There are an increasing number of vacuum packing machines on the market which are designed for the home user. These machines use the external bag method, in which the open end of the vacuum bag (sometimes called a vacuum pouch) is clamped under the lid of the machine. The air is extracted using an electric pump and the bag is then heat sealed. This whole process may be either fully automatic or may need some user intervention, for example pressing a switch in order to activate the heat sealer. Once the seal has been made, the lid of the machine is lifted and the sealed bag can be removed.
It is possible to sell a robust and effective home vacuum packing machine for about £200 plus vat. A machine at this price will usually contain components of sufficient quality to work quickly and reliably and should give several years of use if it is looked after. If you choose to pay more than £200 then you will be paying for additional features, for example fully automatic operation and perhaps a variable pressure facility.
Home vacuum packing machines require minimum maintenance other than being kept clean but there some things that you should consider which will affect their life and usefulness.
- Seals – In order to create the vacuum, the area around the bag needs to be sealed when it is clamped under the lid of the machine. This is achieved by using foam rubber sealing strips on the bottom of the machine and on the lid. When they are new they make a perfect seal, but after a year or two of use, the seal becomes less effective as the foam rubber hardens with age. Eventually the seals are no longer airtight and the machine can no longer create a vacuum. This is not a problem if the machine you buy has replaceable seals which can be bought ‘off the shelf’ otherwise it means that the machine is finished. We stock replacement seals for all of our Lava machines.
- Heating Strip – In order to heat seal the bag without sticking to it, the heating element needs to be covered by a non-stick strip which is usually made of Teflon. This will usually last for at least a couple of years but may need replacing after that time. Once again, this is not a problem if the Teflon strip for your machine is readily available otherwise it means that the machine is finished. We stock replacement Teflon heating strips for all of our Lava machines.
- Liquid Trap – The electric pump inside the machine which removes the air and creates the vacuum is an air pump, it is not a liquid pump. If liquid finds its way into the pump it will cause the pump to breakdown. This does not usually happen straightaway but it will reduce the life of the machine very considerably. This is not a problem if the machine you buy has a liquid trap which prevents liquid from getting to the pump. All Lava machines are fitted with a liquid trap.
- Warranty & Help - Does the seller offer a two-year warranty? Can you talk to the seller about any problems that you may have using the machine? Does the seller actually know anything at all about vacuum packing machines or are they just shifting as many boxes as possible?
We offer a two year warranty on all of our machines, just return the machine to us and we will either fix it or replace it. We only sell Lava vacuum packing machines and accessories; we use these machines ourselves in our own kitchens every day and have packed everything from soups to nuts. If you need help or advice on any aspect of vacuum packing then you can call us and talk to Paul, Helen or Andrew.
How Much Do You Need to Spend?
Most people who buy vacuum pacing machines for home use start off with one specific requirement. This is usually something like packing meat for the freezer or packing vegetables from the garden. However, they often find that vacuum packing is saving them both money, because it can cut down on wasted food, and time because they can pre-prepare meals and then pack them in single servings. This being the case, it makes sense to buy a quality machine that is going to give you a few years of service. This leads us to a final question – How much money do you need to spend?
The price of home vacuum packing machines ranges from about £60 to £400. Whilst the very cheap machines (less than £120) may look tempting, they don’t actually work very well. The fact is that all vacuum machines need a high quality air pump and heat sealing mechanism and it is simply not possible to put quality components into a machine at this price. A significant number of our customers are people who have bought one of these cheap machines from ‘Lakeland’ or ‘The Home Shopping Channel’, discovered that the machine they have bought is virtually useless and are upgrading to a usable machine having just wasted between £60 and £150.
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