Let's Talk Food Dehydrators

[PunkinPeep]

This is a simple question, i think. I just can't seem to find the answer.

I got a freecycled food dehydrator over the weekend. It's made by Mr. Coffee. I would really like to dry some figs right now, but when i plugged in the dehydrator and turned it on, it barely makes any noise. There's the slightest (and i mean tiny) breeze coming from the base unit. We were concerned that it's not really working.

If someone could tell me anything to help me to decide whether this thing is a fire hazard, i would REALLY appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[PamsPride]

My dehydrator heats up. Did you let it run a few minutes and see if it warms up?

 

[Aidenbaby]

Mine heats up too. There isn't much air coming out of it and it's also pretty quiet. I tested mine out with some sage from the backyard.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I turned it on like you said. It didn't heat up, but after 10 minutes or so, i was messing with it, and it suddenly was blowing a good breeze. It never did heat up. Is it possible it's not supposed to? The manual that came with it isn't very informative.

I put just one tray of fig slices in it to try it out.

 

[big brown horse]

I have a used one that I just got at a Rotary tag sale. It looks like R2D2, is louder than all get out and heats up enough to put under my desk to warm my feet. It starts out rough and then the sound gets smoother. But it works. It even has duct-type tape to hold the lid together. It is just about as gorgeous as I am.

 

[TanksHill]

I think the real question is does it actually dry anything. Stick some banana slices in it. If there not leather after about 10 to 12 hours it might not be worth the trouble. If it's plugged in and running forever but not getting anything done you will probably need to scrap it. I would be sure to run it during the day when you can keep an eye on it. Just in case. Good luck.

 

[detali]

Get yourself a good dehydrator like an Excalibur or a Le Equip, one that has a thermostat and a dial to control the temperature. I start my drying out at 145 for the first hour then dial it back to 125 for most things. Today there are banana chips dehydrating in there. I picked up two bags of past their prime bananas for 99 cents each. Dehydrated banana chips go good in oatmeal.

 

[user251]

ive looked on here and cant find a homemade dehydrating system. have you thought about a home made one? ive been looking and they seem fairly easy to make out of stuff lying around. Does anyone here have a pic of their homemade one? Im about to make one myself but would love to hear pros and cons of tried and true projects

 

[big brown horse]

ive looked on here and cant find a homemade dehydrating system. have you thought about a home made one? ive been looking and they seem fairly easy to make out of stuff lying around. Does anyone here have a pic of their homemade one? Im about to make one myself but would love to hear pros and cons of tried and true projects

I think it is delia from TX, she has a whopper of a dehydrator on wheels!! All from scrounged material. I'll look around and get back to you.

 

[davaroo]

I Freecycled a dehydrator, too - a Golden Harvest model. I also got another from a friend that same week, for a total of two.

Both of mine heat up and make a nice breeze. They are supposed to, thats fer sure.

I did some research into making my own a while back and there are all kinds of simple home designs out there - all of which incorporate a heater of some kind and a fan for air exchange. In a nutshell, we are talking about a gently heated box @ 115-125 degrees F, with a forced draft fan. Big or small, the idea is the same.
So, it's pretty safe to say that, yeah, yours should get warm and have a draft inside.

If yours is blowing now but isnt getting warm, then the heater element is pretty certain to be shot. I dont believe the table top units are thermostatically controlled, so it just a heater and fan wired across the AC power, through a switch. There isn't much more to them. They're pretty basic.

There are several outfits on the internet that sell parts for the table tops. They also share parts, as it seems the same basic design has been used by several companies. The Mr Coffee units are the same as the Mirro (which I have), and so on. I dont know which is which, exactly, but with a little research you can find out and get the right parts ordered.

Now, it will dry even without the heater, but it will take a very long time. SO dont give up on it, and get that heater working!