Do you heat the kiln everytime

[bck]

wondering if you heat the kiln to 130 every load or just when you see bugs?  From my past experiences when the log has layed on the ground there is usually bugs. If you cut the tree , sawed it up and got it in the kiln in a day or two would you need to heat it??                   
 Any woods that you wouldnt have to worry about? I sawed some cedar that was on the ground for a while and saw no sign of bugs.

[TexasTimbers]

powderpost beetles can take two years to hatch. certain types don't like dry wood and will leave just because you dried the wood, but there are other types that don't mind dry wood. the only way to be sure is to heat the wood.

I believe you need 160F at the core for a couple hours to be sure.

[Tom]

To heat treat or not is probably just a judgement call, unless you are exporting.  Mostly what you are killing are the eggs that have been layed in the egg chambers or on the surface of the wood.   

Bringing the core of the wood to temperature is what is important, not bringing the kiln to that temperature.  It is recommended that the core temperature be brought to 130 degrees or more for at least 30 minutes.  Some official names do recommend 160 degrees. 

Sterilizing lumber isn't the kind of thing where you just reach minimum standards and hope for the best.  The results from failure can be too great.   Of course you don't want to damage the wood, but you do want to be convinced that you did the job.

The Southern Pine Inspection bureau has a program of inspection that certifies "HT" as:

...Southern Pine lumber used in pallets, crates, boxes, etc., has reached a critical temperature at the core to eradicate the "Pinewood Nematode" and its vectors (56°C/133°F for 30 minutes).

[Fla._Deadheader]

 We have stuffed furniture, that Reina had in her apartment, for 2 years, before we were married. After having it here, for 1½ years, we started seeing "Frass", bits of coarse wood dust on the floor, from 1corner of 1 chair. I sprayed the chair bottom with insecticide. Stopped seeing dust, for 4 months, then, more dust. Now, we have dust from the chair and the Sofa. I'm sure it is a form of PPB, from eggs.

  They don't treat the wood here, OR, kiln dry it. 

  I'm going to build all new furniture AND Kiln dry it, somehow. 

[woodhaven]

Hey Tom,
Do you know where you found that information on SYP ? I would to read
some more about it.
Richard

[bck]

I just want to make sure I dont have a customer calling me down the road wanting me to pay for his house or something because of bug damage 

I have had wood that showed signs of bugs and after drying I see no more piles of dust. I heated kiln to 130-135 and kept it there for 24hrs, that seemed to work?  Heating my kiln to 160 is not an option as my fans are only rated for 149.

I was curious if most people heated the kiln even if they saw no evidence of bugs?  I was under the impression that bugs basically came from the log laying on the ground? Will fresh cut trees have the ppb's or eggs ?

[Tom]

Powder posts beetle will infect a dead tree, drying lumber and will reinfect dried lumber, even in furniture form if it is exposed to an infestation of adults.  Heat is the only solution to sterilize the lumber,  but doesn't stop reinfestation.


Googling "heat treated lumber" or SPIB HT  Will produce articles on Heat treating.

Here is the link from which the information in my last post came.
http://www.spib.org/heattreatment.shtml?/lumberservices.

Here is a link to a UGA article on Powder Post Beetle:
http://www.forestpests.org/gfcbook/attackdrywood.html

There are many other Articles from other schools.