Vac Kiln Costs/Rebuild Questions

[SawDust_Studios]

Ok, for you vac kiln experts.

What is the worst case senario for a used vac kiln?  What goes bad in these things/

There is one on ebay right now with no bids at 5500

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4417205091&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[GaS]

things that go wrong with the woodmizer vacuum kilns in general: thermistors and blankets, the controls, the structure and its welding, the door gasket, and the stock vacuum system is complete garbage (as in, terribly undersized even if it is working like new).  that being a 1000, I've never seen one in person.  I think it is supposed to have an actual cooling system on it, perhaps they work slightly better. 

I'm sure Dennis knows a dozen specific questions you'd want to ask the seller.

[SawDust_Studios]

Thanks.  Vac Kilning is completely beyond my realm of knowledge, but I really like the drying times.   

I've been going through the archives, but alot of the ?? deal with specifics and building. Not so much usage, pros, cons, etc

At 5500, if there can be alot of maintance and repairs, it just doesn't seem worth it for a small operation.  But a 800 bdft capacity means i could do 3-4 charges a month and really wouldn't need to mix species, etc.

Thanks again!!

[GaS]

It seems that once they are running, they'll usually run for a while without hickup.  Have a fan fail, for example, and all sorts of other compontents start cooking before you realize what is going on.

It would be best, I think, to talk to the current operator, get a feel for the machine and what they are (or aren't) doing with it, etc etc.

[Brad_S.]

I have a associate with the larger WM vac kiln. I know he has had to deal with a number of issues that I don't understand.
What I do understand are his power bills!  The utility company put him on a demand meter so now he just can't afford to have that thing sit empty for any amount of time as he pays big bucks for electricity whether he used any or not. But if you need the speed, it can be worth it.
My friend has built a nice market taking custom orders, mostly from home builders, with me sawing them out and him drying it and getting it to the customer in about 2-3 weeks.

[SawDust_Studios]

I guess it goes both ways. I like the speed and the ability to do several loads/month.  But it just seems these are out of range for a small operation like ours, unless we build one, which is very doubtful.  This unit was at least in a reasonable price.