I just got a FoodSaver Compact II from a friend. Just the machine, not
extras like the canning attachment or anything. It seems in good working
order tho, nothing broken or chipped or anything.
I got some bags, but can't seal the first end. I put one end in the
machine and press the button (there's only one) for a while, but it
doesn't seal. The pump seems to be working, it has suction when I close
up the hole where the hose goes with my finger. It just doesn't seal the
end like I need it to, in order to put food in so I can pump the air out
before it seals the second end.

How do I seal the first end?

Related: Can someone point me somewhere to download a pdf (or even text
would be ok) of the manual?

Thanks for the help!

Lance

"LM" > wrote in message
...
>I just got a FoodSaver Compact II from a friend. Just the
>machine, not
> extras like the canning attachment or anything. It seems in
> good working
> order tho, nothing broken or chipped or anything.
> I got some bags, but can't seal the first end. I put one end in
> the
> machine and press the button (there's only one) for a while,
> but it
> doesn't seal. The pump seems to be working, it has suction when
> I close
> up the hole where the hose goes with my finger. It just doesn't
> seal the
> end like I need it to, in order to put food in so I can pump
> the air out
> before it seals the second end.
>
> How do I seal the first end?
>
> Related: Can someone point me somewhere to download a pdf (or
> even text
> would be ok) of the manual?
>

Make sure the the end of the bag is NOT in the vacuum channel.
Then close the lid, press in the latches on the sides, and hold
down the button until the unit shuts itself off.

All the available manuals are he
http://www.foodsaver.com/productmanuals.ad2

--
barry in indy

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 11:13:55 GMT, "barry in indy"
> wrote:

>"LM" > wrote in message
.. .
>>I just got a FoodSaver Compact II from a friend. Just the
>>machine, not
>> extras like the canning attachment or anything. It seems in
>> good working
>> order tho, nothing broken or chipped or anything.
>> I got some bags, but can't seal the first end. I put one end in
>> the
>> machine and press the button (there's only one) for a while,
>> but it
>> doesn't seal. The pump seems to be working, it has suction when
>> I close
>> up the hole where the hose goes with my finger. It just doesn't
>> seal the
>> end like I need it to, in order to put food in so I can pump
>> the air out
>> before it seals the second end.
>>
>> How do I seal the first end?
>>
>> Related: Can someone point me somewhere to download a pdf (or
>> even text
>> would be ok) of the manual?
>
>Make sure the the end of the bag is NOT in the vacuum channel.
>Then close the lid, press in the latches on the sides, and hold
>down the button until the unit shuts itself off.
>
>All the available manuals are he
>http://www.foodsaver.com/productmanuals.ad2

Thanks for the response.

They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.

Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
(didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
show up.
How does the machine know to seal? Is there a sensor that reports when
its reached such-and-such a pressure inside the vacuum channel, then it
activates the heater bar for y amount of time?
I'm trying to narrow down what's broken so when I go into it I won't
break other things!

Lance

LM wrote:
> Thanks for the response.
>
> They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
> only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
> I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>
> Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
> But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
> and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
> more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
> (didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
> 1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
> show up.

<snip>

You ran it for four and one-half minutes??

The answer to your question is in your original post: "It seems in good
working order tho, nothing broken or chipped or anything." Hmmmm... Sounds
to me as though the heating element doesn't work, which would not be
visible. If it doesn't work, the bag wont seal no matter how good the
suction is.

And in observance of your experiments with the time-seal continuum, I'm
surprised that it runs at all anymore ;o

"LM" > wrote in message
...

> How does the machine know to seal? Is there a sensor that
> reports when
> its reached such-and-such a pressure inside the vacuum channel,
> then it
> activates the heater bar for y amount of time?

There is probably a sensor connected with the amount of current
that the pump motor draws.

Try running it without a bag inserted. The light should go on
almost immediately, and then the unit should shut itself off
about a second later. CAREFULLY touch the sealing strip. It
should be hot. If not, that's your problem.

Have you written to Tilia? They responded quickly to an email I
once sent them.

--
barry in indy

"LM" > wrote in message
...

> How does the machine know to seal? Is there a sensor that
> reports when
> its reached such-and-such a pressure inside the vacuum channel,
> then it
> activates the heater bar for y amount of time?

There is probably a sensor connected with the amount of current
that the pump motor draws.

Try running it without a bag inserted. The light should go on
almost immediately, and then the unit should shut itself off
about a second later. CAREFULLY touch the sealing strip. It
should be hot. If not, that's your problem.

Have you written to Tilia? They responded quickly to an email I
once sent them.

--
barry in indy

On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:28:48 -0600, "pennyaline"
<nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:

>LM wrote:
>> Thanks for the response.
>>
>> They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
>> only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
>> I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>>
>> Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
>> But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
>> and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
>> more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
>> (didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
>> 1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
>> show up.
>
><snip>
>
>You ran it for four and one-half minutes??

How long does it normally take to evacuate a bag?
Depending on size right? I really want to save a quart of strawberries
that were on sale, so I got a roll of 6 in bags, and cut it to about a
one foot length (so I'll have plenty of bag left over for several
seals.) How long should I expect that to take once I press the button?

And I haven't tried to run it after the last test, so I just might have
killed it!

Would a call to Tilia help? It has to be out of warranty, so would they
do anything for reasonable cost?
I was just going to get into it myself to see what's what in there, and
if I couldn't fix anything take it to my local handyman.

LM wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:28:48 -0600, "pennyaline"
> <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:
>
>
>>LM wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks for the response.
>>>
>>>They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
>>>only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
>>>I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>>>
>>>Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
>>>But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
>>>and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
>>>more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
>>>(didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
>>>1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
>>>show up.
>>
>><snip>
>>
>>You ran it for four and one-half minutes??
>
>
> How long does it normally take to evacuate a bag?
> Depending on size right? I really want to save a quart of strawberries
> that were on sale, so I got a roll of 6 in bags, and cut it to about a
> one foot length (so I'll have plenty of bag left over for several
> seals.) How long should I expect that to take once I press the button?

I've never had even a big bag, some two feet long, take more than about
30 seconds, usually a lot less time than that. I agree with a previous
poster, I suspect the sealing strip has gone kaput.

> And I haven't tried to run it after the last test, so I just might have
> killed it!
>
> Would a call to Tilia help? It has to be out of warranty, so would they
> do anything for reasonable cost?
> I was just going to get into it myself to see what's what in there, and
> if I couldn't fix anything take it to my local handyman.

A call or email to Tilia will definitely help even if it is out of
warranty. At the very least they can tell you approximately what it
would take in bucks to fix it. Normally they just send you another one,
or at least they did to a friend who mailed his in for repair. I've been
running a Compact II for about ten years now with absolutely no problems.

George
>

Thanks very much for the help you guys!
I'll give Tilia a try and see what they say. If I get it up and running,
I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

>LM wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:28:48 -0600, "pennyaline"
>> <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>LM wrote:
>>>
>>>>Thanks for the response.
>>>>
>>>>They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
>>>>only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
>>>>I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>>>>
>>>>Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
>>>>But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
>>>>and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
>>>>more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
>>>>(didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
>>>>1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
>>>>show up.
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>You ran it for four and one-half minutes??
>>
>> How long does it normally take to evacuate a bag?
>> Depending on size right? I really want to save a quart of strawberries
>> that were on sale, so I got a roll of 6 in bags, and cut it to about a
>> one foot length (so I'll have plenty of bag left over for several
>> seals.) How long should I expect that to take once I press the button?
>
>I've never had even a big bag, some two feet long, take more than about
>30 seconds, usually a lot less time than that. I agree with a previous
>poster, I suspect the sealing strip has gone kaput.
>
>> And I haven't tried to run it after the last test, so I just might have
>> killed it!
>>
>> Would a call to Tilia help? It has to be out of warranty, so would they
>> do anything for reasonable cost?
>> I was just going to get into it myself to see what's what in there, and
>> if I couldn't fix anything take it to my local handyman.
>
>A call or email to Tilia will definitely help even if it is out of
>warranty. At the very least they can tell you approximately what it
>would take in bucks to fix it. Normally they just send you another one,
>or at least they did to a friend who mailed his in for repair. I've been
>running a Compact II for about ten years now with absolutely no problems.
>
>George

Thanks very much for the help you guys!
I'll give Tilia a try and see what they say. If I get it up and running,
I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

>LM wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:28:48 -0600, "pennyaline"
>> <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>LM wrote:
>>>
>>>>Thanks for the response.
>>>>
>>>>They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
>>>>only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
>>>>I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>>>>
>>>>Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
>>>>But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
>>>>and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
>>>>more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
>>>>(didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
>>>>1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
>>>>show up.
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>You ran it for four and one-half minutes??
>>
>> How long does it normally take to evacuate a bag?
>> Depending on size right? I really want to save a quart of strawberries
>> that were on sale, so I got a roll of 6 in bags, and cut it to about a
>> one foot length (so I'll have plenty of bag left over for several
>> seals.) How long should I expect that to take once I press the button?
>
>I've never had even a big bag, some two feet long, take more than about
>30 seconds, usually a lot less time than that. I agree with a previous
>poster, I suspect the sealing strip has gone kaput.
>
>> And I haven't tried to run it after the last test, so I just might have
>> killed it!
>>
>> Would a call to Tilia help? It has to be out of warranty, so would they
>> do anything for reasonable cost?
>> I was just going to get into it myself to see what's what in there, and
>> if I couldn't fix anything take it to my local handyman.
>
>A call or email to Tilia will definitely help even if it is out of
>warranty. At the very least they can tell you approximately what it
>would take in bucks to fix it. Normally they just send you another one,
>or at least they did to a friend who mailed his in for repair. I've been
>running a Compact II for about ten years now with absolutely no problems.
>
>George

Thanks very much for the help you guys!
I'll give Tilia a try and see what they say. If I get it up and running,
I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

>LM wrote:
>> On Sat, 16 Apr 2005 20:28:48 -0600, "pennyaline"
>> <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>LM wrote:
>>>
>>>>Thanks for the response.
>>>>
>>>>They don't have a simple 'foodsaver compact ii' manual at that url, it
>>>>only has model numbers, which I'm guessing mine is too old for that.
>>>>I was able to find it elsewhere on that site tho. Thanks for that.
>>>>
>>>>Ah, and I was putting the end in the vacuum channel.
>>>>But that didn't make a difference. After wiping the channel, the gasket,
>>>>and the heating bar with a damp sponge and letting it dry, I tried a few
>>>>more times. I experimented holding down the button from 1 to 5 minutes
>>>>(didn't make five minutes tho, the machine shut itself off after about 4
>>>>1/2) and it still didn't seal anything nor did the light, red or green,
>>>>show up.
>>>
>>><snip>
>>>
>>>You ran it for four and one-half minutes??
>>
>> How long does it normally take to evacuate a bag?
>> Depending on size right? I really want to save a quart of strawberries
>> that were on sale, so I got a roll of 6 in bags, and cut it to about a
>> one foot length (so I'll have plenty of bag left over for several
>> seals.) How long should I expect that to take once I press the button?
>
>I've never had even a big bag, some two feet long, take more than about
>30 seconds, usually a lot less time than that. I agree with a previous
>poster, I suspect the sealing strip has gone kaput.
>
>> And I haven't tried to run it after the last test, so I just might have
>> killed it!
>>
>> Would a call to Tilia help? It has to be out of warranty, so would they
>> do anything for reasonable cost?
>> I was just going to get into it myself to see what's what in there, and
>> if I couldn't fix anything take it to my local handyman.
>
>A call or email to Tilia will definitely help even if it is out of
>warranty. At the very least they can tell you approximately what it
>would take in bucks to fix it. Normally they just send you another one,
>or at least they did to a friend who mailed his in for repair. I've been
>running a Compact II for about ten years now with absolutely no problems.
>
>George