How hot will it get inside???

[NordicSplitter]

Have a woodshed coming next week. 6'w x 12 'l x 7'h. Venting along the ridge line and an all metal roof. Had a friend at work tell me I could probably put fresh cut and split wood in and it would be ready by winter. He guessed the inside temp would easily hit 120F. I plan on putting a thermometer in it. Any guesses at to how hot it will get inside??? Thanks

 

[Wood Duck]

Are the sides slatted? If the sides are solid then it will reach 115 degrees, max.

 

[DoubleB]

The potential problem is that hot doesn't mean dry if there isn't enough airflow, and if you can get enough airflow that may cool things down more than you expect and you don't have as much hot anymore. Sounds like you're hoping for a solar kiln performance with an opaque building. I could be wrong, you might just have to try and see. Good luck!

 

[NordicSplitter]

The potential problem is that hot doesn't mean dry if there isn't enough airflow, and if you can get enough airflow that may cool things down more than you expect and you don't have as much hot anymore. Sounds like you're hoping for a solar kiln performance with an opaque building. I could be wrong, you might just have to try and see. Good luck!

Predominately , the wood going in will be seasoned for at least 12-18 months. My thought was that of a car in summertime when all the windows are closed. Quite warm. Lol..

 

[johneh]

Predominately , the wood going in will be seasoned for at least 12-18 months. My thought was that of a car in summertime when all the windows are closed. Quite warm. Lol

But nowhere for the moisture to go

 

[CT Burner]

But nowhere for the moisture to go

He said it was vented along the ridge. He might try putting some vents in along the bottom of the door/walls to allow cooler air to enter at the bottom while the hottest escapes out the ridge. That might help set up a convection current. Basically the way a solar kiln works.

 

[Jags]

Welp - just to point out some obvious stuff that has already been touched on...
The reason it is hotter inside than ambient temp is because of stagnation of air. Stagnate air isn't very good at drying wood. To compensate - you move air. The more air you move...the closer the interior is gonna be to ambient temp. Its kind of a catch 22.

My opinion is that closed storage should be for wood that is already dry (or darn close to it). If it ain't dry or you don't have 3 years to let it sit, leave it outside where it belongs. I have a south facing fairly large old chicken coop that I played around with years ago to test all the "kiln" stuff with. Mixed results. It works best as dry storage. Just one dudes opinion.

 

[CT Burner]

The reason it is hotter inside than ambient temp is because of stagnation of air. Stagnate air isn't very good at drying wood. To compensate - you move air. The more air you move...the closer the interior is gonna be to ambient temp. Its kind of a catch 22.
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I think the solar kiln as wood drier is a proven thing. The question isn't whether that works or not. The question is whether a garden shed will make a good solar kiln. Your experience with an old chicken coop suggests a non-purpose built closed structure might not work well. Maybe the OPs shed will work better, maybe it won't.