fanless solar drier

[james]

just wondering if something like this would work
james ??? ??? ???

[james]

ok, I aint no artist
james :D

[zopi]

you can dry by convection I guess, but it'll be harder to control the temp/humidity...and probably slower...

[james]

mostly be drying doug fir/tamarack , un-improved site no power available  i figure if i put a damper in the exhaust stack i should be able to control air flow
james

[WH_Conley]

Had a theory passed along to me a while back that I have never tried. No good at diagrams , so will just have to try to explain.

On a hillside use black plastic and build a quonset hut(sp) running up and down hill. At the top is a stack of lumber with the heated air being forced through it. The theory was at night everything relaxed, preventing casehardening. Never got around to trying it, guess you would have play with several things. Stack height, wrap plactic tight around ends and top or build a chamber.

I think DanG was talking about someting like this on another thread. "Drying in a tent" or something like that.

[Sprucegum]

Slower than a kiln with fans , faster than air-dry. I say go for it , if it works for you I will try it too  ;) 

[KnotBB]

You could use a solar powered attic fan(s) to get more air movement.  Available at the big box stores.

[WIwoodworker]

Hi James. With the damper you will have better results. Without one the warm air will exhaust at a rate that might make it difficult to achieve very high temps. The idea shared by WH_Conley could also work for you. I recall someone doing something similar. Their operation was on land that used to be a gravel pit. The actual kiln was at the top of the pit and they had a long ductwork type collector hanging down vertically into the pit. Sun shines on the collector, hot air rises into the kiln and creates the air movement. They vented it traditionally I think. I'll see if I can dig up where I heard about that. Good luck.

[solidwoods]

Why?
We already know how to dry wood with very predictable results.
Why would we want to try to make another version of something that is very simple and works with the same results everytime?

Why do people keep trying to reinvent the simple wheel?
jim

[Radar67]

Why?

un-improved site no power available  i figure if i put a damper in the exhaust stack i should be able to control air flow

I think it was because of his unimproved site? Oh, I'm glad not to be rolling around on rock wheels..... ;D Improvements can have thier benefits.  ;)

[james]

nearest power is 2 miles away ,  I  REALLY DON'T  like that bill to string power just to dry dim lumber for outbuildings ect... i will be getting a small mill to cut lumber  there is quite a bit i want to clear for a fire-break just kind of musing on something better than just air-drying , i figure I can get it hot enough to set the pitch and hopefully not have big$ invested
that stuff is hard to come by
james 

[bama20a]

James:May want to check this out.http://www.woodweb.com/KnowledgeBase/KBPPKilnConstruction.html
May get some useful info there,Mark,,,,,

[Hokiemill]

James, I run a typical solar kiln to dry lumber for woodworking.  My lot is also undeveloped so I use three solar attic fans but they added a good bit of cost to the kiln.  Your latest post says you're using the lumber for construction.  Air drying should get you to the moisture content you need and it will probably take less time than you think.  But if you want to shorten that drying time then your idea is worth a try.  Give it a go and report back to us with details. ;D

There is a fanless solar kiln out there Not allowed on the Forestry Forum.com/site/1515517/page/858958) but I don't know anything about it and haven't seen any additional info on it.

[Hokiemill]

Ooooh, sorry about breaking a link rule.

[solidwoods]

You don't have to kiln dry lumber for outbuildings unless you need it quicker than air drying will achieve.
I don't know how those 2 species dry but it may be possible to dry them to quick.

A kiln isn't a hot box. 
It is a box where the temp and humidity can be controlled to allow the moisture loss of the wood to be at a rate that the wood can properly dry at.
Different woods have different moisture loss rates that they can take.
jim