Vacuum bag problems

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notbobvilla

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 25, 2010
20
10
Jacksonville, AR 72076
I ordered an assortment of bags and rolls from Vacuum sealers unlimited and I'm having issues.The bags I got were the ones with the mesh in the center and out of about 14 bags I had 5-6 fail to seal completely in the mesh portion. I was using them for chicken wings so I thought maybe they were too wet so I dried off the ones that failed and used new bags but I still had a problem with half of those. I went to the freezer today and 3 of the bags I thought were sealed had lost their vacuum. Also with the bags, they are curled at the top (kinda in on themselves) and I have to play around and fuss with them before the sealer senses the bag. Some of the bags would never quite fit so I had to start with new ones. I know they are well liked on the forum and I'm not saying it's the bags fault at all, I blame myself and a learning curve. Any one have same issues or ideas on how to make them work better? I'm using a Food saver V3485 if it maters.  Thanks all.
 
Bob, morning......  Looks like the "auto sealing mode" has 2 levels....  Try a different level....  maybe the heat sealing strip is not getting hot enough.....   

What do you mean they "never quite fit"...  are they too wide or something ....  I received some bags that had the open end curled a bit...  I restacked the bags alternating  layers.....  5 or so meshes up, then meshes down, meshes up etc.... I figured the mesh strip caused the bags to curl a bit on the open end....  then I put a flat item on top and stored them like that.....  Now when I get an order, I alternate stack them in a box and the problem has gone....   Seems like a hassle but, the quality of the bag makes it worth it....    Hope this helps,  Dave
  • Fully automatic operation; Space-saving upright design; Auto liquid detection
  • Retractable accessory hose; Marinate mode; 2 vacuum speeds; 2 seal levels; Canister mode
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Last edited:
Thanks for the reply Dave. I tried both seal levels and I think it seems to be amount of moisture that gets drawn into the mesh area. Next time I try it I will try and use a towel to keep the moisture level down. The curl on the bags are towards each other, if you lay them flat the bottom layer curls up and the top layer curls down so it creates a large part that won't fit into the machine. It just takes more effort to get the bag in the machine. I will set them out and maybe put a weight on them to see if it flattens out.  Thanks again Dave
 
I have found with my foodsaver I get the best results when my food is partially frozen first. I ordered the premium bags from unlimited and have better luck with their bags sealing than the foodsaver bags that I have. I buy the rolls so there is always a bit of a curl. Contact unlimited and tell them about your problems, I've found that the sponsors here have great customer service.. I had a complete roll of foodsaver bags that wouldn't seal, had a flaw running the full length of the roll (bought from Costco not unlimited). Let us know how it goes.
 
I'm with Dirtsailor, I partially freeze then seal.

I do this with items that will compress as well, items like cake .

I have the same sealer as you and have been ok so far.

For foods that will be refrigerated, I hit the seal button just as the juice starts moving. (Foodsaver Bag)


If I'm pressed for time, I roll up a paper towel, the full length of the inside and place that an inc or so below the sealing area.

The Vacuum sealer will start the sealing process before the paper towel becomes completely wet, but I still prefer partially freezing, because I hate to loose the juice in the paper towel.



And for dry items or things that may poke through the bags, I place in a paper bag first. (Sealers Unlimited Bag)

 
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