Vacuum Pouches for Turbovac Chamber Machines

Turbovac chamber machines have been sold in the UK for decades and a lot of them are still running in butchers' back rooms, catering kitchens and small processors. They're conventional chamber machines: smooth PA/PE pouches, seal bar, lid. Our pouches run in every one of them. This guide is about sizing, settings and getting an older machine to seal like a new one.

Sizing to the bar

Turbovac has sold tabletop machines with bars in the 300 to 450mm range and floor-standing and double-chamber machines with longer and multiple bars. Rather than rely on model numbers, measure the bar inside the chamber and take 20mm off. That's your maximum pouch width.

Measured bar	Widest pouch	Good stock sizes
300mm	280mm	200×300, 250×350, 270×330
350mm	330mm	Above plus 300×400, 320×520
420 to 450mm	400 to 430mm	Above plus 400×500, 400×600
500mm and above	Whole range	Including 530×650

The size guide matches each size to product.

Settings

Older Turbovac machines use a timed vacuum rather than a sensor, so the cycle is set in seconds. For our 65 micron pouches, run the vacuum long enough that the pump note changes and the film is fully drawn onto the product, then seal at the standard bag setting. For 130 micron, add one step of seal time. On soft or sliced product, shorten the vacuum time to leave a little air rather than crushing the product.

Newer models with a sensor-controlled vacuum work like any current chamber machine: full vacuum for firm product, 90 to 95% for soft, standard seal time throughout.

Keeping an old machine sealing well

When a Turbovac that's been fine for years starts leaving weak seals, it's almost never the pouch. In order of likelihood:

1. PTFE tape on the seal bar worn through or creased. It's a consumable; replace it and the seal comes back.
2. Silicone rubber on the counter bar hardened or grooved. Same fix.
3. Heating element with a cold spot, which shows as a seal that's fine at one end and peels at the other.
4. Lid gasket leaking, which stops the chamber reaching full vacuum and leaves packs loose. Look for a hiss during the cycle.
5. Pump oil overdue. Milky oil means water in the pump from packing wet product; change it.

Check those five before blaming the film. If you'd like a second opinion, send us a photo of a failed seal and we'll tell you what it looks like to us.

Bone-in and colour coding

Butchers on a Turbovac tend to pack bone-in more than kitchens do. The bone-in guide covers guards, vacuum level and when to move to 130 micron. For separating poultry or frozen stock, the blue 300×400mm is the same film with a tint.

Same film as everyone else

Smooth PA/PE pouches are standard across all chamber machines, so anything in our range that fits your bar runs on your Turbovac exactly as it would on a Henkelman or a Boss. The Boss guide covers that make if you run both.