kiln dryer

[Duffryn]

I have access to an empty workshop with a waste oil heater, if I put, say 20 cube bags in and heat it for 8 hours a day for 5 days will I significantly improve the drying speed? I don't intend getting down to kiln-dried levels but somewhere between that and ambient would be good.

 

I would say you might struggle to make any real difference in five days. To have any real effect you need to use stillages of some sort to maintain airflow ( even vented bags are only half as effective as ibc crates or stillages).

 

You really need to have an insulated near airtight structure so that you can force air through the logs and out through the desired point (the air movement is just as important as the temperature) and you really need to get the temperature as high as possible. I'm obviously not familiar with your building but without modification you might struggle. A cheap way of doing this might be to use kingspan insulation board (put tape on the joints) to build a structure around your stillages inside your building. You could then cut vents in the end to vent the air outside. You will need to use heat exchangers to take the heat from the boiler into the new structure and create the airflow. I guess you could probably set up a 20ft kiln for £2.5K ish using your existing building and boiler.

 

Hope this helps

[Duffryn]

 

You must tire of the endless posts about kiln drying now that you are less involved, however your input is much appreciated on the Forum.

 

Any change of some more images of the finished heiz boiler firewood drying installation?

 

Hey no problem. I'll try and post some more pics tomorrow

[arboriculturist]

Hey no problem. I'll try and post some more pics tomorrow

 

Looking forward to those!

[Fentiger]

I would say you might struggle to make any real difference in five days. To have any real effect you need to use stillages of some sort to maintain airflow ( even vented bags are only half as effective as ibc crates or stillages).

 

You really need to have an insulated near airtight structure so that you can force air through the logs and out through the desired point (the air movement is just as important as the temperature) and you really need to get the temperature as high as possible. I'm obviously not familiar with your building but without modification you might struggle. A cheap way of doing this might be to use kingspan insulation board (put tape on the joints) to build a structure around your stillages inside your building. You could then cut vents in the end to vent the air outside. You will need to use heat exchangers to take the heat from the boiler into the new structure and create the airflow. I guess you could probably set up a 20ft kiln for £2.5K ish using your existing building and boiler.

 

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for that, I'll give it a miss in that case

[R5log]

I would say you might struggle to make any real difference in five days. To have any real effect you need to use stillages of some sort to maintain airflow ( even vented bags are only half as effective as ibc crates or stillages).

 

 

 

You really need to have an insulated near airtight structure so that you can force air through the logs and out through the desired point (the air movement is just as important as the temperature) and you really need to get the temperature as high as possible. I'm obviously not familiar with your building but without modification you might struggle. A cheap way of doing this might be to use kingspan insulation board (put tape on the joints) to build a structure around your stillages inside your building. You could then cut vents in the end to vent the air outside. You will need to use heat exchangers to take the heat from the boiler into the new structure and create the airflow. I guess you could probably set up a 20ft kiln for £2.5K ish using your existing building and boiler.

 

 

 

Hope this helps

 

 

Some one said it helps if u leave the door ajar to lose the heat for rhi purposes??

[arboriculturist]

As stillages were just mentioned, does anyone know if the roller bearings in 100mm cast iron stillage wheels will withstand kiln temperatures?

 

I am thinking the rubber bearing seals may give up.

[Duffryn]

Some one said it helps if u leave the door ajar to lose the heat for rhi purposes??

 

Yes it would because the pressure would be reduced on the heat exchangers and they would get rid of more heat. Leaving the doors open would massively reduce the ability of the kiln to dry the logs. The same effect could be achieved leaving the windows open on a house on which RHI heating is claimed.

 

Both would be high risk and if you were caught you would loose your RHI payments. Unless a boiler has been massively over specified most installations will get the tier 1 payment with ease so I could not see why anyone would want to take the risk.

[R5log]

Yes it would because the pressure would be reduced on the heat exchangers and they would get rid of more heat. Leaving the doors open would massively reduce the ability of the kiln to dry the logs. The same effect could be achieved leaving the windows open on a house on which RHI heating is claimed.

 

 

 

Both would be high risk and if you were caught you would loose your RHI payments. Unless a boiler has been massively over specified most installations will get the tier 1 payment with ease so I could not see why anyone would want to take the risk.

 

 

I see, but burning the same amount of wood?

[R5log]

Yes it would because the pressure would be reduced on the heat exchangers and they would get rid of more heat. Leaving the doors open would massively reduce the ability of the kiln to dry the logs. The same effect could be achieved leaving the windows open on a house on which RHI heating is claimed.

 

 

 

Both would be high risk and if you were caught you would loose your RHI payments. Unless a boiler has been massively over specified most installations will get the tier 1 payment with ease so I could not see why anyone would want to take the risk.

 

 

Also I don't see how people can dry 32 cub metres in 16 cages?

Does any one do that can't be much air flow

[Duffryn]

I see, but burning the same amount of wood?

 

No you would burn more fuel because more energy would be consumed