Solar kiln floor insulation???

[Nebraska]

Leaning towards 3/4 inch foil faced polyiso..  Just wondering what feelings were and others choices had been.  I could go 2 inch if need be.  Building on top of 5/4 recycled deck boards. 

[Southside]

Isn't that the while open pore stuff?  I would be concerned with water getting into it. 

[Nebraska]

Well I didn't think it was, I thought it kind of looked like spray foam between aluminum foil. My plan was to sandwich it under some plywood then maybe use a cheap waterproof closeout click vinyl for the floor if it will take the heat. Or maybe cheap ceramic tile on cement board. At the rate I am moving maybe it will be done by next year. 

[blackhawk]

I would go with the 2" thick foam.  That is what I used beneath the concrete for my DH kiln.

[K-Guy]

@Southside
@Nebraska
It is moisture resistant, so I would recommend a vapor barrier between it and the floor. Use 2" of the polyiso.

[scsmith42]

I used 6" of closed cell insulation in the floor, walls and doors of 3 of mine.  They get hotter in the summer than my 4th solar that has 4" poly-iso insulation.  

[Nebraska]

6 inches may (ok will)...require me to noodle on my design a bit more. I was thinking 3.5" in walls etc. 

[scsmith42]

Re wall thickness, it depends upon how cold your climate it.  In my area I'll have solar kiln temps over 100 degrees in all but 2 months or so of the year (in my 3 kilns with the 6" insulation).  In the kiln with 3.5" insulation, it's more like 8 months of the year.

[doc henderson]

Do your thing @Nebraska.  as you get thicker there is less bang for the buck.  as Gene W told me, "It is only a solar kiln".  I think he knew I was making it too hard.  I have still not built my first trying to make it harder than it has to be.  

[farmfromkansas]

I used a welded pipe frame for a base, put some straps sticking up to bolt the floor to, then used 2x6 floor frame, turned it over and put plywood under the floor frame, turned it over and bolted the floor to the pipe frame, put 2 layers of r-11 insulation in the floor frame, put plastic down over the top, then layed t&g flooring.

[Nebraska]

Well my base is two REA poles squared up, with laminated 2x10 beams on 16" centers with a layer of recycled 5/4 deck board that were too good to haul to the land fill.  It's over kill, then insulation with some sort of plywood floor. Walls haven't been decided yet. 

[Nebraska]

I just went with an inch and a half of foam insulation in the floor.  Had a nice sunset. 
Made a little progress. 


not sure what I did to underline the text above. Just happy to get the pictures posted. 

[Nebraska]

Well it was underlined in the preview.  

[Nebraska]

[Nebraska]

Made some progress again on the kiln. Knee has started to feel like piddling around with it. Yes I'm using recycled pallets. They will get stainless steel fasteners added, soaked with solubor, and treated with some good permethrin I have on the shelf before I sheet and insulate it. 
Wind chill is supposed to zero tomorrow morning so maybe not much progress on my day off. 

[beenthere]

Permethrin apparently for termites? 

https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/55509#:~:text=Permethrin%20is%20a%20common%20insecticide,loss%20compared%20to%20treated%20blocks.

[YellowHammer]

Wow, that is some wide open spaces! Beautiful country, but cold looking.  

Good progress. 

[Nebraska]

Yeah it's 7 to the good side of zero right now. Lots more corn than trees. 

Just bugs in general, it will sit on a cement grain bin slab, on 6x6 creosote REA pole skid with a doubled up 2x 10 floor joists. There's lots easier wood for the termites to get. I don't want it totally packed full of Asian Beetles. 
Thanks for the link beenthere, the product I keep at the office does have a subterranean termite label. 

Nonetheless I elect to work indoors this morning.  

[Nebraska]

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=356996][/url=https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=356997][/url]

Seven degrees was too cold this morning but late afternoon wasn't too bad wind laid down and it was in the 20s so I worked a little more. God gave me a beautiful scene to finish it. 

[YellowHammer]

The cool thing is as soon as you box it in and put the clear panels on, it starts to really warm up.  Like a sunroom and it will stay comfortably warm, well before it gets finishes.  With that view, I'd probably just put me a lawn chair in there, and enjoy the sunset.  

[doc henderson]

shoulda made a round one the size of that pad that turns on a turret to follow that sun till sunset!

[Nebraska]

If I remember correctly it was a 20,000 bushel grain bin on that pad. It was sold off before we bought the place. At this point my staff is balking at the idea of loading a solar kiln with that much capacity. If it wasn't so far from the house think it would be a nice place for a hot tub cabana/ sunset deck and a little bar.    

Alas mostly it's scrap metal  storage, a level spot to air dry and a place to build small projects.