How did our Solar Kiln build perform in it's first year? I'd say pretty good! скачать в хорошем качестве

How did our Solar Kiln build perform in it's first year? I'd say pretty good!

We built a Solar Kiln in the spring of 2021. We regularly hit temperatures of 135 degrees and have reached highs of 150 degrees. Our kiln is based on the Virginia Tech plans which are often represented on other YouTube videos. Almost all the materials were cut and milled on the homestead. The glass panes came from a 1960s era gas station that was demolished. I did have to purchase the solar panel, the 12v fans and the nails/screws. The metal sheathing on the back and top was obtained free from a friend. I was not able to get the glass panes watertight so I used a plastic sheet that had a UV protection As I've used the kiln, I notice a pretty large temperature drop when i first load wet wood. This is because of the water evaporation that occurs. This level doesn't seem to move much as the wood dries. When the wood gets close to 10-15% humidity, temperature levels shoot back up to the same level as when the kiln is empty. I can almost use the temperature as an indication of how dry the wood has gotten. 1 inch pine boards typically dry in 3 to 4 weeks during the summer. We put a 9 foot long and 24 inch diameter Oak log in the kiln in the fall. The slabs were 8/4 (2 inches thick) and freshly cut. As of the first week of April, the moisture content was down to 7 percent. You really can't get down to this level with air drying. I think that's only good for 10 - 12 percent moisture content. 0:00 Intro 2:32 What is a solar kiln? 3:42 Build beginning joists 4:15 Floor and rim joists 4:26 The walls go up 4:46 Install the glass 5:16 Wrap with outside 5:50 Temperature and Humidity 7:44 Total costs 9:12 Tour of working kiln 10:05 Solar operated fans 10:32 My wood pile 11:29 Outro