Foodsaver reliability question

Shiff

I had a Foodsaver V4980 purchased from Costco in late 2015.  About 6 months later it stopped removing air from bags and I called customer service (5 year warranty). They had me ship it back at my expense and sent me a new model 4865 (equivalent to the Costco model).  It just started having a problem where bag sealing would not stop. It sucked out air but never finished until it timed out with the red light blinking.  The accessory hose continues to work fine for resealable bags and the marinating container.

They told me they would replace it again if I shipped it back to them at my own expense again.  They told me that I should never seal fresh meat and to freeze it for a few hours first since the liquid will get sucked in and damage the unit.  The instruction manual says for "best results" you should freeze the meat first and it doesn't say it will break the unit.  I always clean out the drip tray after each use and wipe it down.

They said that if it breaks again they would replace it by sending me a prepaid label as long as I agreed to freeze meat first.

Has anyone else had problems with their Foodsaver unit breaking like this?  Do you all freeze your meat first before sealing?
I  have tried putting some paper towel at the top of the bag or using their "wet" content bags. 

blasting

Just return it to Costco

Carolina Q

I would have returned it to Costco instead of FS, gotten a refund and purchased a new one.

I have a Weston, not a Foodsaver, but I don't normally freeze meat first.

Lit

I had to return one because the hose wouldn't retract but like above statement I returned it to Costco they take everything back. Never had one stop working though and I don't freeze meat. I do watch when I do raw meat and when I see it finish with the air and start moving the liquid I hit the button myself to stop it and seal.

gdenby

I had a Foodsaver. Used it about 4 times. 4th time, a little marinade got sucked out of the bag. End of Foodsaver.

I have a better semi-commercial sealer now, and always make sure the food is either air dried in the fridge, still frosty from the freezer, or has flavorings that are mixed w. chilled butter. No failure so far, tho' sometimes it doesn't pull a good enough vacuum to trigger the auto seal, and I have to do it manually.

SemolinaPilchard

I am not sure what model Foodsaver I have, but it is older than yours. It has a knob with about 5 setting for sealing time. I have it set in the middle and usually it stops vacuuming and starts sealing at the right time. Sometimes the juice starts heading out of the bag, and you just hit the override button, which stops the vacuum. I would imagine that yours has that same function.

lkapigian

The only time mine runs and times out is if there is liquid , I just hit seal if its doing that.

Shiff

Thanks.  I had considered returning it to Costco but didn't do it.  I will try freezing meat first but will watch more closely when sealing and manually stop it when juices start to flow.

XLentEGG

I usually wrap fresh meat in plastic wrap and poke a couple of fork hole in it. vacs and seals well without much juice .

Shiff

XLentEGG said:

I usually wrap fresh meat in plastic wrap and poke a couple of fork hole in it. vacs and seals well without much juice .

Sounds like a good idea.

SmokeyPitt

I never freeze food before food saving.  I haven't had an issue with it breaking. Mine is about 6 years old.

HelenGrace203

My FS must be 5-10 years old, too.  No problems.

YukonRon

Been using the Food saver much more since I got the Sous Vide. No issues. It is an old unit.

Shiff

I wonder if they have cheapened the newer designs and made them more vulnerable to liquids.

Skiddymarker

V3840 about 9 years old, have only cleaned the drip tray once and that was when #1 son tired to seal some raw chicken. I freeze all protein on a sheet pan (sprayed with PAM) before sealing. Must have used at least 10 boxes of FS rolls, the ones with 36 bags and 4 or five rolls - Costco has on sale twice a year. Have also used a few Nesco rolls from Amazon. For protein and sous vide, you do not have to seal the bags. The protein will sink with a little water displacement help and clip to the side of your container. I do prep nonfrozen ribs with some rub and sauce, sous vide ready, but watch the juice as it starts to enter the sealer, hit the seal button. Strongly suggest you freeze first and then bag and seal. Chicken breasts need the tails folded under as once frozen they are very sharp and will puncture the bags. 

Bowne1

I had one when I lived in Texas for 10 years. I hunted a lot and used it all the time. Never put meat in the freezer before vacuuming. That is a bunch of BS.  I moved upstate and the vacuum pump on my 10 year old unit gave up. I bought a cheap unit from Walmart in 2014 and I use it every week. I order bags off of Amazon. To give you an idea on how much I use mine, I use a full box from Amazon about every 3 months. I pack fresh veggies, I have a local butcher and when he runs sales, I buy.  

lkapigian

Another tip, make sure the sealer is higher than the bag FWIW

thetrim

I have an old unit and didn't use it much until I got the SV.  I just started having some issues where it doesn't seem to be sucking the air out.  Not sure why.

caliking

I bought one from Costco 3 or 4 years ago and it's been working fine with unfrozen meats and marinated stuff too. Occasionally it doesn't seal if the mouth of the bag is wet so image sure to wipe the mouth dry before sealing.

And yes you should have returned it to Costco. That the beauty of Costco. No hassle returns. If I have to get another one I'll probably get the gamesaver model since I like the way it seals - lift the hatch , lay it down over the bag and go vs trying to tuck in the mouth of the bag into the slot. Plus it's easier to double seal with the gamesaver.  

Skiddymarker

Bowne1 said:

I had one when I lived in Texas for 10 years. I hunted a lot and used it all the time. Never put meat in the freezer before vacuuming. That is a bunch of BS.

I disagree about freezing before sealing, it is super easy and you will never have an issue with the seal as noted buy @caliking above. The reason some folks use a chamber sealer is to eliminate the juice being sucked out of the bag. 
WRT sous vide, I am really surprised at the number of folks who seal a bag with a steak or chops or chicken breast, you don't need to seal it.


Regarding freezing first - from the FoodSaver web site:

"Freezing First
Since many of the types of bacteria that can harm both your food and your body thrive at room temperature, it's best to freeze your meats before vacuum sealing them and storing them in the freezer for an extended period of time. By freezing first, you can ensure the bacteria have been killed before storing your meats for the long-term. 

Freezing your food first can not only make it safer - it can also make your cuts far more savory when it comes time to thaw them out. Placing your meat in the freezer before vacuum sealing ensures that all the juices remain in tact before the preservation process, something you'll be especially thankful for when you decided to cook your chosen cuts. "

The_Stache

thetrim said:

I have an old unit and didn't use it much until I got the SV.  I just started having some issues where it doesn't seem to be sucking the air out.  Not sure why.

Similar story for us, started using it when we got our SV.  What I discovered was to keep the slick side UP when doing the vacuum and seal.  If I tried with the "quilted" side up the unit  would go on forever and not vacuum completely.

It's probably in the manual but who reads those anyway?

SaintJohnsEgger

I've only had mine since Christmas. I' started freezing the meat first. But beware. I forgot about it and didn't vacuum seal until 2 days later. I had one huge lump of pulled pork that I had to thaw slightly and break up into smaller lumps to seal.

Ladeback69

I have the V3240 and I never pre-freeze meat I am going to seal.  Now I have had issues with it sealing sometimes and I found that if there is not enough extra of the bag in the machine it won't work. Also it likes one side of the bag better then the other.  I would have returned it to Costco first before going to the manufacture as well.  I have had mine for about 3 years and it is going strong.

westernbbq

Lem maxvac sealer replaced my costco foodsaver.  The foodsaver wasnt really that powerful amyway...

NPHuskerFL

Never had this issue even on saturated seafood on the Egghead hand me down that I shipped to @ryantt a while back. That said  my new FoodSaver has features that my first one didn't for moist products. I seal wet fresh roasted Hatch & other varieties of green & red roasted chile and also have no issue. I've never "prefrozen" first and then sealed....give me a break...nobody I know has time for that. And I've never used these bags this YouTube video is showing. 
https://youtu.be/kkUyEqlnjbg

Austin Egghead

DIL gave one from Costco couple Christmas ago, would not seal and it was returned. I bought that model from Costco in January,  and after being on line with customer service for an hour and using the entie free roll trying to get it to work, that unit was returned.
 We have the orginal 1060 purchased eons ago but it has finally bit the dust.  
In market for new sealer, but not another foodsaver.  Looking at the weston professional

CarolinaQ. Which Weston model do you have?

Carolina Q

@Austin Egghead, when I was in the market to replace the super cheap Seal-a-Meal I had received as a gift, it was my impression that many had problems with FS, or that they just didn't last very long. So, I decided to buy a Weston PRO-2300. More money than any FS, but much less than a chamber unit. It will seal a 15" wide bag and the seal itself is 3/16" wide. It always seals and those seals never leak. It does not hold a bulk roll of material and it has no available accessories. Quite large too, but I've owned it for over 7 years and it's still going strong. 

I think they came out with a newer model recently. Not sure. Check with Darian on what he bought. He looked at Weston, but bought something else. Sounded nicer than mine. @Photo Egg

thetrim

Mine worked fine today on a refrigerator temp top sirloin.   

Terrebandit

I've never had a problem. Had it for 4 or 5 years and it sucks meat juice all the time.  I've done 3 or 4 deer with it.  I clean it after using it for raw meat. 

Photo Egg

Austin Egghead said:

DIL gave one from Costco couple Christmas ago, would not seal and it was returned. I bought that model from Costco in January,  and after being on line with customer service for an hour and using the entie free roll trying to get it to work, that unit was returned.
 We have the orginal 1060 purchased eons ago but it has finally bit the dust.  
In market for new sealer, but not another foodsaver.  Looking at the weston professional

CarolinaQ. Which Weston model do you have?

Have friends with cheaper FS units and the hey have all failed. My older FS Pro III was fantastic. It would not die but I wanted a new one that would do wider rolls.
Got some great info from @Carolina Q and went with VacMaster Pro 380.
It's big and heavy but makes a great seal. I always double sealed with my FS.
Just one seal with the Weston. Found good price. About $300 shipped.