Solar kiln progress Eastern Canada

[Klie]

After just over a year of full time operation of this solar kiln I thought I would do an update! With a yearly RH outside of around 45% the well insulated and ventilated kiln has been working awesome! No issues with pockets of water trapped in ash, maple or white and red oak. We mainly dry hardwoods. 4/4 Ash takes 5-7 weeks from 18 down to 6. Have ran one load of 35+" wide 8/4 white pine slabs through and were very happy as well. 8/4 and 12/4 Maple and ash are in there now, it is currently at 11.3% today on average, it has been in for 5 weeks today. Have been making some tables, shelves and four guitars with the wood we cut and dried and with no C channel needed in the tables, and guitars keeping tune id say we have been doing something right lol. 98% of the logs we get come from urban take downs so we usually get some funky slabs. Best advice i can give operating one in Canada is getting max airflow along/through the stacks. We are one year in and having to replace our roof panels because of warping from the temperatures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[jimbarry]

For the little amount of sun we get in eastern Canada I am happy to hear the time it takes to get it dry. This past summer was wicked heat, this fall it has been far less. Solar work though and every little ray of sunshine helps.  :laugh: Totally agree with the comment on air flow.

[doc henderson]

nice work start to finish.

[Klie]

For the little amount of sun we get in eastern Canada I am happy to hear the time it takes to get it dry. This past summer was wicked heat, this fall it has been far less. Solar work though and every little ray of sunshine helps.  :laugh: Totally agree with the comment on air flow.

I honestly went into the building of it with kinda low expectations for winter and fall. What I didn't account for was how dry the air is in winter here compared to other places, i ran some tests on the ash and some birch last winter and the findings were pretty good when running fans 24/7. I don't have any money consistently going into it like power now that we have enough batteries. Through the night in winter it doesn't get below 100 unless we have two or more days of no sun. Been very lucky this year and last for that. Having to replace the clear panels this summer because the heat rose well over manufacture max temperature for them and have warped and cracked. Going to do it differently though with the greenhouse panels first then lay green house plastic overtop. When we unload it have to let it vent for 30 minutes or so because its just too *DanG hot to work in, even through winter 

[blackhawk]

What are the highest temps that you have seen in the solar kiln?