DIY or Nyle

[Jstier]

I'm looking to be able to sterilize my lumber and dry it better. I built the Solar Kiln that everyone has to specs and just not completely satisfied with what I'm getting out of it. Curious if I should just bite the bullet and buy a Nyle 50 and build my own chamber to specs or make my solar kiln into a DIY kiln, with a heater and dehumidifier ? I feel like I know what the answer is but not sure my wallet will like the answer. 

[scsmith42]

To me, it depends upon your volume.  If you're not trying to push as much through the solar as possible, then I'd suggest a dual or triple pane glass for the best insulation and add an auxiliary heat source for sterilizing.  That way you're not having to handle the lumber an additional time in and out of a separate sterilization chamber.

Key though is a better insulated solar collector. If you're running only single pane, I think that your heat loss will be too great.

An additional benefit of dual or triple pane glass is that you'll add a couple of more months of effective kiln drying to your solar kiln.

[YellowHammer]

Just get a Nyle and be done with it.  Start with an inexpensive L53 and your drying problems will be history. 

It's not quite set it and forget it, but close.  

[Jstier]

Just get a Nyle and be done with it.  Start with an inexpensive L53 and your drying problems will be history.

It's not quite set it and forget it, but close.  

This is what I was thinking but also wanted to hear it from someone else. 
Do you have an L53, curious on what people really think of it. .  It looks to be a good little setup. 

[YellowHammer]

I have a solar kiln, an L53 and an L200.  We stated our business with the L53 and it's the best small kiln in its class.  As Stan at Nyle can attest,   @K-Guy , I don't baby my kilns and the L53 is a workhorse.  It's the same as the small WoodMizer kiln, just sold under the WM name.

[Southside]

I don't baby my kilns

Boy is that ever an understatement.....:D

[WDH]

I run my L53 hard too.  It is a little wood drying beast as Yellowhammer would say.  Best thing I ever did.  I have dried over 100,000 bf in mine, working on 200,000 now.   

[customsawyer]

Get the kiln. I have the L200. I rarely let it come up for air. I wish I had 2 more of them.

[K-Guy]

Get the kiln. I have the L200. I rarely let it come up for air. I wish I had 2 more of them.

With all your money, all you have to do is call me!! :D

[Jstier]

I run my L53 hard too.  It is a little wood drying beast as Yellowhammer would say.  Best thing I ever did.  I have dried over 100,000 bf in mine, working on 200,000 now. 

I checked out your website. Looks like you have a great setup!

 Do you do this full time? I got into this all as a hobby and its turning into more of a job. Its a job that I love but the workload has defiantly picked up. I'm just hoping that this investment for the Kiln will pay off, I'm sure it will. About 70%of the people I have cut for so far want the lumber dried. And everyone buying slabs or lumber want it dried. 

2nd question for you all, should I just convert my solar kiln into a box for the Nyle kiln for the time being and after a couple years build one to specs or should I just build the Kiln box right away. 

[K-Guy]

should I just convert my solar kiln into a box for the Nyle kiln for the time being and after a couple years build one to specs or should I just build the Kiln box right away. 

Check out our chamber plans to see if modifying is possible. Most find it better to build a new chamber as the requirements are different. L53 manual(with plans) link below
https://www.nyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NDK-L53-Manual-2020-V4.0.pdf

[Southside]

I would keep the solar kiln and build a new chamber for the NYLE. This way you end up with two units and can let the solar kiln reduce the turn around time for the NYLE. 

[DWyatt]

I will reiterate what everyone else has said. My dad and Gramps ran a household dehumidifier in their kiln for many years. It worked fine until quality of dehumidifiers started taking a dump and we were going through a new one every 3-4 loads. I started researching here and learned of the Nyle L53. I talked Dad into trying one and we would never go back. The ability to actually control the drying rate of the lumber in the kiln has resulted in much less defects due to drying our hardwoods too quickly. 

You're a bit further South than I am, but make sure you read up on posts by @YellowHammer regarding kiln container construction and most importantly insulating. Just remember you want the inside to be sealed as if it was a swimming pool. As a hobby/part time career, you will make your money back very quickly.

[YellowHammer]

The key to an excellent performing DH kiln is a dedicated, designed, optimized and built for the task, DH kiln chamber.  

The long term expense of a DH kiln is electricity, and every BTU used or wasted can add up.  A solar kiln is not optimized to perform as a DH kiln.  Whatever insulation used in the solar kiln...double it. Whatever floor used in the solar kiln...flatten and strengthen it.  Whatever roof used in a solar kiln...rip it off and completely rebuild it.  Whatever doors and seals used in a solar kiln...replace them.  

Whatever money saved trying to salvage will quickly be burned in wasted electricity and sloppy performance of the DH kiln.  

So keep using the solar and build and commission a new DH kiln.  Then use each for what they are best at.

[WDH]

Do you do this full time?

Yes I do.  Keeps me wide open. 

[K-Guy]

@Jstier 

Our L200 chamber plans are in the manual (link below) also we have some equipment setup videos on our Nyle Systems YouTube channel as KilnTech.

https://www.nyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NDK-L200-Manual-2021-V4.2.pdf

YouTube link
NyleSystems - YouTube

[firefighter ontheside]

I like @Southside idea of keeping the solar to keep using some of the free energy to get you close and then build another unit to be a DH kiln.  I went the route just like you are talking.  I built a 10x16 shed and insulated with R13(mistake).  I have since added extra insulation with 2" polyiso.  I use fans and a heater and a residential DH for now.  I have come to the conclusion that I will do this for a while and then purchase an L53 down the road.  I will need to do a little more insulation work, by adding polyiso to the floor and a few more wall areas.  Then I will have a much better, more efficient kiln.

[farmfromkansas]

What size chamber will the L 53 handle?

[K-Guy]

@farmfromkansas 

The largest chamber Nyle recommends is 8' D x 8' H x 13'W.

[firefighter ontheside]

@farmfromkansas

The largest chamber Nyle recommends is 8' D x 8' H x 13'W.

If I put an L53 in my building, I will partition it off to meet the recommended volume.

[Lostinmn]

I'm curious, with price difference between L53 Model 60Hz Complete $3,995.00 vs  L200M Model 50 Hz Complete $7,895.00, and the marginal increase for building costs for structure size difference, seems like a strong case for starting with the L200M rather then L53.  Assuming of course you can utilize the additional drying volume.  

For the effort and time in building a dedicated structure, seems drying cost per board foot efficiency starting with the larger unit would win out in short order over adding another smaller unit latter?

Any downside I'm missing, other than of course slightly larger initial cash outlay.

[WDH]

When it comes to managing the load, unloading and storing up to 1000 bf from a L53 is a much different beast than unloading and storing 4000 bf from a L200.  Just depends on how much wood you are set up to handle.  The larger volume requires larger everything else, too. 

[Southside]

I actually went through that exercise, 53 vs 200, when looking at my needs.  At the time I figured the 53 would be enough but my wife convinced me to get the 200 for future expansion.  It didn't take long at all and the 200 was clearly the right choice - for me -  so it really comes down to not just what you need today, but what your plans are for 6 months down the road.  

Like WDH said - it's a different animal and handling equipment, set up, space, budget, all come into play.  

For anyone who does look at a 200 you really should consider putting it into a container - makes the whole process a lot easier, less expensive, and faster.  

[YellowHammer]

The scale and drying capacity of the L53 to L200 is 4X.  

Thats's is 4X the wood produced, 4X the wood handled, and 4X the electricity.  Since most drying is done at the maximum rate the wood can tolerate, not the kiln can operate, then the drying cycle is basically the same length of time for each species.  So for an L200, it takes about the same time to dry a short load of 1,000 bdft of oak as opposed to a full capacity 4,000 bdft of oak, which is also the same time it takes to dry 1,000 bdft of oak in an L53 at 1/4 the compressor size and 1/4 the heat strips, an 1/4 the electrical.  So it's very expensive to dry short loads in any kiln, so they should be maxed out.  If you can dry that much wood, then the L200 is perfect.

BTW, we try to cycle each kiln every 7 to 9 days from the day they get turned on.  Kilns don't make money unless they are running.

I had a very detailed post here in the Forum about building and using a shipping container and it looks as good now as the day I commissioned it.  I also have a YouTube video of me loading and unloading it.  Check out the HobbyHardwoodAlabama channel.  

To put things in scale, here is a photo of a full load of wood out of our L200.  That's a lot of wood every week.  

[Jstier]

Well guys appreciate all the feedback. I bought a L53 last week. Now all I have to do is build the chamber . So I'm taking advice from here and keeping the solar kiln. Also what's everyone's opinion on building a chamber outside as a separate building or say I have a 4th bay on a garage that is not being used? Only issue I see with the bay is perhaps loading the chamber in that bay maybe a little tough? would any of you guys send pics of your setup.