Kiln Drying and treating

Southview1 · March 08, 2020, 11:59:17 AM

I have read a lot of posts about PPB, on this site, because I have an issue with those bugs in my air dried wood piles. So, I've made a plan to hopefully eradicate them or a least hold them at bay. I am looking for some critique of my plan from some experts with experience.
The plan: Kiln dry and heat treat the wood to kill the bugs and spray with
Borate solution to keep them out. All the wood is stored out of the weather.
I've built myself a small kiln that dries about 400 bf at a time(I'm on my second run). After I have dried and heat treated the wood I am spraying a mist of borate solution to cover. When that air dries I store it again until I get to it for use or to sell.
One last part of the plan is that I'm burning all the wood with the biggest issues at this point since its pretty much ruined any way.

Don P · March 09, 2020, 07:37:04 AM

Borate heavily green from the saw then proceed with your drying plan. A misting probably won't do anything more than rewet dry wood which ain't a good thing. Yup, I use any infested wood and stickers to kindle the blighted tomato plants :D.

Southview1 · March 09, 2020, 09:15:46 AM

I plan on treating newly cut lumber as you suggest Don but I have a couple thousand bf or more of air dried cherry, walnut, maple, oak, etc. that I plan on keeping. There is very little to no sign of infection in most of this lumber, but i know it can be there. I have or should say had some spalted cherry that was badly infected along with some boxelder that is no more. The oak that was stored close by has some adult holes.
What would be a suggestion as to what to do with this air dried lumber. The kiln should kill whats inside but how to keep from reinfecting. I was of the impression that by having a coating of borate on the outside would keep it from getting re-infested. I have read that when treating a structure they spray the treatment of 1 lb disodium octoborate tetrahydrate to one gallon water on the surface so I thought this would work for dried lumber to protect it.

K-Guy · March 09, 2020, 10:42:02 AM

PPB doesn't like wood under 20% but ambrosia beetles do.

DWyatt · March 09, 2020, 12:00:29 PM

Quote from: K-Guy on March 09, 2020, 10:42:02 AM
PPB doesn't like wood under 20% but ambrosia beetles do.

@K-Guy I believe this is backwards. I thought PPB liked under 20% and ambrosia beetles liked over 20%

K-Guy · March 09, 2020, 12:25:28 PM

I guess we need to check with @Wood Doctor and find out.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc · March 09, 2020, 01:24:13 PM

Backwards perhaps.

There are several PPB. The one we worry about is the lyctid PPB and this one prefers under 20% MC down to about 7% MC.

The ambrosia beetle is a PPB, but prefers above 20% MC.

K-Guy · March 09, 2020, 01:49:07 PM

Sorry Gene.
My memory was off. I stand corrected. Thank you.

Don P · March 09, 2020, 08:59:12 PM

Soak it down thoroughly before sticking it in the kiln, then you won't be wasting the drying effort. With dry wood adding a glycol to replace some of the water in that 10% mix will help it get in the wood a bit deeper. After soaking it down let it dry naturally before putting it in the kiln, to let it get in as deep as it is going to.

Southview1 · March 09, 2020, 10:25:34 PM

Thank you for the comments. I guess I have a bit of work to do. It's a good thing that I do this for the fun of it otherwise I would think this is work. I have some solubor on order at the farm store and it appears spring has finally arrived here in MN so I can start treating my lumber piles. It will also give a good opportunity to review the wood I have. I'm also just learning the kiln operating thing so this summer will be fun.