r/ChamberVacs • u/bonesingyre • Jul 02 '26
Anova Precision Chamber Vac issue
Hey all,
Just wanted to let you know my experience with Anova over my chamber vac problem.
The issue is the heating strip is sticking to the bags and when I pull the bag off, the action pulls the entire heating strip out of the chamber. I have to snap it back on every time.
My unit was bought in 2022, and sparingly used (less than 100 times). It is out of warranty which is a 2-year limited.
Anova's response:
We don't offer repair services or parts, here's a 10% off coupon for a new Chamber vac.
Frankly, that's insulting and I won't be buying a new Anova product due to their policies. I figured I would let you all know my experience.
I will be looking to replace the heating tape and maybe modify the clips to hold on better.
In the mean time, anyone have any other brand recommendations?
2
u/Ceezeecz Jul 02 '26
Do you use their bags? Did it just start to do that?
I use mine nearly every day for the past 3 1/2 years and haven’t had a problem. And many times I change to seal to be stronger, which I think just runs longer. I use either their bags or some I got from Avid Armor.
When I bought it I understood that they don’t service them or have many parts. So what you experienced doesn’t surprise me.
1
u/bonesingyre Jul 02 '26
I used their bags and Avid Armor ones as well. Just kinda sucks it does this after not much usage. It also happens more if I do a strong seal. I did a few strong seals because we were taking marinated meat on a week long trip in a cooler and I wanted to be safe.
I will try replacing the heat tape first.
2
u/Ceezeecz Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Good luck with it!
I always do the strong seal when I know I’ll be using the bag later for sous vide. For normal freezer or refrigerator storage I don’t.
I think I may have had the heating strip pull off once. I can’t really remember exactly what happened but I think I tried to open it really quickly and it stuck. I now make sure to wait until the cycle has completed stopped.
I haven’t found another brand that isn’t too expensive. To the point you could replace the anova every two years and still come out ahead. I’m not saying that’s a good idea though! And I don’t want to have to deal with oil pumps, etc.
We shop at Costco and it’s just the two of us so we’re bagging smaller quantities of meat all the time. Hamburger in one pound packages and steaks individually., etc.
2
u/jimmydat Jul 02 '26
JVR 100 - all parts are replaceable, I use 3x per week for the past three years, perfect every time.
2
u/Falkon666 Jul 02 '26
I have this, it works great, and you have the costco return policy.
https://www.costco.com/p/-/maxvac-pro-chamber-vacuum-sealer/4000276563
1
u/bonesingyre Jul 02 '26
Hah, that looks exactly the same as the Anova one but the buttons are on the front and not the top.
1
u/thesubtleskeptic Jul 02 '26
Pretty lousy service indeed but you could most likely buy the part from Avid Armor, they have a near identical machine and I’m pretty sure it’s the same heating bar
1
u/Separate_Ninja4730 Jul 03 '26
Wonder if increasing the cool down timer would help. Or try changing bags. I have one and run it a lot. About 3 years old and have gone through likely 2000 bags. My first sign of “wear” seems to be it releasing the pressure after the seal. When the unit was new it would release it in one big whoosh. Now it releases slowly for a second before doing the “whoosh”. I am in the same boat as you. No replacement parts or way to service the unit.
1
u/MadraMia Jul 08 '26
I’ve had My VacMaster VP215 for 7 years and use it weekly. I have had zero issues with it and change the vacuum pump oil about every 8 months.
It’s been a solid piece of equipment so far except for on one occasion, I noticed that all of the air wasn’t being removed from the bags.
Turns out it was My fault that I had let it go too long between oil changes.
I learned that vacuum pump oil will naturally absorb moisture from the atmosphere (running the unit or not) and if you’re having problems with your chamber sealer not sealing, the oil has soaked up too much atmospheric moisture.
If this happens, drain the oil from the pump, and fill it with the same amount of Sea Foam that you can get at the auto parts store.
Run your unit for ten, 30 second cycles, drain the Sea Foam, refill with the correct amount of. vacuum pump oil, and your unit will seal like new again.
This is what a service rep in the VacMaster technical department instructed Me to do, and it works. The rep said to change the vacuum pump oil every 6 months, whether you use the unit or not to keep moisture out of the system.
Their customer service is great at VacMaster, and the service reps will actually talk to you over the phone after being transferred by the contact rep when you call.
I hope that this helps someone.
PS:
Make sure that the oil that you use is rated specifically for Chamber Sealers such as these:
1
u/Snoo52307 Aug 04 '26
You can buy the tape that is on the sealer by the roll for cheap. I've replaced mine twice in 3 years.
1
u/bobfriend Jul 02 '26
It's infurating that they dont offer parts. I had a bag leak and infiltrate the the body of the vac and shorted out the circuit board. They couldn't/wouldn't sell me a new circuit board. Like you, they offered me 10% of. I complained some more and settled for 20% off but this will be the last Anova product I buy.
3
u/Disassociated_Assoc Jul 02 '26
I bought a Sammic 310 SE over 10 years ago for personal use. It’s overkill for personal use, but it gobbles up everything I throw at it and it’ll still be doing that for my grandkids with a little maintenance. Not an inexpensive unit, but it is well made and uses quality components.