L200 CHAMBER SIZE HELP?

[rs1626]

HELLO ALL I JUST ORDERED L200 FROM BAILEYS AND IM NOT REAL SURE WHAT SIZE CHAMBER I SHOULD BUILD  I DONT KNOW IF I REALLY NEED ONE BIG ENOUGH FOR 4000 FT.  OR IF 2000 WOULD BE A BETTER SIZE ANY INPUT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED

[Gunny]

RS:

Is it a Nyle L200 you're getting?

Most folks, I'd guess, like to go with the biggest-sized chamber their unit can support (your Owner's info will clue you in if you don't already know your capabilities) and that's what I did the first time around back in the '90s.  My unit was rated for 4MBF/load and that's what I always tried to give it.  But I'm going a slightly different route this time.

In these parts, the only other (two) kiln operators have a pretty sketchy history of providing properly-dried lumber to their customers and, since I never seemed to have that problem (unhappy customers) in the past, I decided to dry smaller loads this time to minimize the possibilities of wet spots, mold, etc.  I'm real happy with the results of my decision and, other than a little extra handling of the product, don't seem to have lost any volume at all while finding the quality of each and every board coming out of the unit to be acceptable.  Not one problem with any of the degrade variables mentioned above.

My chamber allows for up to 1500BF/load, drying with a Nyle L200.  I try to load only 10' lengths, 54" deep and about 6' high.  The chamber is super-insulated and I ran the foil-faced foam on the inside of the chamber to allow for minimal surface friction on the airflow.  Initial start-up temp is quickly attained and temp-control is a piece of cake.  Venting is accomplished with adequate control and I'm delighted with the seeming minimal stress effected on the lighter load.  We've run 5 loads (Red Oak, Cherry, Aspen) through in the last 6 weeks, all of which was in the 25%-30% MC range.  I always "equalize" the lumber with the recommended 24-hours of fan time only, once the Compressor unit is shut down.

But my desires may well be fueled by different rationales.  One thing that can't be denied is that air-flow sure seems to be maximized through a thinner stack of lumber, whether it's air-drying in the wind or having it forced through with fans.  And that, to me, always means more efficient drying with less chance for problems of any type.  I'm never afraid to poke a piece of my lumber for a customer with my probe-style MC meter when they ask for a random reading, either.

I'm sure you'll be seeing lots of good info provided within this forum.  Have fun.  It's just started!

[Don_Lewis]

The best size depends on the species that you plan to dry and the lengths that you plan to dry.  If you are drying softwoods or fast drying hardwoods, make the chamber for 2500 BF. If you are drying Oak, make it hold 4000 BF. It doesn't always have to be filled completely. The next consideration is length of lumber. For example 17' long by 12' wide by 9' high works well for lots of people but if you never plan to dry anything longer than 12', make the chamber shorter and taller.

In ou head or on paper, make a typical stack and the  build the chamber around that keeping in mind how it will be loaded etc

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call Nyle - 1-800-777-NYLE.

[rs1626]

HEY GUNNY THANKS FOR INFO DID YOU NOT LINE INSIDE WITH PLYWWOD JUST THE FOIL FACING ON INSULATION BOARD?  I AM THINKING  THAT  8 X 8 X12 WILL BE BIG ENOUGH FOR ME ILL PROBABLY AIR DRY EVERYTHING FIRST  BE DRYING MIXED HARDWOODS THANKS

[Gunny]

RS:

Don gave you the advice straight from the manufacturer's side and it's "the bible" for sure...

But my situation was--in both cases--a little different in that both my chamber exteriors already existed prior to my "designing" the chamber itself.  So, I reframed another interior wall inside each existing wall, insulated with everything I could get my hands on that would do the right job, stapled 20-mil visqueen over it all, added styrofoam and covered it all with the foil-faced foam.  Then we caulked the heck out of all seams, nail/screw heads, etc. and ran aluminum tape on all the seams.  We built our own doors out of 8" of foam (they fit just like those old cooler lids/doors) and, shazzam!!!!!, we began drying lumber. 

And, yes, we do, on ocassion, nick the foil a wee bit with a board-edge but a splat of clear silicon caulk resolves that issue with little time or effort.  We dried almost nonstop for years with our first unit and never had a bit of trouble (other than once blowing the overload switch on the compressor from the chamber overheating).  This time we even have a double roof over our mega-insulated chamber ceiling (we converted the dining room of our reclusive neighbor's cottage--she moved back to The Big City-- and use the rest of the place for storing our dried lumber) and the outer walls are almost 16" thick now.

The one thing I can't overemphasize is this:  Take your time on that chamber!  Frankly, I would never (in mid-Michigan) plant my chamber on a concrete floor since I really believe--no matter how well you might think you've insulated it--it's going to act first as a heat sink and then as a thermal mass and drive you crazy trying to maintain a core chamber temp that won't threaten your load with max-degrade.  Besides, most of us always seem to have, or have access to, boo-koo lumber to build our floors with.  (Though I'm sure many others are quite satisfied with their concrete pads.)

Sounds as if you've done your research and have a pretty good handle on things.  Have fun with it.  And remember the sound of those fans and of that compressor kicking in is nothing less than the sweet music of $$ in your bank, day-in and day-out.