# Solar kiln for hardwoods part deux



## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 4, 2019)

My first thread that was put together for the solar Kiln was not actually intended to be posted, so this time I took the time to try to put together more information.

The wood was split March 30th and the racks were set up on April 6th the wood that was split was all Oak and the moisture readings were between 34 and 37%. All of the wood that was split was Oak and over the course of the next couple of months some additional Beach was added to the top. The total amount of wood is over 2 cords

The racks are from the big box stores just regular 4 foot high wood racks raised slightly above the ground on blocks. The wood was stacked on the racks on April 6th and just top covered until July 4th. As you can see in the pictures below all that we did was add some wood bracing across the top to make a roof the wood was basically zip tied and screwed to the center wood rack and a beam placed to the top so the plastic can be pulled over. We took the staple gun and stapled the plastic around the bottom row then we took contractors stretch wrap and wrapped the bottom of the plastic all the way around the racks of wood to hold the plastic tight. The vents were cut in in a u shape or like a flap so that way they can be adjusted if needed.
The plastic was over the Kiln for approximately a half-hour, the wood really has not had a chance to heat up, the outside temperature was 85 and the inside of the Kiln was already at 126 degrees. I let the air probe sit in the vent for a little while the outside temperature was checked at 90 degrees and the inside of the kiln was at 135 degrees. This temperature was not at the vent, I put the probe through the vent the probe was all the way down to the top row of wood.

Over the course of time I have seen a lot of questions regarding the solar Kilns if you think about it basically you were building a mini Greenhouse or Greenhouse type structure over the wood all greenhouses that I'm sure you have seen are all made with clear plastic black plastic does not make the greenhouse any warmer it makes it cooler by shading you're not heating the greenhouse with plastic the object of the plastic is to trap the air you do not need to add any black fabric to help heat the kiln as you can see 135 degrees will be plenty to dry the wood I will run this Kiln for no more than 60 days after that I will take the Kiln apart and tarp the wood. Trust me all of this wood will be dry within 60 days
Your Kiln does not need to be pretty actually this is the ugliest one I put together it just needs to work. In my area our summertime temperature is in the mid 80s to low 90s so I try to set the kiln somewhere around 114 degrees when it's 80 degrees out. When we have our average temperature it will run plenty hot. The last picture is of the temp and plastic, notice there is no moisture on the inside of the plastic.. a sure sign its running well


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## MissMac (Jul 4, 2019)

can you post a few pics of the vents that you punched into the wrap, and explain a bit more how you adjust the venting?


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## KJamesJR (Jul 4, 2019)

I’m getting some temp differences in mine. I did a top cover using mil plastic and wrapped the bottom half with pallet wrap. The top portion hit 135 today but the bottom portion was only 95. I may have to do a full cover with mil plastic.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 4, 2019)

MissMac said:


> can you post a few pics of the vents that you punched into the wrap, and explain a bit more how you adjust the venting?



The vents are cut in a u shape and are about the size of a grapefruit on both gable ends. Once cut they are like a flap. The larger the cooler the kiln, the smaller the hotter.  What you need to do id make a cut, put the probe in and let it sit for a bit. If it gets to warm open it up more
Example.. if the outside tem is 75 and the temp inside is 120 you should open it up more. If its 75 out and the kiln is at 90 you need to close the vent some to build more heat. You need to base your temp on your average summer temp. I set the kiln for aprox 5 degrees lower than the average temperature.. here at my house the summer temps are 85 to 92.. so if i set the kiln up at 80 on the normal temp days it runs hot. Its dosent take long for wood to dry at 135 degrees ...
Once you have the kiln vent set... dont change it. Leave it alone. 
You adjust it by its size.. if you cut it to big.. Gorilla Tape works great to seal the cut and make it smaller..you can tape it open to keep it at the desired opening


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 4, 2019)

KJamesJR said:


> I’m getting some temp differences in mine. I did a top cover using mil plastic and wrapped the bottom half with pallet wrap. The top portion hit 135 today but the bottom portion was only 95. I may have to do a full cover with mil plastic.



Yes.. you need a full cover from top to bottom


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jul 4, 2019)

For all who still have doubts; I have tried @Woodsplitter67 method, and it works!


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## Shifty (Jul 4, 2019)

At 60 days time in kiln what is your target moisture level on the wood inside. Thanks for the informative post


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jul 4, 2019)

I tried it last year for the first time. Stack is facing SE. Put kiln up in mid June. Wood was 38%+. Took plastic off mid October. Wood was 16-17%.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 5, 2019)

Shifty said:


> At 60 days time in kiln what is your target moisture level on the wood inside. Thanks for the informative post



Im thinking its going to be about 14 to 18%.
I did a kiln 2 years ago and left it in there to long.. i started in at this time and opened the kiln in october my oak was like 8% and the cherry was at 2%.... wayyyyyy to dry.. 60 days will be plenty...


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 5, 2019)

Jan Pijpelink said:


> I tried it last year for the first time. Stack is facing SE. Put kiln up in mid June. Wood was 38%+. Took plastic off mid October. Wood was 16-17%.



This year i oriented the stacks going east west. I am 3 rows deep this time. With the sun angle this time of year the sun will hit the kiln north, south, east and west..


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## MissMac (Jul 6, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> I set the kiln for aprox 5 degrees lower than the average temperature.. here at my house the summer temps are 85 to 92.. so if i set the kiln up at 80 on the normal temp days it runs hot. Its dosent take long for wood to dry at 135 degrees ...


Hey thanks for the reply!  What do you mean by this part of your response?  I don't follow you here, but i feel like it's a critical piece of info.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 6, 2019)

MissMac said:


> Hey thanks for the reply!  What do you mean by this part of your response?  I don't follow you here, but i feel like it's a critical piece of info.


What is the average summer temperature where you live
For me our temps are 85 to 90 degrees


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## MissMac (Jul 6, 2019)

let's say about 25 degrees Celsius


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 6, 2019)

MissMac said:


> let's say about 25 degrees Celsius


Ok.. so your average summer temp is like 77 degrees. .
Hopefully your in full sun
Your kiln will not run as warm as mine and your drying time will be a bit longer.. just curious are you doing hardwoods...
On a sunny day thats about 77 i would vent it just enough to het the temp inside to like 114..118 degrees


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 7, 2019)

I just helped my neighbor set up his kiln. Hes doing a 2 cord kiln also

As a side note the 4th when i se up the kiln, this was what was going on in the smoker


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## MissMac (Jul 7, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Ok.. so your average summer temp is like 77 degrees. .
> Hopefully your in full sun
> Your kiln will not run as warm as mine and your drying time will be a bit longer.. just curious are you doing hardwoods...
> On a sunny day thats about 77 i would vent it just enough to het the temp inside to like 114..118 degrees


Okay, thanks for the advice - why this particular temperature spread?  And i am doing mostly softwoods - jack pine, black spruce, and then also a bit of poplar and white birch


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jul 13, 2019)

Just checked the temperature inside my kiln.
Outdoor temp is 85F, inside kiln (which is facing East) 125F measured at 3 different spots.
I love this system; easy, cheap, fast.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 13, 2019)

Jan Pijpelink said:


> Just checked the temperature inside my kiln.
> Outdoor temp is 85F, inside kiln (which is facing East) 125F measured at 3 different spots.
> I love this system; easy, cheap, fast.



 Your right on the money...
I guess i should check mine, i havent really looked at it.. i set it up and then leave it alone


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 13, 2019)

I just checked the kiln. It is now 4.30 pm. No moisture on the inside. The temp inside is 130 degrees. The outside temp is 88 with a light WSW Breeze


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 13, 2019)

As a side note.. it is 4.30 pm. This is a pic of the north side of the kiln. With the summer sun angle all sides will get hit by the sun.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 19, 2019)

just  an update.. took some pics at 5pm today.. temp inside was 134. I allso tooka pic of the inside of the kiln


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jul 19, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> just  an update.. took some pics at 5pm today.. temp inside was 134. I allso tooka pic of the inside of the kiln
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I did a measurement around 2 PM today. It was 102 F in our back yard, in the sun. Inside the kiln it was 135 F. I also stapled plastic to the front of my shed. The two sides and back are open. The shed faces South. It was 125 F inside.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 19, 2019)

Jan Pijpelink said:


> I did a measurement around 2 PM today. It was 102 F in our back yard, in the sun. Inside the kiln it was 135 F. I also stapled plastic to the front of my shed. The two sides and back are open. The shed faces South. It was 125 F inside.



I looked inside the kiln and it looks like the splits are drying well already


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## Jan Pijpelink (Jul 19, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> I looked inside the kiln and it looks like the splits are drying well already


I noticed the splits have been shrinking.


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## Coalescent (Jul 31, 2019)

Thank you for this awesome thread, @Woodsplitter67 . I have some questions for you that I hope you don't mind answering. 

Questions: 

Are you using 6 mil plastic? If so...is it "greenhouse grade" or the cheaper 6 mil stuff sold at Home Depot/Lowes?
How much space are you leaving between the bottom of the plastic and the ground? Looks like maybe 4 inches or so?
Does the plastic wrap underneath, or does it just terminate a certain distance from the ground?
Is the top of the framing supporting the plastic 8' from the ground?
Can you share the make/model of that thermometer you picture to test air temperature in the solar kiln?
Background: I live in New Hampshire and heat 100% with wood. I moved an hour further north early last November and used wood left by the previous owner, and this spring I finished bucking, splitting, and stacking the rest of the grapple load he left me. I have only perhaps two cords out of that, and I know I need more. I have about 18 acres now and have been felling some red oak, beech, birch, and pine, but I need to speed-dry it... so I am very interested in copying your exact design here.

I have the wood on pallets, with pallets fastened to each end (with bracing). The wood is in two long rows exactly 4' high, each row is 1.10 cord. 

Thank you!


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 31, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> Thank you for this awesome thread, @Woodsplitter67 . I have some questions for you that I hope you don't mind answering.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> ...



 I am using the H DEPOT. 6mil clear plastic

The top rail is about 6'8" high.. my stack is taller than 4'.more like 5'
 Just use your judgement for the height. If its not tall enough the plastic will rub to much on the top row of splits. You dont want it to high.. you want to build heat at the height of the wood.. if your top is 3' higher than the wood your heat will be way up top.. and not at the splits
The plastic at the bottom covers the first row of splits and is attached to the rail the split sits on.. that rail is a about 4" off the ground..
What i am using for temperature is actually what i put in my smoker.. its called a DOT and its attached to an air probe.. you get them on line from a place called thermoworks.. 
Any help you need let me know.. i whsh you luck..


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## Poindexter (Aug 4, 2019)

Thank you WS67 for making this data accessible !!


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 4, 2019)

Poindexter said:


> Thank you WS67 for making this data accessible !!



Hello to you @Poindexter.. hope all is well. Do you have your kilns going this year. How many cords you do at a time...


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## Zoso2385 (Aug 4, 2019)

Just built my own solar kiln this afternoon.  Single row of splits 4’ tall, about 15’ long on pallets.  Built supports on each end out of scrap wood and used string as a ridge line.  Stapled the 4 mil plastic along the bottom a few inches away from the wood and then cut about a fist sized flap on each gable end.  I know it’s a little late in the year to have started this but we will see how it works.

Gives you criticisms so I can learn how to improve










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 4, 2019)

Zoso2385 said:


> Just built my own solar kiln this afternoon.  Single row of splits 4’ tall, about 15’ long on pallets.  Built supports on each end out of scrap wood and used string as a ridge line.  Stapled the 4 mil plastic along the bottom a few inches away from the wood and then cut about a fist sized flap on each gable end.  I know it’s a little late in the year to have started this but we will see how it works.
> 
> Gives you criticisms so I can learn how to improve
> View attachment 246174
> ...



No criticism here.. your doing it and will learn from this on what works and what will not. Its a great step forward. Youll work with this kiln and figure out how to improve it.Theres still 60 days from the fall solstice and you still can get some good drying time in.


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## Poindexter (Aug 4, 2019)

I agree with @Woodsplitter67 .  What you have is going to work well enough to be noticeable I think.


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## Coalescent (Aug 7, 2019)

Thanks to WS67 for all the information and photos in your threads! 

I finished my solar kiln today just before the thunderstorms moved on. I have a virtually unlimited supply of free pallets so I used them as much as I could. I have 2.20 cords on pallets, a little over 27 feet long in each row. Used wood for the center support and build a wide box on the pallets holding the ends up. I used rope on the corners to keep the plastic from touching the wood. 
	

		
			
		

		
	









First time I’ve done anything like this. I hope it works out and this wood is usable sometime this coming winter.


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## Coalescent (Aug 8, 2019)

Took a couple shots this morning after making my “grapefruit sized” gable end vents. You can see the string at the corners helping hold plastic away from the end of the wood.

It’s 100% humidity and cooler today, so I can’t really tell how well it’s working yet. Temps inside are 10-15 degrees higher than the outside air in full, heavy cloud cover. Lots of moisture on the inside of the plastic. Not sure if that’s good or bad.

I taped each gable end vent open about 1” after taking these photos.


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## Jan Pijpelink (Aug 8, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> View attachment 246273
> View attachment 246274
> View attachment 246276
> 
> ...


With the holes in the plastic, no or minimum condensation should occur. I did it last year without holes and had a lot of condensation. As long as the moisture runs down the plastic and doesn't go back in the wood, you will be fine. However, the air inside will remain "wet" and with holes in the plastic it will remain a lot drier. I have holes in the plastic this year and "zero" condensation.


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## Coalescent (Aug 8, 2019)

Jan Pijpelink said:


> With the holes in the plastic, no or minimum condensation should occur. I did it last year without holes and had a lot of condensation. As long as the moisture runs down the plastic and doesn't go back in the wood, you will be fine. However, the air inside will remain "wet" and with holes in the plastic it will remain a lot drier. I have holes in the plastic this year and "zero" condensation.



Thank you for this information. Makes me feel better. The thunderstorms yesterday hit right as I finished with the stretch wrap, so I did not cut gable end vents until this morning. Prior to this morning there were no holes. I noticed the condensation when I cut in the vents this morning (and took those photos in my most recent post of the inside).


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## Zoso2385 (Aug 8, 2019)

What exactly is the purpose of the stretch wrap, just to hold the plastic from blowing in the wind? I used it on mine but I’m not sure what it’s doing


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## Coalescent (Aug 8, 2019)

Zoso2385 said:


> What exactly is the purpose of the stretch wrap, just to hold the plastic from blowing in the wind? I used it on mine but I’m not sure what it’s doing



I assumed it was to keep the plastic from ripping off the staples during windy conditions, but I’d love to hear more from @Woodsplitter67 on the theory behind his design. 

I have been reading about firewood drying with solar kilns for some time now, and this is the first design that looked very effective and I felt I could duplicate easily and not have to worry about permitting and such (hoop houses require a permit in my town).

I really appreciate the contributions of @Poindexter and @Woodsplitter67 and all the others to the ongoing solar kiln group experiment.


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## Coalescent (Aug 8, 2019)

Still cloudy, but temps inside are rising. Ambient temperature outside is 74 degrees and about 80% humidity.






*Update: 
*
The sun came out, and this thing is cooking now! Very excited that this might really season my wood in 3 months or so.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 8, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> Still cloudy, but temps inside are rising. Ambient temperature outside is 74 degrees and about 80% humidity.
> 
> View attachment 246277



Good looking kiln and thanks for posting it. I wpild open the vents a little more. Mine gave been wide open sence i put it together on the 4th. One of the principles of the kiln is this. Even though you're at 80% humidity your Kiln is approximately 30 degrees warmer than the air temperature which actually is dropping the humidity inside the kill. Remember the warmer the air the more moisture it can hold which is the basic properties of the kill the hotter it gets the dryer the air is inside and therefore it will dry the wood rapidly.

As for the shrink-wrap question I put the shrink wrap around the bottom which is help holding the plastic where I want it. Which is at the bottom and not blowing around. You dont want the kiln to blow apart..
If you dont mined me asking.. what was the MC of the wood when you started the kiln..


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## Coalescent (Aug 8, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Good looking kiln and thanks for posting it. I wpild open the vents a little more. Mine gave been wide open sence i put it together on the 4th.



Thank you! I appreciate your sharing this information, as I built this to mimic as best I could your plans.

How much would you recommend I open the vents? They’re open about an inch now. I am not sure how to correlate temps I’m seeing inside with how much I should have the vents open.

Also since I attached 2x4 runners along the edge of pallets so I could attach the plastic sheeting to them and keep them from contacting the wood, the “gap” at the bottom of my kiln is only about 1” or so most of the way around. Since it’s 27 feet long, do you think a 1” gap is sufficient if I keep it clear?

I just checked the kiln again since it’s been in the sun for a couple hours, and I can actually see the moisture running down the sides and dripping off the bottom of the plastic sheeting. So that concept certainly works! 



Woodsplitter67 said:


> If you dont mined me asking.. what was the MC of the wood when you started the kiln..



It’s a mixed bag. About half is pine that fell in a big storm at the very end of last November (one hit my house, that was not fun). It was measuring about 38% moisture content when I bucked and split it (testing in center of fresh splits). Some has been air drying for a month or so, some was fresher.

The other half is a mixture of hardwoods. I found a storm-felled red oak that had been dead long enough for the bottom to be too punky to use, but the top was still fine. I felled some smaller birch and beech trees, and one 20” diameter red oak. Those have been drying for maybe a month before I put them in the kiln. Most of what I tested before putting it in was also in the 38-39% moisture content range.

I have all of the pine on one side and all of the hardwood on the other side so I don’t confuse them.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 9, 2019)

Zoso2385 said:


> What exactly is the purpose of the stretch wrap, just to hold the plastic from blowing in the wind? I used it on mine but I’m not sure what it’s doing
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Yes its to hold the plastic from blowing.. you don't want the kiln blowing apart from a storm


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 9, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> Thank you! I appreciate your sharing this information, as I built this to mimic as best I could your plans.
> 
> How much would you recommend I open the vents? They’re open about an inch now. I am not sure how to correlate temps I’m seeing inside with how much I should have the vents open.
> 
> ...



Try to keep your wood separated. Softwood will dry faster than hardwoods. I would check the pine at middle of September. You may be able to pull that out of the kiln. Than vhec the hard wood to see where it is.

I would vent the kiln alot right now and get the moisture out. Than close the vent a little. Like i said, mine are still wide open and i build some good heat in there..


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## Coalescent (Aug 9, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Try to keep your wood separated. Softwood will dry faster than hardwoods. I would check the pine at middle of September. You may be able to pull that out of the kiln. Than vhec the hard wood to see where it is.
> 
> I would vent the kiln alot right now and get the moisture out. Than close the vent a little. Like i said, mine are still wide open and i build some good heat in there..



Will do! I went ahead and opened my vents all the way up for now. How long do you wait to "close the vents a little"? A month? 

I have the pine stacked all together on one end of the kiln, so it should be easy to get out of there if it dries early. That would be great! If I take it out mid-September, can I put more wood into the kiln or would that interfere with the hardwood continuing to dry? 

Thanks for all the guidance @Woodsplitter67 . This is the first time I've done anything like this.


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## Zoso2385 (Aug 9, 2019)

Another question, how long into fall are the kilns effective.  I’m in Ct, in October will the wood still be drying nicely in the kiln or does it loose efficiency as the weather cools.  I put oak in my kiln last week that had been stacked since May, still around 35-38% MC.  I was hoping the kiln would dry it in time, but I think I may have started it a little late.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jan Pijpelink (Aug 9, 2019)

Zoso2385 said:


> Another question, how long into fall are the kilns effective.  I’m in Ct, in October will the wood still be drying nicely in the kiln or does it loose efficiency as the weather cools.  I put oak in my kiln last week that had been stacked since May, still around 35-38% MC.  I was hoping the kiln would dry it in time, but I think I may have started it a little late.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I started in the first week of July. I will take the kiln off end of October. Wood went in at an MC of mid 30's. Based on last year's result I am estimating the MC in October will be 15% or below. I think you might get below 20%.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 9, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> Will do! I went ahead and opened my vents all the way up for now. How long do you wait to "close the vents a little"? A month?
> 
> I have the pine stacked all together on one end of the kiln, so it should be easy to get out of there if it dries early. That would be great! If I take it out mid-September, can I put more wood into the kiln or would that interfere with the hardwood continuing to dry?
> 
> Thanks for all the guidance @Woodsplitter67 . This is the first time I've done anything like this.



I would not add anthing to the existing kiln.  Once you get to october the sun angle is getting low and your drying will slow. In winter the kiln will not work at all. Not enough sun to run it. Adding wet wood to a kiln that is not running at a good temp may effect the wood thats already at or near the the desired mc and may raise the mc of whats been in there.. start a different kiln for that wood.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 9, 2019)

Zoso2385 said:


> Another question, how long into fall are the kilns effective.  I’m in Ct, in October will the wood still be drying nicely in the kiln or does it loose efficiency as the weather cools.  I put oak in my kiln last week that had been stacked since May, still around 35-38% MC.  I was hoping the kiln would dry it in time, but I think I may have started it a little late.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I would start your kiln mid june. Your north so your in a cooler climate. Your kiln will louse its ability to dry wood as the sun angle drops and the temperature drops. You will still be able to drop mc faster in october in the kiln vs just stacked outside, but it will be slower than august. As the temps start to drop, slowly close the vents to build heat but not to close all the way as you want the moist air to escape..


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## shortys7777 (Aug 14, 2019)

I threw one together for free today. Looks ugly and I have been so busy so I figure I'll see what 2 months gets me. Some of the wood was dead when split and some was split and stacked a few months ago. I tied the bottom with rope and will check on it weekly. Made 4x4 inch vents in both corners. Next year I'll plan it out a little better but I needed another cord for this year.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 15, 2019)

Y


shortys7777 said:


> I threw one together for free today. Looks ugly and I have been so busy so I figure I'll see what 2 months gets me. Some of the wood was dead when split and some was split and stacked a few months ago. I tied the bottom with rope and will check on it weekly. Made 4x4 inch vents in both corners. Next year I'll plan it out a little better but I needed another cord for this year.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Your right... its ugley.. but if it works than who cares .. looks arent everything..


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## Coalescent (Aug 16, 2019)

Bought a cheap temperature and humidity gauge for my kiln. Now I can cruise by and see what it’s doing and what the 24-hour high low range is. 

Temperature on this unit is supposed to be accurate up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

I’ve been running my vents wide open but I am still seeing condensation on the inside of the plastic. It runs down the sides and out so I’m not sure that’s a terrible thing. Significantly less condensation than before, but still present. Some of the wood in here wasn’t sitting out for a couple months first, it was pretty green. Maybe a week outside tops.


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## ValleyCottageSplitter (Aug 23, 2019)

Very cool idea. Not too hard to setup either. I wonder how many seasons the material will hold up? Does it need tons of light or could it work in the woods?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 24, 2019)

ValleyCottageSplitter said:


> Very cool idea. Not too hard to setup either. I wonder how many seasons the material will hold up? Does it need tons of light or could it work in the woods?



Its run by the sun, so the hotter the better. The plastic does not hold up. You will get 1 summers worth out of the pladtic. Theres better plastic on the market if you want it. Im not going to do a kiln next smmer, also i have changed my kiln size form time to time.if your wooded area has alot of sun it will work. Your about 30 days from the fall equinox, so your sun exposure is getting shorter. These kilns do not work in the winter.  The racks that i have are reusable, and have made them shorter or longer depending on my needs
I would set one up in a small area and see how warm it gets.. you a little north. Put a super small one together and check the temp on a sunny day.. that will tell you everything. If it looks good than plan one for early summer..im doing 2 cords right now..


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## RGrant (Aug 29, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Its run by the sun, so the hotter the better. The plastic does not hold up. You will get 1 summers worth out of the pladtic. Theres better plastic on the market if you want it. Im not going to do a kiln next smmer, also i have changed my kiln size form time to time.if your wooded area has alot of sun it will work. Your about 30 days from the fall equinox, so your sun exposure is getting shorter. These kilns do not work in the winter.  The racks that i have are reusable, and have made them shorter or longer depending on my needs
> I would set one up in a small area and see how warm it gets.. you a little north. Put a super small one together and check the temp on a sunny day.. that will tell you everything. If it looks good than plan one for early summer..im doing 2 cords right now..


Just kind of reading along as I stumbled upon this today- out of curiosity, why are you not planning on doing a kiln next year? Seems like you're getting the results you're looking for.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Aug 30, 2019)

RGrant said:


> Just kind of reading along as I stumbled upon this today- out of curiosity, why are you not planning on doing a kiln next year? Seems like you're getting the results you're looking for.



I dont need the wood.. im sitting on 14 cords of wood CSS. This is wood that i have had sitting in rounds that was getting some rot on the outside.. i do this more for fun than necessity. One of the reasons i did this in the beginning was to see if i could do it.. if ever i got in a bind I could dry wood for my stove over the course of one summer and have plenty of wood ready for the Burning Season. Or i could purchas the so called seasoned wood as actually season it over the summer. I also have 4 cords of log lenth ready to be cut to rounds and split.. i may wined up with some wood on the racks I may just top cover it or do a kiln and season it for next year. Will see


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## Woodsplitter67 (Sep 2, 2019)

I opened up the kiln today.. today markes exactly 60 days
My oak wen fron the lower 30% to 19 % in the 60 days
Interesting though some of the stuff that was a little punkey droped to near 2% in the same time period. Im going to keep the kiln going for another 12 days and then tarp it up untill winter. Ill post back of what the final mc will be.. im shoothing for 17-18%
As a side note... the wood dropped an average of .23 % per day over the 60 days.. i think that this is a lot and quite substantial . As a side note the last picture  was a 8in round that was split open  that is Beach  down to 2% within the 60 days


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## barnaclebob (Sep 5, 2019)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Its run by the sun, so the hotter the better. The plastic does not hold up. You will get 1 summers worth out of the pladtic. Theres better plastic on the market if you want it. Im not going to do a kiln next smmer,



My greenhouse plastic has lasted a several years on our gardens so far.  But its only outside for a couple months in the spring.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Sep 5, 2019)

barnaclebob said:


> My greenhouse plastic has lasted a several years on our gardens so far.  But its only outside for a couple months in the spring.



The greenhouse plastic is so much better.. its aldo expensive. I have done 4 different kilns and all were different sizes.. untill i come up with a standard size.. it will be big box store plastic


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## Coalescent (Sep 7, 2019)

Finished my second solar kiln yesterday!

I know these kilns don’t do much during the winter, but I’m going to try it out anyway. I did some Googling and read some posts by folks using more traditional solar kilns for drying lumber who say they can operate below freezing on sunny days, as the sun will heat up the kiln 30-40 degrees above ambient temperature. When it gets cold, I’ll seal the bottom up and only open the top vents at the end of the day for a bit to let out any moisture. 

At any rate, reading those posts convinced me to try it out since I’m so behind. Might be able to use some of the wood in the second kiln by Spring. It will be fun to watch the temps and experiment.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Sep 7, 2019)

Coalescent said:


> Finished my second solar kiln yesterday!
> 
> I know these kilns don’t do much during the winter, but I’m going to try it out anyway. I did some Googling and read some posts by folks using more traditional solar kilns for drying lumber who say they can operate below freezing on sunny days, as the sun will heat up the kiln 30-40 degrees above ambient temperature. When it gets cold, I’ll seal the bottom up and only open the top vents at the end of the day for a bit to let out any moisture.
> 
> ...



Thanks for posting this. I see your in NH if you can tell us a couple of things this would be great. 1 what is the MC of the wood right now as you start the kiln. 2 what kind of wood is in the kiln, hardwoods like oak, hickory ect.. 3 please post some temps here and there over the winter.. out side and inside.
I like the build.. how many cords..as a side note your temps inside the kiln may not be as high as you have posted.. the sun angle is going to be getting pretty low, and with such a low angle you not going to get a ton of heating.. it would be nice to see what would happen over the winter though..


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## johneh (Sep 7, 2019)

In the winter just watch the moisture in the kiln 
it will condense very quickly on the cold plastic
On a very sunny day with the outside air at -15
the inside of the kiln at 2 pm is close to 30 
I have to vent mine by 3:30 to get the moisture out 
It works well Oak and Hard sugar maple go in at
over 35% moisture and in the spring will be at 20
to 24 % and will be at 12 to 15 % the first of August
Been doing this for the last 15 years no realy a kiln 
just a frame with greenhouse plastic on it  dome-type
top so snow will slide off it sitting in a sunny location


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## Coalescent (Sep 10, 2019)

Thanks again for sharing the design and all the info, @Woodsplitter67! I'll answer your questions in a new thread that I'll open soon.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Nov 5, 2019)

So here is the end resilt. Sorry havent had time to post and keep up.. I pulled wood out on September 2nd which would have been exactly 60 days my Oak was down to 19% moisture I let the Kiln run until September 29th at that time I pulled the kiln apart I split open a large piece of Oak and it was down to 11% so my wood went from roughly the mid-30s to 11% in less than 90 days


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## Poindexter (Nov 5, 2019)

FWIW I have been using the cheap plastic from the home stores, 6mil clear, about 15 bucks for a 10x20 foot piece to cover one of my units.  I get about 18 months out of each piece.   I am looking pretty hard at clear corrugated roofing as a buy once/cry once solution.  Likely I will do just one or two kiln units and see how it hols up before I spend all that money.

Besides kilning the wood dry in a hurry, these also keep blowing rain and blowing snow off the end grain of my stacks.


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## Bad LP (Nov 7, 2019)

Out of curiosity I gotta ask.

My wood shed is currently in a good spot for sunlight and wind and the wood seasons just fine. I see you guys building kilns using semi clear plastic. I have access to .045 and .06 roofing rubber and could easily wrap the shed up pretty tight. 

Would a black rubber wrap work if I was in a bind?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Nov 7, 2019)

Bad LP said:


> Out of curiosity I gotta ask.
> 
> My wood shed is currently in a good spot for sunlight and wind and the wood seasons just fine. I see you guys building kilns using semi clear plastic. I have access to .045 and .06 roofing rubber and could easily wrap the shed up pretty tight.
> 
> Would a black rubber wrap work if I was in a bind?


I dont think so. Basically your making a greenhouse the sun needs to go through and heat the inside, plastic traping in the warm air and creating a cycle of heat building.  If you wrap the shed in ribber your kinda just heating the rubber with some heat transfer to the inside.  Dont get me wrong.. you will transfer some heat... but i doubt that you will see temperatures inside your shed like a kiln.. try it and post your results.. we can all learn by what works and what doesn't..


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## Woodsplitter67 (Nov 7, 2019)

Poindexter said:


> FWIW I have been using the cheap plastic from the home stores, 6mil clear, about 15 bucks for a 10x20 foot piece to cover one of my units.  I get about 18 months out of each piece.   I am looking pretty hard at clear corrugated roofing as a buy once/cry once solution.  Likely I will do just one or two kiln units and see how it hols up before I spend all that money.
> 
> Besides kilning the wood dry in a hurry, these also keep blowing rain and blowing snow off the end grain of my stacks.



I built my son a greenhouse this past summer.. using 8mm polly carb.. if i were to do a permanent kiln.. thats what i would go for.. with auto vent openers fo 30 bucks each


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## Cfran88 (Jan 27, 2020)

Is it possible to start a kiln too early? I'm CCS now,  along with stuff from last fall.  Should I wait until all the spring storms or over or cover the wood asap?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 27, 2020)

Cfran88 said:


> Is it possible to start a kiln too early? I'm CCS now,  along with stuff from last fall.  Should I wait until all the spring storms or over or cover the wood asap?



No matter what you do your wood will not be ready untill the fall of 20 or beyond. Its best to just process as much wood as you can, and sometime the end of june start the kiln. Id top cover for sure right now


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## spudman99 (Jan 27, 2020)

Of course it is possible for an early kiln, but the results will not be fantastic. Kilns raise interior temperatures.  Going from 40 deg to 65deg will not remove that much moisture.  Also you then have the difficulty of removing humidity from the interior when lower air temps cannot hold that much water. Also you give the kiln that much more UV and exposure possibly breaking down the plastic materials sooner. 

I would just wait till May or June, assemble your materials and design now, get the rounds split and nearby the kiln location and then hit it when it gets and stays warm.


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## Stir224 (Jan 8, 2021)

What is the advantage of keeping the kiln temperature below a certain threshold? If you have it to hot does it just dry the wood too fast and cause it to shift a lot?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 8, 2021)

Stir224 said:


> What is the advantage of keeping the kiln temperature below a certain threshold? If you have it to hot does it just dry the wood too fast and cause it to shift a lot?


I dont see any where is says to keep the kiln under a certain temperature.. can u expand on this


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## Stir224 (Jan 8, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> The vents are cut in a u shape and are about the size of a grapefruit on both gable ends. Once cut they are like a flap. The larger the cooler the kiln, the smaller the hotter.  What you need to do id make a cut, put the probe in and let it sit for a bit. If it gets to warm open it up more
> Example.. if the outside tem is 75 and the temp inside is 120 you should open it up more. If its 75 out and the kiln is at 90 you need to close the vent some to build more heat. You need to base your temp on your average summer temp. I set the kiln for aprox 5 degrees lower than the average temperature.. here at my house the summer temps are 85 to 92.. so if i set the kiln up at 80 on the normal temp days it runs hot. Its dosent take long for wood to dry at 135 degrees ...
> Once you have the kiln vent set... dont change it. Leave it alone.
> You adjust it by its size.. if you cut it to big.. Gorilla Tape works great to seal the cut and make it smaller..you can tape it open to keep it at the desired opening



I thought I saw it somewhere else but I may just be losing my mind. In any case is there a reason you would want to lower the temperature when it hits 120? I think PD also made a point a few posts back about warping or cupping...

I guess what I'm asking in a round a bout way is what temp do you shoot for? My wood will be stacked for 4 months or so ahead of time so I'm guessing it will have shifted into place by then


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 8, 2021)

Stir224 said:


> I thought I saw it somewhere else but I may just be losing my mind. In any case is there a reason you would want to lower the temperature when it hits 120? I think PD also made a point a few posts back about warping or cupping...
> 
> I guess what I'm asking in a round a bout way is what temp do you shoot for? My wood will be stacked for 4 months or so ahead of time so I'm guessing it will have shifted into place by then


 so if you read that specific post it is setting up the vent on the kiln.. It did not say that your not supposed to keep the kiln lower than 120 degrees with an outside temperature of 75.. What this post is saying is that you can lower or raise the temperature by opening and closing the flap.. and at a normal summer time hi temperature if set correctly you can achieve in inside kiln temperature of 130+ degrees..actually the warmer the better as long as your not building moisture with in the kiln.. as the air gets warmer in the kiln its  actually makes the air dryer increasing its ability to hold more moisture..and speeding up the drying process..


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## Stir224 (Jan 8, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> so if you read that specific post it is setting up the vent on the kiln.. It did not say that your not supposed to keep the kiln lower than 120 degrees with an outside temperature of 75.. What this post is saying is that you can lower or raise the temperature by opening and closing the flap.. and at a normal summer time hi temperature if set correctly you can achieve in inside kiln temperature of 130+ degrees..actually the warmer the better as long as your not building moisture with in the kiln.. as the air gets warmer in the kiln its  actually makes the air dryer increasing its ability to hold more moisture..and speeding up the drying process..



Thanks so much for the info! 4.5 ish cords of oak and hickory I'm going to give it a try for this summer.


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## mcdougy (Jan 8, 2021)

Does the wood take on any moisture if you get it down to single digit moisture content?  As in the beech that you took to 2% , did it come back up?  I'm assuming too low of mc causes wood to burn faster and affects overnight burns?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 9, 2021)

mcdougy said:


> Does the wood take on any moisture if you get it down to single digit moisture content?  As in the beech that you took to 2% , did it come back up?  I'm assuming too low of mc causes wood to burn faster and affects overnight burns?



Yes the wood will take on some moisture. The cherry that I had at sub 3% and well.as the oak all took on some moisture. When you take apart the kiln you will be removing the wood from its  arid environment to your local environment.  we get alot of humidity here so the wood did go up.. but not alot. when I checked the splits they went from low single digits to low teens.  That being said your not going to have to worry about your wood going to 20%mc.. unless your wood gets wet.. This is what you will need to look out for
Your wood in the single digits will catch quicker, it will burn hotter. It will catch quicker because is super dry. It will burn hotter because the wood has less moisture in it. Moisture in the wood cools the fire process.  so if your burning wood at 3% and im burning wood at 20% I will have 17% more moisture by weight..  This is why wet wood is hard to catch and smolder.  You will just need to keep an eye no the stove as it may get up to temp quicker.... as for burn time I did not notice the lenth of my overnight change.. I still got quality overnight burns..


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## mcdougy (Jan 9, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Yes the wood will take on some moisture. The cherry that I had at sub 3% and well.as the oak all took on some moisture. When you take apart the kiln you will be removing the wood from its  arid environment to your local environment.  we get alot of humidity here so the wood did go up.. but not alot. when I checked the splits they went from low single digits to low teens.  That being said your not going to have to worry about your wood going to 20%mc.. unless your wood gets wet.. This is what you will need to look out for
> Your wood in the single digits will catch quicker, it will burn hotter. It will catch quicker because is super dry. It will burn hotter because the wood has less moisture in it. Moisture in the wood cools the fire process.  so if your burning wood at 3% and im burning wood at 20% I will have 17% more moisture by weight..  This is why wet wood is hard to catch and smolder.  You will just need to keep an eye no the stove as it may get up to temp quicker.... as for burn time I did not notice the lenth of my overnight change.. I still got quality overnight burns..


So essentially , you can not leave the wood too long in the kiln in your opinion?  Or "over dry" it.


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## neverbilly (Jan 9, 2021)

@Woodsplitter67 ... summers here are hot and sometimes unreal hot. June through September is summer hot and even through October 15. We usually have a drought period July through September and in most years, some or a lot of that exceeds 100 degrees. I am wondering if one could get two decent kiln drying sessions.  Such as... June 1 through July 31 (two months) and remove the kiln and stack/deliver it elsewhere. Then another session in the same rack August 1 through September 30. Thinking being that if you could reduce moisture a decent amount in two months and do it twice/summer, you could double your output. I sell some firewood, so, this is what I am thinking of. Realize that no sellers around here sell seasoned firewood. They often say it is but it's seasoned after splitting 3-6 months, that's it. So, if I could give somebody wood that is even 25-30% MC, that's good! What do you think?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 9, 2021)

mcdougy said:


> So essentially , you can not leave the wood too long in the kiln in your opinion?  Or "over dry" it.



The way I do it is U try to hit a target MC.  The first year I over dried it was my first run. I really didn't think about over seasoning . You can cut a flap and pull one out and test here and there. I shoot for like 12 to 15%MC


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 9, 2021)

neverbilly said:


> @Woodsplitter67 ... summers here are hot and sometimes unreal hot. June through September is summer hot and even through October 15. We usually have a drought period July through September and in most years, some or a lot of that exceeds 100 degrees. I am wondering if one could get two decent kiln drying sessions.  Such as... June 1 through July 31 (two months) and remove the kiln and stack/deliver it elsewhere. Then another session in the same rack August 1 through September 30. Thinking being that if you could reduce moisture a decent amount in two months and do it twice/summer, you could double your output. I sell some firewood, so, this is what I am thinking of. Realize that no sellers around here sell seasoned firewood. They often say it is but it's seasoned after splitting 3-6 months, that's it. So, if I could give somebody wood that is even 25-30% MC, that's good! What do you think?



I think your way south of me. You could start a kiln May first through October. You could do 2 kiln runs.. me personally I don't like to move wood if I dont have to.. so I would do a. large kiln. you could easily do it with 3.. 32ft racks and do over 4 cords in 1 shot. Iv sold some of my wood at a super premium price.. I sold 2 cords for 800 and they came and picked it up.. If I were you I would only sell premium wood You could get it down to the teens in that time..  Separate your self form the others that sell sup par wood


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## ClintonH (Jan 9, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> I think your way south of me. You could start a kiln May first through October. You could do 2 kiln runs.. me personally I don't like to move wood if I dont have to.. so I would do a. large kiln. you could easily do it with 3.. 32ft racks and do over 4 cords in 1 shot. Iv sold some of my wood at a super premium price.. I sold 2 cords for 800 and they came and picked it up.. If I were you I would only sell premium wood You could get it down to the teens in that time..  Separate your self form the others that sell sup par wood



Depending on the design, could 2 stationary stacks be dried in your 2 runs:  just move/rebuild the kiln around the 2nd stack when it was ready to be dried?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 10, 2021)

ClintonH said:


> Depending on the design, could 2 stationary stacks be dried in your 2 runs:  just move/rebuild the kiln around the 2nd stack when it was ready to be dried?



Are u trying to do a kiln around a single stack.. what is the lenth and with of what you want to do


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## showrguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Woodsplitter,  would you say there is a limit to how big you can make one of these kilns ?
I’m in the woods, so I can’t have full sun all day long, but have several hours a day..
I think all summers worth of heat cycles should get me there..
I was gonna do 4-6 cords in one wrap, unless you tell me not to . .


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 10, 2021)

showrguy said:


> Woodsplitter,  would you say there is a limit to how big you can make one of these kilns ?
> I’m in the woods, so I can’t have full sun all day long, but have several hours a day..
> I think all summers worth of heat cycles should get me there..
> I was gonna do 4-6 cords in one wrap, unless you tell me not to . .



I dont think there is a limit. I think the limit is when you run out of clear plastic. If your not in full sun all day  I would give your self alot of time. I would to a test kiln the first year and see how hot you can get it. Id set your kiln up in early to mid June and let it go through October... Id put it in the sunniest spot that I could fined..


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## showrguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> I dont think there is a limit. I think the limit is when you run out of clear plastic. If your not in full sun all day  I would give your self alot of time. I would to a test kiln the first year and see how hot you can get it. Id set your kiln up in early to mid June and let it go through October... Id put it in the sunniest spot that I could fined..


Welp, I sort of did a test 2 years ago..
I had a load of hickory on my dump trailor parked in my driveway, covered it with clear plastic for a few weeks, was seeing 135 deg. pretty much every sunny day... oh, it had a vent cut in it..
I have heavy plastic that came off of a  20-24 x 36 greenhouse thats in nice shape


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 10, 2021)

showrguy said:


> Welp, I sort of did a test 2 years ago..
> I had a load of hickory on my dump trailor parked in my driveway, covered it with clear plastic for a few weeks, was seeing 135 deg. pretty much every sunny day... oh, it had a vent cut in it..
> I have heavy plastic that came off of a  20-24 x 36 greenhouse thats in nice shape


 ok.. if you can get it that warm and have no moisture build up.. thats great.. go for it.. Check your MC every once in a while..


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## showrguy (Jan 10, 2021)

Thanks, will do...


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## andym (Jan 10, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> ok.. if you can get it that warm and have no moisture build up.. thats great.. go for it.. Check your MC every once in a while..


What do you mean by no moisture build up exactly? Should the plastic be mostly dry inside? Or what signs should you look for?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 11, 2021)

andym said:


> What do you mean by no moisture build up exactly? Should the plastic be mostly dry inside? Or what signs should you look for?



You may have some moisture inside on the plastic the first couple days. after that.. the inside of the kiln should not really have any moisture on the inside. If moisture  persist then you may need to vent more.


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## andym (Jan 12, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> You may have some moisture inside on the plastic the first couple days. after that.. the inside of the kiln should not really have any moisture on the inside. If moisture  persist then you may need to vent more.


That makes sense. I tried kiln drying some sugar maple this summer. I didn't have enough vents (according to the above), and made a few other errors. The upper part of the stack was bone dry. I didn't test too many pieces from down lower but sine were still too wet. I won't need it this year anyway so it was good lessons learned. I will try another this summer.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 12, 2021)

andym said:


> That makes sense. I tried kiln drying some sugar maple this summer. I didn't have enough vents (according to the above), and made a few other errors. The upper part of the stack was bone dry. I didn't test too many pieces from down lower but sine were still too wet. I won't need it this year anyway so it was good lessons learned. I will try another this summer.



 this is why I like to try things.. its a learning experience.. My first kiln was only a cord.. and I baked the wood to like 2%.. from there its been 2+ cords and a target MC.. I now have the experience to do a full yeas worth in 1 run if I wanted.. Ill probably never do it.. but if something happens and I need to dry wood in 1 summer I can


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## Poindexter (Jan 16, 2021)

I am drying 8 cords at a time up here.  I did overshoot/ overkiln one year and it sucked, it was all the wood I had to burn.

I _think_ I could do two kiln loads annually.  I get about 22 hours of daylight at summer solstice, the sun rises over the horizon at something like 5 degrees east of north and then dips back below the horizon at something like 10 degrees west of north 22 hours later.   Then two hours of "civil twilight" and Mr. Sun pops back above the horizon line again.  

If I had four cords up in the kilns on Saint Patrick's Day and had them down to FSP on May 1 (easy) they would likely be around 13-15% on solstice, but I would have to take them out of the kilns, stack them somewhere else off the ground and covered on top and bring in another 4 green cords and have them stacked mui pronto.

The sticking point is having the solstice time load of green wood delivered timely so I can get it in the kilns.  Up here every day counts trying to get two loads through.  If my vendor isn't taking my calls I am probably screwed.

I have filled a kiln after solstice and gotten under 20% MC before freeze up, but it was a lot of fussing.    And no way do I want to handle four cords of wood an extra time every year.  I typically have  green splits dropped in my driveway in Mar-Apr-May, handle them once to get them into the kilns, then in heating season bring them to the garage by sled about a face cord ( four sled loads) at a time, and then bring them from the garage to the stove with a canvas tote in my bunny slippers and bathrobe.

For handling split cordwood by hand I think the annual limit for a middle aged man in good health with a good metabolic rate is about 10-15 cords per year.  More than that, you are going to need some kind of basket system and a forklift or telehandler.  And a dump bed on your truck.  

No way could I kiln eight cords in the spring, sell those, bring in eight more green cords, get them dry enough to burn good before freeze up, and then run wood in my stove over the winter while refilling the kilns with green wood to sell next summer, without equipment.  I could afford the whisky and motrin required to do that by hand, but I wouldn't be sober enough long enough to keep my day job.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 16, 2021)

Poindexter said:


> I am drying 8 cords at a time up here.  I did overshoot/ overkiln one year and it sucked, it was all the wood I had to burn.
> 
> I _think_ I could do two kiln loads annually.  I get about 22 hours of daylight at summer solstice, the sun rises over the horizon at something like 5 degrees east of north and then dips back below the horizon at something like 10 degrees west of north 22 hours later.   Then two hours of "civil twilight" and Mr. Sun pops back above the horizon line again.
> 
> ...



always a good read..


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## Adabiviak (Jan 17, 2021)

What happens if the wood is too dry? I mean, it burns hotter, but wouldn't that translate to needing less wood to maintain operating temperature, plus the burn would be much cleaner?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jan 17, 2021)

Adabiviak said:


> What happens if the wood is too dry? I mean, it burns hotter, but wouldn't that translate to needing less wood to maintain operating temperature, plus the burn would be much cleaner?



I dont monitor my emissions..


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## mcdougy (Jan 17, 2021)

Poindexter said:


> I am drying 8 cords at a time up here.  I did overshoot/ overkiln one year and it sucked, it was all the wood I had to burn.
> 
> I _think_ I could do two kiln loads annually.  I get about 22 hours of daylight at summer solstice, the sun rises over the horizon at something like 5 degrees east of north and then dips back below the horizon at something like 10 degrees west of north 22 hours later.   Then two hours of "civil twilight" and Mr. Sun pops back above the horizon line again.
> 
> ...



What species of wood  are you drying?   What were the consequences of having overkilned  wood. Im guessing  short burn times? How much shorter? 
Maybe you could consider coaching a youth sports team and convince them that carrying wood from one pile to another is essential to their overall training?  Lead by example and once you make 3 trips back and forth fake an injury, then start sipping on your whiskey???  I think it would work


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## Eric Minnis (Jan 17, 2021)

Seems like the IBC totes would be a very simple candidate for a solar kiln with the greenhouse plastic.  I got 10 of those bulk storage mesh ventilated firewood bags to try this year and I may try to rig up a simple kiln with those. They are on pallets on dry ground. I bet the plastic wrap method would work once I figured out the vent size.


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## Poindexter (Jan 19, 2021)

mcdougy said:


> What species of wood  are you drying?   What were the consequences of having overkilned  wood. Im guessing  short burn times? How much shorter?
> Maybe you could consider coaching a youth sports team and convince them that carrying wood from one pile to another is essential to their overall training?  Lead by example and once you make 3 trips back and forth fake an injury, then start sipping on your whiskey???  I think it would work




Spruce.  White spruce and black spruce.  Too dry it goes hot and fast.  Too hot and too fast.  I coach my church's youth BBQ team, much more my speed.


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## jaoneill (Jan 23, 2021)

Update on this years kiln process. With the price of poly I looked for a less costly alternative and bought a case of 18" shrinkwrap and a roller/dispenser. I wrapped the pallets individually with a "cap" of 4 mil poly and shrink wrapped sides. I only needed just over a 50' roll of 10' poly and one roll and a bit of shrink-wrap to cap twenty two pallets with +/- 1/2 cord of 2' splits on each one.  As I have indicated previously,  my primary goals are well seasoned (15% or less) wood and minimal handling. With each pallet a stand alone kiln the splits are dried and covered until needed. I shift 5-6 wrapped pallets into the woodshed adjacent to the boiler room and take the plastic off as wood is needed. I only handle the wood twice; from splitter to pallet and from pallet to boiler. This year's wood is hickory, sugar maple and beech that had been down, in log length for about a year. Was mostly wrapped from mid July to mid August with a few later pallets done around the beginning of Sept.  Moisture content on what I have been burning ranges from 8%-14% depending on species and location (top or bottom) in pallet stack. The later wrapped units are 17%-19%, still not too bad but I may not need them this year.
Pic is after the first couple of days of processing.


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## neverbilly (Jan 25, 2021)

jaoneill said:


> Update on this years kiln process. With the price of poly I looked for a less costly alternative and bought a case of 18" shrinkwrap and a roller/dispenser. I wrapped the pallets individually with a "cap" of 4 mil poly and shrink wrapped sides. I only needed just over a 50' roll of 10' poly and one roll and a bit of shrink-wrap to cap twenty two pallets with +/- 1/2 cord of 2' splits on each one.  As I have indicated previously,  my primary goals are well seasoned (15% or less) wood and minimal handling. With each pallet a stand alone kiln the splits are dried and covered until needed. I shift 5-6 wrapped pallets into the woodshed adjacent to the boiler room and take the plastic off as wood is needed. I only handle the wood twice; from splitter to pallet and from pallet to boiler. This year's wood is hickory, sugar maple and beech that had been down, in log length for about a year. Was mostly wrapped from mid July to mid August with a few later pallets done around the beginning of Sept.  Moisture content on what I have been burning ranges from 8%-14% depending on species and location (top or bottom) in pallet stack. The later wrapped units are 17%-19%, still not too bad but I may not need them this year.
> Pic is after the first couple of days of processing.



Do you know your plastic costs for those 22 pallets? That is 11 cords, a lot! I am curious how you do your wrapping. Is your wood stacked flat on top or rounded top? You put the 4mil poly on the top? How? You just wrap round and round the bottom with the shrink wrap? Wrap just one layer thick? Is all of this enclosed or is there any venting?


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## jaoneill (Jan 25, 2021)

neverbilly said:


> Do you know your plastic costs for those 22 pallets? That is 11 cords, a lot! I am curious how you do your wrapping. Is your wood stacked flat on top or rounded top? You put the 4mil poly on the top? How? You just wrap round and round the bottom with the shrink wrap? Wrap just one layer thick? Is all of this enclosed or is there any venting?


Single layer of 4 mil over rounded top, corners tacked with stapler to hold in place while I wrapped the sides. Shrink wrap overlapped about by half, so effectively double. One 10x50 roll and a little bit of poly; roll was about $40, one 18"X1000' roll of shrink-wrap and a little bit. I think the 4 roll case of shrink wrap was about $50, and the dispenser $25 +/-. One pic shows the first few individually wrapped this, second one the start of last year's 2-4 pallets in one kilns


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## jaoneill (Feb 8, 2021)

An interesting update: we brought another three skids into the woodshed the other day, one of which turned out to be somewhat problematic. This one contains primarily smooth bark hickory, especially near the top of the stacks. I thought the splits seemed a bit heavy but hickory is heavy relative to sugar maple or beech so it didn't concern me, then I found the boiler struggling to keep up with the demand for heat. Still didn't quite connect the dots until I threw in some maple this morning and the boiler immediately shot up to the shutdown point, then maintained temp with the outside temp at -10f. 
So, this particular hickory tree, for whatever reason, even with its splits being at or near the top of the stack in the "kiln", only dried down to 18%-20%, as opposed to the maple at the bottom of the same skid that is at 10%-12%;  go figure. In the two years that I have used this process I have never seen this type of discrepancy.


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## Rob_Red (Feb 8, 2021)

I am really interested in your simple setup for red oak. Do you think if I set this up in the spring I can get the red oak to less than 20% by fall?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Feb 8, 2021)

Rob_Red said:


> I am really interested in your simple setup for red oak. Do you think if I set this up in the spring I can get the red oak to less than 20% by fall?



Yes.. I think you'll be ok.. You will need to split your wood soon and stack it and top cover untill early june.. zip check the kiln at the end of August and see where your at.. you may need to go into September..


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## jaoneill (Feb 9, 2021)

Rob_Red said:


> I am really interested in your simple setup for red oak. Do you think if I set this up in the spring I can get the red oak to less than 20% by fall?


I agree with woodsplitter's comment that you should be ok. This is my second year with the kiln project and as I said above, the first time this has happened that I am aware of. This is an ongoing learning process and slightly different for each of us as location, wood, and appliance type are all contributing factors to the experience. I have learned that my gasification boiler does best with maple or beech. Due to how they burn and coal up the fire will keep the "nozzles" nicely covered with coals, maximizing the combustion of all of the gases. Hickory and elm will be reduced to ashes without falling down the sloping floor of the upper chamber to cover the nozzles, often forming a hard "crust" that will prevent splits from "falling" into the burn zone and often block the nozzles completely. This is all magnified if the splits are over 15% and gets worse as moisture level goes up. My ideal burn seems to be achieved with, in order of efficiency, sugar maple, beech, and cherry (all of which I have virtually an endless supply of) under 15% moisture. Not to say that I don't or won't burn other species, but these three are definitely the easiest to burn and hold a good fire with.


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## MR. GLO (Feb 15, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> Im thinking its going to be about 14 to 18%.
> I did a kiln 2 years ago and left it in there to long.. i started in at this time and opened the kiln in october my oak was like 8% and the cherry was at 2%.... wayyyyyy to dry.. 60 days will be plenty...


Nice setup.  The problem with buying kiln dry wood in my area  is the larger logs when split and tested have a much different reading and failed at 26 percent.   Did you have any large logs over 18 percent?


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## Woodsplitter67 (Feb 15, 2021)

MR. GLO said:


> Nice setup.  The problem with buying kiln dry wood in my area  is the larger logs when split and tested have a much different reading and failed at 26 percent.   Did you have any large logs over 18 percent?


 
I am not drying logs. I dry my splits that go into my stove. The larger being 5x5 inches to the smaller stuff 1.5x1.5 all lengths to 18 inches. All of my stuff was 18%MC or less


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## MoDoug (Mar 11, 2021)

This will be my kiln, it's exactly like my other wood stacks, except it's oriented N/S and in a location that will receive full sun from about noon till sundown. I did build a taller 2x4 into the ends and allowed space in the middle for more, these will support my horizontal boards that my clear plastic will drape over. It's 24' long, and will hold about 2.4 cords. It's almost all red oak on the visible side, with white oak, maple, ash, black oak and hickory on the other.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Mar 12, 2021)

MoDoug said:


> This will be my kiln, it's exactly like my other wood stacks, except it's oriented N/S and in a location that will receive full sun from about noon till sundown. I did build a taller 2x4 into the ends and allowed space in the middle for more, these will support my horizontal boards that my clear plastic will drape over. It's 24' long, and will hold about 2.4 cords. It's almost all red oak on the visible side, with white oak, maple, ash, black oak and hickory on the other.
> View attachment 276244



that looks good.. just as a heads up.. you can go 3 or 4 splits wide if you want.. when are u going to wrap it.. your going to top cover this untill your ready to wrap.. correct


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## Rob_Red (Mar 12, 2021)

MoDoug said:


> This will be my kiln, it's exactly like my other wood stacks, except it's oriented N/S and in a location that will receive full sun from about noon till sundown. I did build a taller 2x4 into the ends and allowed space in the middle for more, these will support my horizontal boards that my clear plastic will drape over. It's 24' long, and will hold about 2.4 cords. It's almost all red oak on the visible side, with white oak, maple, ash, black oak and hickory on the other.
> View attachment 276244


looks great I'm going to start on mine this weekend. Do you plan to burn that wood this coming season?


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## MoDoug (Mar 12, 2021)

@Woodsplitter67  Good to know about going 3 or 4 splits wide, the plan is for this to get me through next season, after that I'll be good to go for about 5 years without kilning. My plan on this went slightly awry when I didn't collect as much dead wood as planned, the dead red oak is anywhere from 23 - 28% MC.  So I ended up loading the back side with all green wood. I'm sure the seasoning times will vary. I wish the green wood was on the west side, but it isn't. If the red oak reaches 18+- MC, I may unwrap it, and rewrap just the green wood. I plan on wrapping it about June 1st, I'll check the MC and monitor it during the summer. It'll work out.

And yes, I will top cover soon, maybe even today.

@Rob_Red , yes, this will be for next season. Let us know how it goes for you.


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## MoDoug (Mar 13, 2021)

I got the top cover done. I had some leftover 6 mil plastic sheeting from a vapor barrier job, it's not what I want long term, but it will work for now. It's coming off in June anyway.


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## JohnWW (Mar 14, 2021)

Experimental kiln. Pallet slats on all corners to make a void to build up heat. From the pic it looks like there are gaps but the pallet wrap is continuous apart from a gap at the bottom. Interestingly the wrap withstood substantial and sustained winds for a couple of days and it was the tar paper roof that got trashed by the wind. The wrap flexed like a spiderweb and accidentally I have wind activated venting. Will rebuild with better roof substrate. Wrap is HD 15”.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Mar 14, 2021)

JohnWW said:


> Experimental kiln. Pallet slats on all corners to make a void to build up heat. From the pic it looks like there are gaps but the pallet wrap is continuous apart from a gap at the bottom. Interestingly the wrap withstood substantial and sustained winds for a couple of days and it was the tar paper roof that got trashed by the wind. The wrap flexed like a spiderweb and accidentally I have wind activated venting. Will rebuild with better roof substrate. Wrap is HD 15”.



keep the top clear and.make sure you vent it right away. it's a little early to start the kiln.. how long ago was it split


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## JohnWW (Mar 15, 2021)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> keep the top clear and.make sure you vent it right away. it's a little early to start the kiln.. how long ago was it split


Thanks. Split last week but 5 ft logs stored of ground for 2 summers. Half rounds and rounds mostly. Mostly wanting to see how the thin wrap would hold up. I have other stacks of splits that I will wrap too when I have my technique down.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Mar 15, 2021)

JohnWW said:


> Thanks. Split last week but 5 ft logs stored of ground for 2 summers. Half rounds and rounds mostly. Mostly wanting to see how the thin wrap would hold up. I have other stacks of splits that I will wrap too when I have my technique down.



I'd wait on wrapping the wood untill early June. That wood is wet and needs to dry some prior to you starting the kiln.. if you wrap I now you'll have trouble drying it out..you'll know it's ready when the stack starts to shift


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## neverbilly (Jun 18, 2022)

I have a 2-cord stack of red oak on six pallets. The stack has a bit of a crown to it so the axis of the stack is higher than the sides to give kind of a ridge line to it. I wrapped with the saran-wrap stuff starting at the bottom and going to top of stack. I then applied a top of a 10' x 25' 3-mil plastic sheeting. I already had the 3-mil, so, I used it because the 6-mil is $40/roll for the 10' x 25' and I thought that was too high. Unless the 6-mil will last multi-seasons.

Question... since I have been reading on this forum about doing the solar kiln, I don't ever remember anyone talking about 'weep holes' at the bottom of the stack. Meaning weep holes in a plastic sheeting that was laid down on the pallets before stacking the wood.  To allow moisture to condense and then fall through the weep holes. Anyway, I recently came across info on another forum and it was claimed that weep holes in bottom plastic sheeting works. My question is... if weep holes in plastic work, why couldn't you just do as I did, stack the wood on the pallets, wrap as I did and that's it. No vent slits needed, the 'weep holes' would be the openings in the slats of the pallets.

In lieu of that... if I were to cut vent slits in my 2-cord solar kiln, put them where? I assume it is near the apex at each end on the 'ridge line?' I think I recall someone said cut a u-shape slit? Is this about a hand-width size flap, one at each end?

Question... I only wrapped one layer of the saran-wrap stuff on the sides. Do you need more than one layer of wrap?

This heat wave is going to be cooking bigtime and we haven't even gotten to the first day of summer! It will be 100 degrees and more here.

I forgot to take pics.


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## johneh (Jun 18, 2022)

neverbilly said:


> Question... since I have been reading on this forum about doing the solar kiln, I don't ever remember anyone talking about 'weep holes' at the bottom of the stack. Meaning weep holes in a plastic sheeting that was laid down on the pallets before stacking the wood.


Did you put plastic on the pallets?
Then wrapped the stacks and sealed the top?
  No airflow you now have a prime zone to rot the wood
For a solar kiln to work it must be vented to allow humid
air to escape. The idea is to heat the air in the kiln to draw off moisture
at a faster rate than daytime temperature.  That hot humid has to escape somehow.
The bottom should be open so air can freely enter the kiln to replace
the hot moisture-laden air


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jun 18, 2022)

neverbilly said:


> I have a 2-cord stack of red oak on six pallets. The stack has a bit of a crown to it so the axis of the stack is higher than the sides to give kind of a ridge line to it. I wrapped with the saran-wrap stuff starting at the bottom and going to top of stack. I then applied a top of a 10' x 25' 3-mil plastic sheeting. I already had the 3-mil, so, I used it because the 6-mil is $40/roll for the 10' x 25' and I thought that was too high. Unless the 6-mil will last multi-seasons.
> 
> Question... since I have been reading on this forum about doing the solar kiln, I don't ever remember anyone talking about 'weep holes' at the bottom of the stack. Meaning weep holes in a plastic sheeting that was laid down on the pallets before stacking the wood.  To allow moisture to condense and then fall through the weep holes. Anyway, I recently came across info on another forum and it was claimed that weep holes in bottom plastic sheeting works. My question is... if weep holes in plastic work, why couldn't you just do as I did, stack the wood on the pallets, wrap as I did and that's it. No vent slits needed, the 'weep holes' would be the openings in the slats of the pallets.
> 
> ...


there is no plastick under the wood.. only around it. the plastic is only to wrap the outside and is to go below the bottom row of wood to keep it dry. The air is supposed to come up from underneath the kiln and go out the top vents.. you need to cut the plastic that is underneath the stacked wood or its probably not going to work


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## neverbilly (Jun 18, 2022)

I do not have plastic laid atop the pallets. I didn't say that. My stack is right atop the pallets. I said that I have read elsewhere that OTHER people have laid plastic down atop their pallets and they then cut 'weep holes' into that plastic. So that the kiln can 'weep' the condensation. As opposed to reading on here that you MUST have vents to allow the moisture to escape. If you guys have never heard of 'weep holes' rather than venting, I guess you can ignore that unless you know what I am talking about that the other people have reported.

Regarding the other guys laying down plastic and cutting weep holes, I also said I don't understand why you couldn't just allow the moisture to 'weep' into the slots between the boards on the pallets... instead of escaping through weep holes cut into plastic that was laid down (in their kilns).

In that other thread on another forum, lots of people told the guy his weep holes cut into plastic would NOT work, that he MUST have vents. And he proved them wrong, proving that moisture escaped into his weep holes.

Anyway, I planned on doing the vents all along, I just need to know where and how big. And I also asked if one layer of the saran-wrap stuff is sufficient.

Thanks for answers to these questions!


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## jaoneill (Jun 18, 2022)

neverbilly said:


> I do not have plastic laid atop the pallets. I didn't say that. My stack is right atop the pallets. I said that I have read elsewhere that OTHER people have laid plastic down atop their pallets and they then cut 'weep holes' into that plastic. So that the kiln can 'weep' the condensation. As opposed to reading on here that you MUST have vents to allow the moisture to escape. If you guys have never heard of 'weep holes' rather than venting, I guess you can ignore that unless you know what I am talking about that the other people have reported.
> 
> Regarding the other guys laying down plastic and cutting weep holes, I also said I don't understand why you couldn't just allow the moisture to 'weep' into the slots between the boards on the pallets... instead of escaping through weep holes cut into plastic that was laid down (in their kilns).
> 
> ...


I could be off base but my take is that there was miscommunication about the plastic under the kiln somewhere along the line. The dude that cut the weeps in the bottom plastic most likely had that plastic under his pallets to minimize moisture migrating up from the damp ground, in which case it almost makes sense.  To solve the ground moisture issue, I put a sacrificial, junk pallet on the ground with a good pallet on top of it. This gets the wood 8+ inches off the ground which also facilitates air flow and loaded pallet retrieval when everything freezes to the ground (as it does here by mid-December).  The first year that I stacked on pallets 90% of them were destroyed when I tried to free them from the frozen ground.
Vents should be at the highest points in the stack. Start with them relatively small 4"x5" or so. If after 2 or 3 days you continue to see moisture collecting on the inside of the plastic, make them larger.


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## Foxhole Farm (Jul 11, 2022)

First I just want to say thanks to ya'll for all of your posts on the mini kiln. I'm trying to do the same and I have a few questions I am wondering if you could help me out with.

Being my first year with a gasser I didn't have a few seasons to prep this winters wood. I bought log length which I am processing for the next two winters, but for this winter I bought split/seasoned, which we all know means.... it aint gonna be dry enough lol.

After a sleepless night researching ways to dry my wood faster, I came across you posts on making mini kilns.

I'm going to try the same. My plan: I'm going to split all my incoming "seasoned" wood down to 3-4" diameter this coming weekend. Stack in IBC totes. Wrap them in 18" stretch plastic along the sides leaving the bottom open. Use 6mil poly as a cover and use some conduit, fasten it to the IBC totes to make a small hoop structure, to give some extra clearance on the top. I'll cut the vents on the verticle ends of the hoops so water will have a tough time getting through. I'll store them up on a second pallet, out in the sun until early November then stick them in the barn.

So, I shared my plan with some wood gasser folks and here is what they said:

"All that's going to do is make it moldy and rotten. Unwrap it for faster drying"

"He must be testing his moisture on the side of the wood, tell him he has to split it again and test the middle"

"Where is the 5 Gallons of moisture going to go?"

"Its not going to work, you need ventilation"

I'm getting the impression alot of folks don't think it will work, or make it worse, and I am alittle concerned they are right, so I thought I would reach out.

So a few questions for you:

1. Does my plan sound like it will work?

2. You are splitting your test piece first, then testing in the middle right?

 Lol, I'm just looking for a little reassurance that I am not being foolish by giving it a go with 7 cord in July.

Thanks, I appreciate it in advance


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## jaoneill (Jul 11, 2022)

Foxhole Farm said:


> First I just want to say thanks to ya'll for all of your posts on the mini kiln. I'm trying to do the same and I have a few questions I am wondering if you could help me out with.
> 
> Being my first year with a gasser I didn't have a few seasons to prep this winters wood. I bought log length which I am processing for the next two winters, but for this winter I bought split/seasoned, which we all know means.... it aint gonna be dry enough lol.
> 
> ...


Always keep in mind that the keys to this process are enough ventilation and plenty of sunlight. Last year I was tied up with other things and finally in late June hired some help to stack my pallets without a thought to tell the help not to stack them too close together. I ended up with three rows only a few feet apart and as a result the lower half of the splits in each of the pallets in the center row only dried down to 23%-26%. The row to the east was somewhat better but only the row to the west, where the sun could bake it through the heat of the day, gave me the results that I typically get. (they also did a lousy job of stacking)

The one pic is a lesson in what not to do, second gives a visual of the results; top of stack noticeably drier than the lower part.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Jul 11, 2022)

Foxhole Farm said:


> First I just want to say thanks to ya'll for all of your posts on the mini kiln. I'm trying to do the same and I have a few questions I am wondering if you could help me out with.
> 
> Being my first year with a gasser I didn't have a few seasons to prep this winters wood. I bought log length which I am processing for the next two winters, but for this winter I bought split/seasoned, which we all know means.... it aint gonna be dry enough lol.
> 
> ...



 please read post number 1  it  Describes how to putthe kiln together, it also says u shaped vents.. the vents are for the warm moistur laden air to excape and the fresh air come up from the bottom. You may see moisture the first few days.. after that you should be good as long as your venting enouth air. you need to check the temp of the kiln.. you want it like 140 degrees in there..

if you put it together correctly you will have no issues..


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## Poindexter (Jul 14, 2022)

neverbilly said:


> weep holes.


Sorry for the delay.  I have failed at growing heirloom tomato this summer and suddenly have some free time.

On the one hand I absolutely defer to @Woodsplitter67 for kilning east coast hardwoods, on the other, there is a ton of variation here within single zip codes.  

I am about a mile from the nearest river on alluvial silt (flood plain) with my water table at about 20 feet.  2 miles away, in the same zip, is a co worker of mine up on a ridge that had to drill through 150 feet of gravel to find dirt to drill when he was putting in a well.  I have a lot more ground water to deal with than he ever sees.  My coworker has fabulous drainage, I don't.

When I built my kilns I put cinderblocks on subsoil after removing the topsoil, then ground contact rated pressure treated floor framing, then a thick layer of plastic moisture barrier, then not PT plywood for the kiln floors.  For air inlet at the bottom I have a nominal 3/4 inch gap between the flooring and the membrane all around, and good results, in an area with a lot of ground water.  Mine are 40 inches wide, 2 splits with an air gap in the middle.

IIRC woodsplitter's first kiln was a single split width, and open at the bottom.  I have no idea how deep his water table is or how good his drainage is.

My biggest kiln holds 2.75 cords.  With sealed floors, 3/4 inch airgap x 44 running feet and top vent sized roughly one cantaloupe per cord, standing green spruce in January that I split and stack in March is ready to burn  July fourth.

I can't possibly know the conditions on your lot without several site visits. If you are willing to bring in a keg of Guinness and pay my airfare x 4 I will come take 4 looks and sleep in the garage next to the keg.  Otherwise build with a sealed floor and let the chipmunks work on it.  When your wood gets to be marginal for burning you got too many weep holes in your floor's vapor barrier.


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## Dfw245 (Sep 21, 2022)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> please read post number 1  it  Describes how to putthe kiln together, it also says u shaped vents.. the vents are for the warm moistur laden air to excape and the fresh air come up from the bottom. You may see moisture the first few days.. after that you should be good as long as your venting enouth air. you need to check the temp of the kiln.. you want it like 140 degrees in there..
> 
> if you put it together correctly you will have no issues..


It's been a while, but we last spoke about this kiln building. Well, life got in the way what can I say. Well I know it's September and nearing October so most aren't considering this anymore. However here in the south...In TX, temps are still well over 90F. This entire week is actually mid to high 90s with temps in the mid 80s not slated to be our avg until late October or so. I still have a little time to do at least SOME seasoning. It's been in the heat all this time so I don't need alot. Maybe a month of seasoning left. 

Now for my question, I'm putting the kiln together and was wondering if it can be feasible without the extra wood frame that peaks at the top. Is it necessary to have that wood frame? Or can I just use the wood racks?


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## johneh (Sep 21, 2022)

As long as you vent the top to allow the hot moist air to escape you are good to go 
Vents should be adjustable to allow for heating conditions. The hotter the kiln
 gets the more you want them open the cooler a little less vent. You are trying to 
control or maximize the amount of moisture you are pulling from the wood


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## Dfw245 (Sep 21, 2022)

johneh said:


> As long as you vent the top to allow the hot moist air to escape you are good to go
> Vents should be adjustable to allow for heating conditions. The hotter the kiln
> gets the more you want them open the cooler a little less vent. You are trying to
> control or maximize the amount of moisture you are pulling from the wood


I just know he mentioned something about not allowing the moisture to drop onto the wood. Maybe if I just did a flat clear square of tarp and vented the top and one on each end, I'd think that would do it.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Sep 21, 2022)

Dfw245 said:


> It's been a while, but we last spoke about this kiln building. Well, life got in the way what can I say. Well I know it's September and nearing October so most aren't considering this anymore. However here in the south...In TX, temps are still well over 90F. This entire week is actually mid to high 90s with temps in the mid 80s not slated to be our avg until late October or so. I still have a little time to do at least SOME seasoning. It's been in the heat all this time so I don't need alot. Maybe a month of seasoning left.
> 
> Now for my question, I'm putting the kiln together and was wondering if it can be feasible without the extra wood frame that peaks at the top. Is it necessary to have that wood frame? Or can I just use the wood racks?



If your talking abot the wood at the top.. its not mandatory to have, but it does make things alot easier.. 1 it helps shed the water and less gets into the kiln. . 2 It makes the kiln vent more evenly and the more evenly it vents the more constant the wood will be.drying in the kiln.  Having that extra space at the top is a benefit. Its really not hard to make and really the whole kiln should take a couple hours to put together correctly..


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## Dfw245 (Sep 21, 2022)

Woodsplitter67 said:


> If your talking abot the wood at the top.. its not mandatory to have, but it does make things alot easier.. 1 it helps shed the water and less gets into the kiln. . 2 It makes the kiln vent more evenly and the more evenly it vents the more constant the wood will be.drying in the kiln.  Having that extra space at the top is a benefit. Its really not hard to make and really the whole kiln should take a couple hours to put together correctly..


Understandable. I'm just not a crafter/builder. I'll screw a couple things here and there but drilling or sawing is out of my scope. I dont even own a saw or a drill. (I have an impact driver) so if I can get away without it, I'll try it that way


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## Woodsplitter67 (Sep 21, 2022)

Dfw245 said:


> Understandable. I'm just not a crafter/builder. I'll screw a couple things here and there but drilling or sawing is out of my scope. I dont even own a saw or a drill. (I have an impact driver) so if I can get away without it, I'll try it that way



 if it was earlier in the season maybe.. if your short on time and need the wood to get as dry as possible.. Id probably build the best kiln I can and  skip cutting any corners.. if your going to do it.. why not try and get the best results as possible.. also the first builds are for learning.. so learn to cut wood and screw.. not that hard..


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