Kiln drying in bulk bags?

[skyhuck]

Does anyone have any experience of kiln drying in bulk bags, I presume they need to be vented bags, but has anyone actually tried using normal bags?

 

Does the heat affect the bags?

 

Any info would be much appreciated

[openspaceman]

 

Does the heat affect the bags?

 

 

Shouldn't do below boiling point but they do appear to lose a lot of strength in one season in sunlight.

[skyhuck]

Yes UV really breaks down most plastics.

[Mortimer Firewood]

No log merchants I know kiln in bags just crates then fill bags.

We use a friends kiln & am seriously considering packing in wooden crates like the ones coming in from the Baltic's.

[ben_inthewoods]

No log merchants I know kiln in bags just crates then fill bags.

We use a friends kiln & am seriously considering packing in wooden crates like the ones coming in from the Baltic's.

 

Will that not mean Baltic labour rates?

 

Would be great to automate that crate stacking - is this possible?

[Mortimer Firewood]

Will that not mean Baltic labour rates?

 

Would be great to automate that crate stacking - is this possible?

 

My pal does 3000 cube and employs 1 he fills the bags from crates by hand.

 

Never seen an automated system.

[mattplace]

I've kiln dried in vented bags alongside Ibc's and the ibc product was better. The bags held up no problem though.

I also kiln dried kindling in nets and expected the nets to be ruined but they held up fine too.

Thats with the kiln running at 80°C.

[Tom D]

I think the lack of airflow would seriously affect the results, you'd need to use vented bags. Other than that it would work really well.

[Chalgravesteve]

A lot of variables in there, depends how the kiln works, what temperature it reaches and where the airflow is located? If you have a shipping container kiln, the fans and heated air is at one end and the exit vents at the other. The Logs at the far end away from the fans get significantly less airflow in boxes, let alone vented bags (which we use for storage/delivery) The bags may be vented but I don't think they are vented anywhere near enough to allow proper drying to occur unless they are right up the end near the fans, and I don't have a great deal of confidence that that will work anyway.

 

If you bag them before they go in the kiln, then you are guessing that they are dry. How are you going to test a log at the bottom of a bag? Empty it? That defeats the object of trying not to double or triple handle.

 

In my opinion, if you are going to produce a quality, premium product, then you have to have absolute confidence that what you are selling is exactly that. Also in my opinion, premium products involve a bit of work, not trying to shortcut.

 

Like any business, your customer is the most important person. If you deliver them good stuff they MIGHT remember you next time and buy from you again. If you deliver them bad stuff, they WILL remember you and WON'T buy from you again and are more likely to tell their mates as well that your stuff is rubbish!! LOL

[arboriculturist]

A lot of variables in there, depends how the kiln works, what temperature it reaches and where the airflow is located? If you have a shipping container kiln, the fans and heated air is at one end and the exit vents at the other. The Logs at the far end away from the fans get significantly less airflow in boxes, let alone vented bags (which we use for storage/delivery) The bags may be vented but I don't think they are vented anywhere near enough to allow proper drying to occur unless they are right up the end near the fans, and I don't have a great deal of confidence that that will work anyway.

 

If you bag them before they go in the kiln, then you are guessing that they are dry. How are you going to test a log at the bottom of a bag? Empty it? That defeats the object of trying not to double or triple handle.

 

In my opinion, if you are going to produce a quality, premium product, then you have to have absolute confidence that what you are selling is exactly that. Also in my opinion, premium products involve a bit of work, not trying to shortcut.

 

Like any business, your customer is the most important person. If you deliver them good stuff they MIGHT remember you next time and buy from you again. If you deliver them bad stuff, they WILL remember you and WON'T buy from you again and are more likely to tell their mates as well that your stuff is rubbish!! LOL

 

Have you found a solution to getting the crates at the far end of the container to dry at a similar rate to those closer to the fans/heat exchanger?