Lava LA-VA V333 User manual

Lava V333 / Premium Line
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OperatingInstructions
LA‐VAV333/PremiumLine
VacuumPackingMachine
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Lava V333 / Premium Line
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Your Lava vacuum packing machine is covered by a two-year warranty. This warranty specifically
excludes breakdown caused by liquid entering the air-pump. It is very important that you are aware
that allowing liquid to enter the air-pump will cause the machine to breakdown and invalidate your
warranty.
If you are vacuum packing items which have a high liquid content (soup etc.) then you should use
acrylic containers rather than bags, as the design of containers prevents liquid from being drawn
into the machine. All Lava machines are fitted with a liquid trap which prevents liquid from
entering the pump. However once the liquid trap is full, the liquid has nowhere else to go and will
be sucked into the pump. If you see liquid being drawn out of the bag and into the machine then you
must stop the machine immediately and empty out the liquid trap.
The cause of the problem needs to be determined and this is usually “over-packing” something
which contains a significant amount of liquid. For example, raw meat has a fairly high liquid
content and if you “over-pack” it you will squeeze the liquid out of the meat and into the bag, which
will then be sucked into the machine. A new product called Liquid Stop can help prevent this
problem.
To prevent “over-packing” you can either manually seal the bag before maximum pressure is
reached or use a variable pressure valve in combination with the pressure gauge and pack at a lower
pressure. For example 0.2 bar instead of 0.9 bar. This will have some effect on the longevity of the
product being packed since less air is being removed, but it can improve the presentation of softer
food items as they will be able to keep their shape better. The use of a small strip of Liquid Stop can
also prevent liquid uptake.
A. Top rubber sealing strip
B. Top vacuum rubber seal
C. On/Off button
D. Sealing strip element
E. Liquid trap with variable vacuum pressure release valve

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F. Bag locator
G. Bottom vacuum rubber seal
H. Vacuum pump attachment
K. Liquid trap with variable vacuum pressure release valve
L. Duration of bag sealing time
M. Light indicator bag sealing
N. Vacuum pressure indicator
P. Manual switch for bag sealing
R. Control of vacuum pump
I = Vacuum pump ON for use with pump attachment
O = Vacuum pump OFF
II = Automatic engagement vacuum pump when lid is closed
S. Manual/Auto selection of sealing strip
T. On/Off Switch
Vacuum Packing in Bags
Place the machine on a flat level work surface. You will need to allow enough space in front of the
machine to lay the bag flat and you may find it easier to place a one inch high cutting board or
something similar underneath the bag to keep it as flat as possible.
Plug-in the machine and switch it on using switch (C,T ). The switch should light-up red. If not then
check both the power supply and fuse.
You should choose a bag that is the correct size. Allow an inch or so on either side of the item you
want to pack and at least 2-3 inches at the top of the bag.
Decide whether you are going to use automatic or manual operation. If you use automatic operation
then the item will be packed at a pressure of about 0.9 bar. This is enough negative pressure to
crush a Coke can and it can squeeze the liquid out of soft food items and this liquid may then be

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drawn into the liquid trap. It may also force food items out of shape which may be important if they
are being displayed for sale. You can however initiate the sealing process, at any time, during the
vacuum cycle just by pressing the seal button (P). See Packing at a Lower Pressure.
Automatic Operation
Use this when the item you are packing is fairly resilient and does not contain too much liquid. You
may need to experiment to discover which items are suitable.
1. Set the vacuum pump control switch (R) to ‘II’
2. Set the manual/auto switch (S) to ‘AUT’.
3. Set the rotary switch which controls the bag sealing time (L) to 5.
4. Place the item in the bag and place the bag with the rough/embossed side down. Lift the
front of the machine and place the top of the bag into the bag locator (F).
It is vital that the top of the bag is correctly located with the full width of the bag inside the
bag locator. Failure to locate the bag properly is the most common cause of problems with
Lava machines.
5. Close the lid and you will hear the pump start up. You must then press down firmly on the
corners of the lid. NOTE - when the machine is new or the seals have just been replaced you
will need to press down very hard on the corners of the lid for about one second to initiate
the vacuum. Failure to press down hard enough, at this stage, is the second most common
cause of problems with Lava machines.
6. The machine will draw all of the air out of the bag to a pressure of 0.9 bar and will then seal
the bag automatically before switching off. You can initiate the seal process earlier and at
lower pressure just by pressing button (P).
7. You can now raise the lid and remove the sealed bag. Before packing other items, check that
the seals look OK – see Checking the Seal.
Manual Operation
Use this when the item you are packing is fairly soft or contains too much liquid for automatic
operation. See Packing at a Lower Pressure.
1. Set the vacuum pump control switch (R) to ‘II’
2. Set the manual/auto switch (S) to ‘MAN’.
3. Set the rotary switch which controls the bag sealing time (L) to 5.
4. Place the item in the bag and place the bag with the rough/embossed side down. Lift the

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front of the machine and place the top of the bag into the bag locator (F). It is vital that the
top of the bag is correctly located with the full width of the bag inside the bag locator.
Failure to locate the bag properly is the most common cause of problems with Lava
machines.
5. Close the lid and you will hear the pump start up. You must then press down firmly on the
corners of the lid. Failure to press down hard enough at this stage is the second most
common cause of problems with Lava machines.
6. When the desired pressure is reached by adjusting the regulator valve, firmly depress and
hold switch (P). The red sealing indicator light (M) will come on. When the light goes out
you can release the switch. The bag is now sealed.
7. You can now raise the lid and remove the sealed bag. Before packing other items, check that
the seals look OK – see Checking the Seal.
Checking the Seal
The V333 seals bags with a triple seal, these should be clear lines running uninterrupted the full
width of the bag. If the bag is melted through then you will need to turn the rotary switch (L) down
a little. If the seal is interrupted then you will need to turn it up. Once this has been correctly set for
the type of bag you are using, you should not need to alter it again. It is also very important not to
contaminate the area of the bag to be sealed with grease or liquids, this can also create a bad seal.
Please note that if you are packing at a very low pressure then you may need to press down very
hard on the lid of the machine during the sealing process.
Vacuum Packing in Containers
Acrylic containers are ideal for packing things like soup, fresh salad or soft fruit like raspberries or
strawberries. They are also great for curing and speed marinating meat.
1. Place the machine on a flat level work surface. Plug-in the machine and switch it on using
switch (C, T). The switch should light-up red. If not then check both the power supply and
fuse.
2. Lift the lid and place the end of the container attachment tube over the vacuum pump inlet
(H) which can be found on the left of the bag locator strip.
3. Place the food item into the acrylic container and close the lid firmly.
4. Set the vacuum pump control switch (R) to ‘I’.
5. The pump will start up and begin sucking air through the container attachment.
6. Place the container attachment over the valve on the top of the container and press it down
firmly. When the desired vacuum is reached ( Max 0.3 bar ) then switch the vacuum pump
control switch (R) to ‘0’. It is very important not to over vacuum the container. Once the
ORANGE nipple, located on the lid, has inverted stop the vacuum process. To much
negative pressure can cause the container to crack or even implode.
Note; that you will be unable to remove the lid from the container until you have released the
pressure using the release valve on the top.