been running almost 24/7 for the last 3 months with no issues. I work in an industrial chemical as a maintenance tech and I know first hand that it's not uncommon for a pump like this to develop issues with such heavy use. It is a commercial grade pump and very good. An industrial grade pump would cost 4X as much and most people couldn't afford it. If I have to rebuild it once a year - I'm OK with that. I'm very pleased with it's performance.

[@mossymaple]

Brian, along with all your other testing and equipment needed to pull this off successfully with harvest right machines, can u also let us know power usage compared to all harvest right pumps, Also how fast it drops to 500 mtorr? It is 11 plus cfm so it aught to work nearly double as fast on the entire process. Also how low of an mtorr it gets too? WITH AND WITHOUT BALAST (ON AND OFF) SEPERATE TIMES? Also total batch time for dry cycle?(INCLUDING HOW U USED BALAST DURING THE ENTIRE PROCESS? Also total batch time for final dry and over all total as well? Also how you are using the balast valve during the whole freeze dry process? Also the decibels with balast valve open? My oil less pump had two different results on back to back batches of 2 #10 CANS of tomatoe sauce in 34 hours for the 1st batch. AND 38 & 3/4 HOURS FOR THE SECOND BATCH OF 2 #10 CANS OF TO A TOMATOE SAUCE. AND MY OILERS PUMP IS $1600. P.S MAYBE YOU COULD DO THE SAME TOMATOE SAUCE I USED. IT WAS TWO #10 CANS OF CANTALINA TOMATOE SAUCE FROM COSTCO. IN LARGE 5 TRAY HR. I STARTED PRE FREEZE YESTERDAY AT 230PM, AND THE BATCH IS FINALLY ON FINAL DRY AND SAYS IT'LL BE DONE AT 5:46 AM ACCORDING TO FINAL DRY COUNTDOWN. THAT SHOULD MAKE MY ENTIRE BATCH TIME JUST SHY OF 39 HOURS* I'M HOPING U SELL ME ON A REAL WORLD CLOSE EXAMPLE OF LEYBOLD PUMP. BECAUSE IF IT BLOWS THE 39 HOURS AWAY FOR HIGH LIQUID TOMATOE SAUCE I DID, THEN I'M SOLD* THE COMPANY GAVE ME MIXED ANSWERS ON MAINTENENCE OF MY OIL LESS PUMP. FIRST PERSON SAID TO ADD 1/4 CUP OF ALCOHOL TO FLUSH PUMP. THEN THE NEXT TIME I CALLED THEM A LADY THERE SAID TO NOT USE ALCOHOL AT ALL, B3 CAUSE IT DRIES UP THE SEALS. SO SHE SAID TO POUR SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER WHILE IT'S RUNNING IN THE HOSE AND LET IT RUN FOR AN HOUR. BRIAN ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT I SHOULD DO FOR MAINTENENCE ON MY OIL LESS PUMP TO KEEP IT EFFICIENT AND RUNNING AT ITS PEEK PERFORMANCE? IF YOU ARE SUCCESSFULLY RU NING THIS NEW SYSTEM, AND IT'S BETTER AND EASILY MAINTAINING GOOD RESULTS BATCH AFTER BATCH, I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR FUTURE UPDATES ON THIS LEYBOLD PUMP, ALONG WITH HOW YOU ACTUALLY USE BALAST FEATURE.

[@jerrysmith372]

I don't think this pump will make much difference in overall time of the cycle. The pump just keeps a vacuum as low as possible as the heaters cause the moisture to come off and collect on the side of the chamber. I've had my oil less pump since December of 2018 and am very happy with it. I have had no problems using alcohol about every 10 batches. The only issue I have is with the heat in my garage. I live in the desert southwest and my garage gets up to 110+ F which really affects the dryers performance. (no space for it in the house) I built an air circulation system to draw cool air from the house through the cabinet and back to the house. It keeps the machine below 90 F and is back to proper performance. When I do tomato sauce, I get the lowest sugar content possible. Then run it through my food processor to make it a powder. Works well this way. Personally, I wouldn't go back to dealing with oil.

[@mossymaple]

@@jerrysmith372 Hi, Two weeks ago go harvest right told me to not use alcohol flush at all because they said it causes the seals to dry out and fail quicker. They told me to pour water in. But the never told me exactly how to do it. Can u let me know how you pour it in and how long to run it to flush it all out? Thanks again. For any details on how the steps are performed. Because they never gave me a manual . And the email pdf version absolutely doesn't say anything aboyt either alcohol or water flushes. Lol. Also my last batch took 38 hours 52 minutes and it 3 trays were slightly tacky but still powdered, so I added more dry time. How long does your pump take to do 2 #10 CANS of tomatoe sauce? I guess with and without more dry time?

[@EpicenterBryan]

HR is no longer recommending using denatured alcohol with the oil-less pump. In fact, they rescinded the 10 batch flush maintenance all together in favor of stressing the need to never bypass or shorten the freeze cycle.

[@EpicenterBryan]

That's a long post. I'll cover some of it in another video. As far as how fast to 500 mtorr goes... with two FDrs connected it's about 2 1/2 minutes. The difference between ballast on and off is 6 mtoor and about 3db(A) added noise. The decrease in batch time is not as big a deal as having the new firmware. That makes a really big difference. In the future, they will make the ballast always on. With your oil-less, did you purge the water from the pump between the first and second batch? Open the front door and manually run the oil-less for a minute or two so it spits out all water. HR is no longer recommending using denatured alcohol with the oil-less pump. In fact, they rescinded the 10 batch flush maintenance all together in favor of stressing the need to never bypass or shorten the freeze cycle.

[@jerrysmith372]

@@EpicenterBryan OK - a dumb question. As an HR customer having the oil less pump from HR - why didn't I receive those notices about the pump maintenance? Do I have to be on some special list to get updates from HR? I did send an email asking if I could get and download the latest firmware but never got a reply.

[@NC-oc3ld]

Updates?

[@lynnscott8286]

Question is do I cancel my oil free pump

[@jerrysmith372]

Personally - I would keep your oil free pump. I'm very happy with mine. Cheaper than this one Brian is showing - no oil to deal with - runs directly from the dryer. Kind of a no brainer.

[@EpicenterBryan]

No. The oil free pump is great. This is more for people who want to run 2 or more freeze dryers with one pump.

[@lynnscott8286]

Is it faster?

[@jerrysmith372]

Maybe by 5 min. Is that worth the extra $600 over the oil less pump? Not to me. I'll keep my Harvest Right oil less pump.

[@Brentvarner100]

Holy smokes, $1800! Why wouldn't you just get the Harvest Right oil-less pump?

[@jerrysmith372]

Exactly. I have the oil less pump and am very happy with it.

[@tracietackett5104]

Can you tell me the added benefits that make this pump worth the extra cost over the oilless pump that harvest right sells with their freeze dryers?

[@EpicenterBryan]

This is really for the guy with a commercial operation (2 or more machines).

[@tracietackett5104]

@@EpicenterBryan ok thank you. Brian, do you sell the harvest right machines?

[@stacyroe619]

I would like to see you make a fossil with the freezdrier. . 1. First you freezdry organic matter 2. then you desolve as much salt into water as the water can take 3. then you put the organic matter in the water 4. and degas it in a vacuum 5. then release the vacuum to hydrate the matter 6. soke for an hour or so 7. then freezdry 8. and repeat until the organic matter has absorbed as much salt as it can . Then you will have a salt fossil of a stake or fish excetera.

[@FrancisR420]

It's pretty different from an actual fossil but it does sound super interesting

[@stacyroe619]

@@FrancisR420 a fossil is mineralised organic matter. when it is biodegradable it is referred to as petrified. petrified is a fossil but a fossil is not necessarily petrified. like petrified wood

[@Brentvarner100]

Am I missing something here? You do a video on a 'new' pump and talk about using it with the Harvest Right freeze dryers but need special items to use it with the freeze dryers? This pump is $1800 compared to the Harvest Right pump which is $300? For $1800 you can get the Harvest Right oil-less pump! What is the advantage of this pump compared to the $300 pump other than maybe being a little quieter? I'm not sure what the purpose of this video is other than to show how it's NOT worth it! Am I missing something here?

[@mossymaple]

I think the oil free is great already, but my logic tells me there's a better way? But the better ways are extremely expensive. And not being truthfully talked about to HR COMMUNITY? JUST LIKE A USED CAR SALESMAN KEEPS SECRETS TO POWDER THE TRUE FACTS, I BET SOMEONE, probably knows this and just wants to keep it simple so they can make it possible for people on tight budgets to be able to have this technology in their homes at the most reasonable price point.* *BUT THEN THERE ARE THOSE certain types of folk, that just want to know all the options available, so we can just know. Regardless of whether it can be afforded or not. We all know of some super fancy expensive cars, that we will never be able to afford, we all know, there are houses we can't afford that have cement patios that slide over their pools, and cement driveways with elevators to bring their cars to underground (Tim the tool man / leno style garages), so why can't some of us just get the truth on ALL THE options for what works the best and fastest /efficient for all HR machines?.lol.. *I'm not always right, but I would assume that alot of other companies products could be way better if it were economical to the majority. My guess would be there are pumps that could cycle through these high heat dry cycles super fast and get the mtorr back down so quickly during the atmospheric changes inside the chamber, so it gets the dry cycle done in half the time or more, and into final dry. But MONEY TALKS. AND MY WALLET HAS HEARING PROTECTION , TO AVOID THE pricey CHATTER, SO I DON'T GET A HEADACHE FROM POTENTIALLY HOW, SOMEWHERE OUT THERE, THERE MAY BE A PUMP, THE ONE I CAN'T AFFORD, that can do what I described, and DRY MY 2 #10 CANS OF TOMATOE SAUCE IN TWO THIRDS LESS TIME? BUT ITS PROBABLY THOUSAND OF DOLLARS, AND STILL HAS POTENTIAL TO BREAK AND LEAVE ME SUCKLESS, WITH A HOLE IN MY WALLET, AND LEFT WITH A MERE SUPER SUB-ZERO TUBULAR MINI FREEZER!. LOL..* *water is essential in life. You can go 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, BUT our VAC PUMPS fail in 30 batches or less by slurping water if not properly maintained? Preposterous to say the least? Lol. The endless cycle of ridding water from oil vac pumps is like running around a round room to find the corner*

[@ashyslashy5818]

MY O FREE BROKE AFTER IN SIX MONTHS.

[@ashyslashy5818]

MY O FREE BROKE AFTER IN SIX MONTHS.

[@candidethirtythree4324]

If you have an extreme event where the oil goes on the food, that food is ruined no matter what.

[@ashyslashy5818]

MY O FREE BROKE AFTER IN SIX MONTHS.

[@lynnscott8286]

Is it from china

[@EpicenterBryan]

No, France.

[@TheJaimeRose]

Check out the inner workings of the NeoVac 16D kzbin.info/www/bejne/jICrp5aLa76XarM

[@jerrysmith372]

OK, thanks - but no thanks. I have the oil free pump already. Why would I go back to dealing with oil? The oil free is cheaper and you can run it directly from the dryer. Although I did wire up an interposing 20 amp relay just to take the load off the dryer relay. I think I'll stick with what I have. Thanks.

[@EpicenterBryan]

Like I said, not for everyone. Mainly for people doing wet loads on multiple machines at the same time.

[@jerrysmith372]

@@EpicenterBryan Really??? Who can afford multiple machines? The one I have set me back $4300. I only know of one other person that has 2 machines. A new one and a very old one, and she lives in Florida.

[@EpicenterBryan]

You would be surprised how many people have more than one. Commonly, people who have big gardens or farms. Some people sell their goods at farmers markets. Some people do candy to sell. One guy I know does specialty coffee. There are lots of pot producers that bubble hash in multiple machines. Join one of the groups on FB and you will be amazed what people do.

[@mikicrespo4812]

Old Frugal One Hyper-Drive Movement you know Cynthia in Florida?

[@jerrysmith372]

@@mikicrespo4812 No, cant say that I do.

[@doctorxcite7832]

ahhh can you get closer to his face.

[@1165slugman]

Well so much for going lower in price in a few years lol.. $1800 to $3-4k thats a big nope

[@johngalt2071]

I would gladly pay $1800 for that pump if it is as described.

[@EpicenterBryan]

We will probably offer it in the near future but there is external stuff needed to be able to control it with an HR. It can't be powered directly from the HR. Stay tuned for the video about what's involved in being able to have the HR control it...

[@jerrysmith372]

Just my opinion but I have the Harvest Right oil less pump and am very happy with it's performance. No oil to deal with and it's cheaper. And it will run directly from the dryer - no need for an interposing relay box. I wouldn't be able to justify an extra $600 for this pump set up. (pump plus extra electrical work)

[@EpicenterBryan]

This is not going to be for everyone. An example of someone who might be interested would be a guy I know who has several machines running specialty coffee. Lot's of moisture involved.