Just got an Excalibur 3000 series - disappointment!

[rawfoodistdavid]

Hi people.
Just got my eagerly-awaited 9-tray Excalibur and what a disappointment. I forgave the cheap plasticky-ness of it and the flimsy feel and thought, 'Well, it's what they're all recommending so it must be good'.

Cut up some fruits and veggies for the trial run and turned it on.

Heck - this thing's louder than an rickety old oven, a dishwasher, it even gives our aged washing machine run for it's money. The loud, constantly changing resonant drone is unbelievable. I can hear it in the living room at the opposite end of a 20" hall with the kitchen door closed. We live in an appartment and our bedroom is closer so it's likely to keep us awake.

Is this a duff one or are they all this bad? I mean, for the money, can't they make the sides thicker or something, line them with sound-proofing?

[StarFire]

My husband complains about the noise too.... he can't stand it... and initially we fought horribly about it when we first got it home!!! But ... in the long run -- the yumminess that comes out of there is well worth it for me.. ALSO... the health benefits that come from eating these rawmacious foods... and the weight loss as far as I'm concerned ... is welll worth a little bit of noise! It is odd though that they don't (or can't) make it any quieter!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/Sheesh.gif .... PLEASE MAKE A NEW MODEL THAT IS QUIETER!!!! I so agree!

[Rawkinlocs]

I don't know...I guess people are different. The noise has never bothered me. Can't hear it from my bedroom and it runs often. The "humming" is rather soothing to me as I also like the sound of a fan running.

I don't find it noisier than my dishwasher by a long shot. I just don't find it bothersome, period...no one in my household does. I think the cheaper model Nesco dehydrator I had prior to my Excalibur was noisier...I love my Excalibur! :p

[chilove]

I don't think that mine is noisy at all. It does make noise, of course but it doesn't seem excessive at all. Maybe you did get a defective one. It wouldn't hurt to call the company about it just in case.

Blessings,

Audrey

[Aleesha Sattva]

get a couple of fish tanks in your home... you won't hear it at all!

*works for me*

[Sugar Snap Pea]

Think of it as "white noise", I notice mine when I first come in, then it's just background noise I don't even notice! It's an excellent product compared to others.

[avanderland]

Think of it as "white noise", I notice mine when I first come in, then it's just background noise I don't even notice! It's an excellent product compared to others.

Agreed... I think a lot of this stuff just seems noisy at first, because it's new to us... I originally thought it was so loud, but I realized that it is no louder than my air filter, and certainly not louder than my blender!! Now it blends in and creates a "white noise" effect for me, too!

[greenday]

Yeah, I have a 5 tray Excalibur and I also hate the noise of it. I guess it depends on the acoustics and layout of your place. I have all hardwood floors and pretty modern decor (i.e. nothing fluffy or "sound absorbing") so sound really bounces around in my place. However, as StarFire mentioned the yummies coming out of it are ~worth~ it. :) So, be patient and give it a try and see if you don't get used to it. I plan my D to run mostly during the day and if by chance I have to run it overnight I shut the bedroom door and it's not bad, really. I keep it in the dining room - opposite side of the house.

[WendyLouWho]

I have an excalibur scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. We have all tile floors. This could be interesting. Luckily, I like white noise.

[jacsam]

I love mine and really don't think of it as noisy at all....now this is coming from a mom that has lots of noise running in and out of the house all day. Maybe I'm just used to noise but I love mine and no one complains about it at my house.

[jayn804]

I was going to order the 5 tray Excalibur dehydrator this weekend. After reading this post, I'm wondering if the Sausage Maker dehydrator would be a better choice as it's stainless steel and also has double the wattage of the Excalibur. If someone has a Sausage Maker dehydrator would you please post a comment on the noise level and how you feel it performs. Also, does it have a built in timer. Thx.

[rawfoodistdavid]

Yes, I think what kind of home you have makes a difference to your level of noise tolerance. If you have a utility area where you can close it off, it'd be fine. Our kitchen's all tiles and hard surfaces with a high ceiling, a bit of an echo chamber I suppose.

I'm already 'okay' with the noise if the door's closed on the kitchen and the onion bread that's half-done tastes amazing! The sliced apples are miles nicer than shop-bought dried food.

I think this weekend I'll have to max-it-out with flax crackers and the like to give it a rest in the week when I come home from work stressed out!

[Conscious Midwife]

I was going to order the 5 tray Excalibur dehydrator this weekend. After reading this post, I'm wondering if the Sausage Maker dehydrator would be a better choice as it's stainless steel and also has double the wattage of the Excalibur. If someone has a Sausage Maker dehydrator would you please post a comment on the noise level and how you feel it performs. Also, does it have a built in timer. Thx.


You don't need double the wattage for food that's prepped at 115 degrees

[Conscious Midwife]

NOISE REDUCTION OPTIONS!!!

Place dehydrator on countertop on top of a heavy duty dish towel. muffle rattling beneath dehydrator.

place Alissa uncookbook on top. Minimizes some of the rattle that coems between the parts on top and tha echoey roar

place the dehydrator on top of a large bamboo cutting block on top of your unused stove.

turn you cd player up

getting a fountain or fish tank, as suggested

[willow]

I have a 5 tray excalibur and I don't find mine noisy. Just a slight background white noise. Our new dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer all make more noise than my dehydrator. Of course, we are a family with 2 children and 2 dogs:)

[coco]

summer is coming, can you put it out on your porch? it might attract animals if it's an open porch but if not it would keep your kitchen from getting hot! darn things are super noisy to me, all that back ground noise gets on my nerves after a while. i like a little silence, especially at night.

[jaurequi]

Is Alissa still developing a dehydrator or did that get shelved?

I found the Excalibur to be the better of home-quality dehydrators I've tried, but by no means as good as it claims.

Best,

[RawSinger]

Yeah, a dehydrator running is like living in a big city. I currently live in rural New York and when I visit family in the city, sometimes I'm appalled at the noise and wonder how they deal with it. After a few days, it's like you don't hear it anymore. You brain just filters it through a "usual noise, no big deal" filter. Same with the dehydrator.

[SuzyQ]

I notice the sound for just a few minutes and after that I guess we get use to it. Hopefully, that will happen for you. Do you have a porch or other clean place to put it that would muffle the sound? For me, the sound means I have something worth eating coming along soon! (sorry; I try to be a Polyanna!)

[sharthejoysheila]

I just got my 9 tray a few days ago. it just has a fan noise, not that loud, i keep it in my laundry room with the door closed, only becasue i just dont have room for it in my kitchen.. LOVE IT>>>>

[faith4u]

Call the company.

Mine was like that when I first got it. They sent another motor out to me. They told me that sometimes the UPS are a little too rough on the boxes and it can make it to where the motor or fan rubs and makes a lot of noise. It wasn't a big deal to install either.

I have loved it ever since.