Homemade kiln / fast drying options

[briquette_seller]

Perhaps the space heater is diesel .

I don't remember saying that <25%was dry but having said that , I think it is plenty dry enough. It burns fast enough and easily enough.

I do accept that fibreglass is not the material to have a stove in and I shall move it out of there..point taken.

 

I would say <25% is dry

[Logsnstuff]

my target levels are 15% - 25%

[briquette_seller]

my target levels are 15% - 25%

 

so <25%?

[big chris the log]

Under 25% in 10 days is not exactly dry though? All the stove manufacturers manuals cite under 20% moisture content as being the benchmark.

 

Also, putting a stove which might overheat into a fibreglass body which will burn like hell and release toxic fumes if it goes up, is not a great plan if you have neighbours! The "space heater" is a bottled gas job? Where is the canister for that then? Just outside the fire hazard kiln?

 

I'm not trying to knock the principles of what you are trying to achieve, but if that does go up, and you have the fire brigade in attendance and you have neighbours nearby, you have an obligation to ensure that your installation is safe and a gas bottle in close proximity to what you already accept is a potential fire hazard is unsafe. If you are drying the wood for resale, ie as a business, then you are putting yourself at risk as you are responsible for the safe working practices.

I thought 25% and under was the hetas standard so he seems to be meeting this,some websites I have seen advertising kiln dried logs are claiming just this 25% and under.I believe the rhi is for sub 20%.

Cheers Chris

[18 stoner]

Slightly derailed now I guess so I'll add a little more.

 

Regardless what the various bodies and stove manufacturers say, Just to confirm what is a good burning moisture content is, burn a cube at home that's sub 20%, then a cube of >25%.

[Woodworks]

Why should having a wood burner inside an insulated container mean there is a high risk of a fire? We have them in our homes which are full of combustibles without any mishaps. A quick google of spontaneous combustion temperature for wood is somewhere above 250C. Glass fibres temperature is even higher but can't find anything out on resin which holds the glass together. Would have thought a carefully run stove placed so it can't come into direct contact with anything combustible should be fine.

 

The idea of having a stove inside a kiln makes complete sense to me

[Mortimer Firewood]

Why should having a wood burner inside an insulated container mean there is a high risk of a fire? We have them in our homes which are full of combustibles without any mishaps. A quick google of spontaneous combustion temperature for wood is somewhere above 250C. Glass fibres temperature is even higher but can't find anything out on resin which holds the glass together. Would have thought a carefully run stove placed so it can't come into direct contact with anything combustible should be fine.

 

The idea of having a stove inside a kiln makes complete sense to me

 

I no of a firewood kilning operation that started out on grants with oil fired kils with the oil tanks on top of the kilns they passed there HS audit every year.

Log burner in a container seems safe enough to me

[Pinkfoot]

Thank you for your replies.

To be honest I did think long and hard before doing it and there are thermal blocks around the stove , it is away from the walls and the space heater also has a clear run and a corridor to blow through between the wood .

The biggest danger is actually from sawdust/ wood dust on the stove , that will ignite.

Ideally the stove needs to be without the kiln to allow higher temperatures and free up more space.

I was also going to get a jet fan for it..

[Alycidon]

Under 25% in 10 days is not exactly dry though? All the stove manufacturers manuals cite under 20% moisture content as being the benchmark.

 

 

 

Most say 18%, some 16%. But soft at 20% is fine, much drier and customers moan it burns to fast.

 

A

[Alycidon]

I thought 25% and under was the hetas standard so he seems to be meeting this,some websites I have seen advertising kiln dried logs are claiming just this 25% and under.I believe the rhi is for sub 20%.

Cheers Chris

 

The Hetas Woodsure scheme does say 25% max, says it all really.

 

A