Nyle L200M, heating question once you reach 120º

[jimbarry]

Would it be worthwhile to set up another exhaust fan to control excess humidity? Maybe use something like this https://www.amazon.ca/Inkbird-Humidity-Controller-IHC-200/dp/B01I6JP8UI/ with another fan like the exhaust fan currently in place? Or would it be simpler to just monitor it the first couple days and crack the doors to remove excess moisture?

[YellowHammer]

The Nyle automatic exhaust fan than is installed is fine, the key is to generate excess heat so that the fan will have to operate periodically to vent the moisture laden air.

If you have the manual vents, open it a tad and get a good balance of heat inout to moist air coming out.  

The more the supplemental heat input, then more the vent must run to maintain temperature to dump air, and the faster the wood will dry.  It should be more off a continuous process.  Some people simply use an OWB full time and can supply so much heat that the vents can dump so much moist air that there Nyle unit almost never actually has to operate.  That is approaching the way a conventional kiln operates.  

[jimbarry]

Excess heat using an OWB, I had that discussion with Stan as well. For all the costs involved in setting that up and maintaining it, I'll take a wait and see approach. First have to establish whether the marketplace can carry the extra cost of kiln dried firewood.

For what I am doing Stan had told me to close up the two intake vents. This was before the issue of excess moisture was a concern. So opening one up in conjunction with either another exhaust fan, or, overriding the exhaust fan I have now to turn on and off as desired. I'll have to speak with an electrician about that.

[doc henderson]

Jim, is firewood all you plan to use this kiln for?  an OWB is a sophisticated machine and rather expensive.  you could almost have a second chamber and a heat source.  then use what ever source you want.  the outside heat furnace with a forced air exchanger would work too to use waste wood.  I think you have the opportunity to test and see if using extra heat speeds drying enough to save money or more likely break even.  you could have a large inventory or airdrying wood, and for the extra price, throw wood in the drying box/heat treating box.  or just pour the heat to the wood and vent more if the money is the same.  great discussion.  you might even have folks bring you a load of their wood to run through the kiln.  If you can dry it in 3 days you could have good turn around.  I am sorry if some of my questions have already been answered.

[jimbarry]

Doc, its original intention was for lumber, but it seems it might get more use from firewood. The only kiln dried product that people may want around these parts would be slabs for furniture. And that demand may last only a little while longer, based on only a sprinkling of requests through last year. A lot more people around here have mills now than even 3 yrs ago. Besides, I don't mill enough by myself probably to keep a OWB going. An OWB would be a great way to get rid of slabs but I also sell slabs for kindling which nets 4x the profit. For now, I am content with using the elec version of the kiln. People are gonna complain about the kiln firewood price no matter what it is. I could dry it at half the cost with an OWB, but would have to increase my capital cost for the OWB and labour costs to maintain the fire and have dry slabs...it goes on and on. I don't even have a shelter over my mill yet, let alone a place to store dry wood out of the kiln. 

[jimbarry]

I did look at what it would cost to have a solar batter bank based on 110 kWhr/day. Seemed like a good idea but at $100K its not a good investment.  

[jimbarry]

Back to using the exhaust fan on the kiln. If I wanted to trigger the exhaust fan to come on using the controller, I'd have to reduce the DB setting to near that of the WB temp showing, correct?