A Greenhouse

[CJRages]

So what do you all think, how well does a small ventalated greenhouse work to rapidly remove water from wood? Started wondering this last weekend when I had a pile of fresh small hickory bbq chunks 2" by 2" by 6" placed in a clear plastic bag (a cubic foot roughly). When I left the house I put the bag on its side in the yard in full sunlight for the afternoon. 90 degees plus day with full sunshine for about a couple hours. Not surprisingly when I came back home the side facing up of the bag was covered and dripping with water evaporating from the hickory.

Next I sat the bag upright with the top open and poked holes all over the bag to let in air to evaporate all the moisture. Within an hour or two the bag was dry, the wood inside was still quite hot and it got me to wondering... this works on a large scale too right? Heat builds, air's water capacity increases, water vapor and air rise to escape through roof vents, meanwhile relatively cooler (denser) 90 degree air is sucked in the holes to replace that rising air and the process is repeated, etc. No need for fans or blowers, just let air do its thing. Similarly to how your attic works in the summer. Not that I would want to haul a cord up into the attic for the summer LOL. :lol:

Anyone have a greenhouse like this?

 

[lukem]

So what do you all think, how well does a small ventalated greenhouse work to rapidly remove water from wood? Started wondering this last weekend when I had a pile of fresh small hickory bbq chunks 2" by 2" by 6" placed in a clear plastic bag (a cubic foot roughly). When I left the house I put the bag on its side in the yard in full sunlight for the afternoon. 90 degees plus day with full sunshine for about a couple hours. Not surprisingly when I came back home the side facing up of the bag was covered and dripping with water evaporating from the hickory.

Next I sat the bag upright with the top open and poked holes all over the bag to let in air to evaporate all the moisture. Within an hour or two the bag was dry, the wood inside was still quite hot and it got me to wondering... this works on a large scale too right? Heat builds, air's water capacity increases, water vapor and air rise to escape through roof vents, meanwhile relatively cooler (denser) 90 degree air is sucked in the holes to replace that rising air and the process is repeated, etc. No need for fans or blowers, just let air do its thing. Similarly to how your attic works in the summer. Not that I would want to haul a cord up into the attic for the summer LOL. :lol:

Anyone have a greenhouse like this?

Sounds like a solar kiln. My dad built one last week for some lumber he had sawed into boards. His neighbor has one as well. I can't tell you exactly how much faster it is than air-drying, but it is pronounced.

 

[woodchip]

I have a stack of wood in my spare greenhouse at the moment, I leave the door and roof vents open for air circulation, it really dries the wood right down very effectively.

I seem to remember my first post on this forum was after a mate reckoned my wood would be "too dry".

Having burned it last winter and kept a steady 80f inside whilst it was only 5f outside, I can vouch for "too dry" wood from the greenhouse

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'll still just stack the wood out in the open air and let the wind do the trick. It has worked fine for many, many moons and I see no need to change. Rather than go to great lengths on the wood drying, it is much better to put the time and dollars into increasing the wood supply so that you get 2-3 years ahead. Then you don't even have to think about the wood drying; it will be ready. Mother Nature is your friend, if you let her be.

 

[woodchip]

I agree Denis, but I'm trying to leap ahead in drying as I burned most of my best wood last winter.
I have about 3 years supply in now, but only enough really dry for about 3 months burning, so a bit of speed drying here seemed a good idea.
Last winters birch is drying very well in the greenhouse and I reckon that will be what I use first in the fall.

Still more wood to collect today, though I'm a long way off your impressive stacks

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the greenhouse designer should focus on the heat inside, which is automatic if you have large glass windows in the sun, and also on the ventilation. I think vents at the top to let hot, moist air out and vents along the bottom to let cooler air in might do the trick. Lots of air movement is needed, and I think it would be unlikley that you would have too much air movement. MOre air will mean lower temperatures inside, but also mean that moisture is removed faster, and I'd err on the side of too much air rather than too little.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I've read studies on a number of approaches using clear or dark plastic for this effect- the conclusion was that it doesn't help. A solar kiln works, but they generally need forced convection (electric fans).

I would think that it the air intake was a largish black metal duct in direct sun, and it allowed the air in under loose stacks, then maybe it would give it the kick in temp and airflow that's needed, but that needs testing. Otherwise, as said above- open airflow is a better drying method than greenhouse conditions.

 

[woodchip]

Plastic sweats a lot, which is why I prefer greenhouses to polytunnels (not sure if you get them in the USA but link below to a piccy:

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Garden...LpuhcPGELzI2PKGxn65SzXN8L8sIZ808DwPiV-UjYmrFG

Polytunnels also tend to blow away in the wind from my experience ;-)

 

[smokinj]

So what do you all think, how well does a small ventalated greenhouse work to rapidly remove water from wood? Started wondering this last weekend when I had a pile of fresh small hickory bbq chunks 2" by 2" by 6" placed in a clear plastic bag (a cubic foot roughly). When I left the house I put the bag on its side in the yard in full sunlight for the afternoon. 90 degees plus day with full sunshine for about a couple hours. Not surprisingly when I came back home the side facing up of the bag was covered and dripping with water evaporating from the hickory.

Next I sat the bag upright with the top open and poked holes all over the bag to let in air to evaporate all the moisture. Within an hour or two the bag was dry, the wood inside was still quite hot and it got me to wondering... this works on a large scale too right? Heat builds, air's water capacity increases, water vapor and air rise to escape through roof vents, meanwhile relatively cooler (denser) 90 degree air is sucked in the holes to replace that rising air and the process is repeated, etc. No need for fans or blowers, just let air do its thing. Similarly to how your attic works in the summer. Not that I would want to haul a cord up into the attic for the summer LOL. :lol:

Anyone have a greenhouse like this?

Sounds like a solar kiln. My dad built one last week for some lumber he had sawed into boards. His neighbor has one as well. I can't tell you exactly how much faster it is than air-drying, but it is pronounced.

+1 solar kiln and it will speed things up alot!

 

[lukem]

They work great for lumber, but I don't know how much bang you'd get on firewood.

If you need the wood now for this winter, save the kiln money and spend it on firewood. Reinvest the time you would have spend building the kiln, and cut enough to get a year ahead. Same net effect...and you don't have a kiln that will need the plastic replaced every couple years or after a monster hail storm (yes, I have worked in a greenhouse and have firsthand experience with both).

 

[smokinj]

They work great for lumber, but I don't know how much bang you'd get on firewood.

If you need the wood now for this winter, save the kiln money and spend it on firewood. Reinvest the time you would have spend building the kiln, and cut enough to get a year ahead. Same net effect...and you don't have a kiln that will need the plastic replaced every couple years or after a monster hail storm (yes, I have worked in a greenhouse and have firsthand experience with both).

Drys lumbar it will dry splits, 4 4x4 and some plastic ...You would avoid the I got screwed on craglist Gig thread..... And thats Priceless! :cheese: