So back in 03/27/2011 I purchased a Fresh Roast SR 300 and have made many pounds of coffee since then waiting 20-30 minutes between roasts, well today I go to make a roast and find it taking longer to bring to a FC+ Then the 6-7 minutes these beans usually take. Not thinking anything of it I wait 30 mins and this batch tool 15 mins just to bring it to a FC. Could this be due to heat or is my machine broken? If thats the case I cannot find the warranty card I had in my box nor with Fathers Day vacation and camping coming up do I want this to be an issue. Man that would mean no home roasted coffee while I am camping for a week. I could always bite my lip and buy another one but to have to replace that 1 after 3 months . So that brings me to question is the Fresh Roasters not made for constant use? I mean some days I make 6-8 roasts in a day allowing for it to sit 30 mins in between and then the machine sits for days while other days I roast 1 or 2 in a day. Well guess I'll roast a batch in am with a different set of beans when I get home and see whats up and then email the company I ordered it from and see what kind of miracle can be conjured up. The worst of it is now , I don't know if I want to live without a roaster and home roasted coffee.
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Sounds like a dilemma so let me help you out...do you want to cut your right arm off and live without it or do you like enough to buy another roaster?...didn't say it would make alot of sense at 0347 hrs but it sounded good at the time I wrote it...and no I have no experience with home roasting...for that matter I didn't start drinking coffee until Feb of this year when I was getting massive migraines 5-8 times a day...
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Where did you purchase it from? They should be able to help you out more than I can. What are you making so many roasts per day for? Do you, by yourself, drink that much coffee? Or are you trying to supply coffee to some place in particular? The Fresh Roast is a personal coffee roaster, meant to provide enough coffee for a family. I have had mine for a few years now, and I roast enough coffee for a couple weeks every time I get it out, but I roast my batches with probably a goot 45 minutes to and hour in between batches - or more - and may do it over a couple days. Working out of the office at home on some days helps.

Sometimes the humidity level in the beans causes them to take longer to roast.

Another thing is to clean out your roaster. I use an old tooth brushe every few batches, just to clean out the screen in the chaff catcher. You do empty that after every roast, I assume. Also, the base needs to be blown out on occasion as well, I use one of those dust blowers for keyboards to do that.

If that doesn't work, call the place you purchased it from. They should be able to help you out.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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It's looking like you may need to bite the bullet and get a roaster that's a little hardier than the Freshroast based on your use.

Between the cracking base and now this, you're getting a good look at the FR's limitations.

If you decide to buy another, you've nearly paid for what a new Behmor would have cost.
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I go through 10 lbs give or take in 2 weeks sometimes more if I'm in a very big PIF mode. I roast for myself,work and gifts.
I clean the machine regularly. As for the Behmor it would be a good investment but at this time with looking at a new used car and some medical stuff and being put on reevaluation to give plasma, I am not sitting comfortable to buy 1 ,it is easier to put another 100 down for a new FR but ....
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well great news. It was cool last night so I put a bag of beans in the window to cool them down, then this AM after work, I layed some in the roaster and started roasting just to see if it was humidity . Something still dragged a little but it was bouncing a lil more to , so I looked around the house and saw lots of things plugged in that circuit and I began unplugging woa walla between having cool beans and more power it roasted great. nI may have to store the beans in basement for the summer, hoping they don't get the basement smell.
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