Just wondering if anyone has any experience with a solar kiln? Just wondering how it would it work with firewood.
Solar Kiln
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There is a speciality sawmill I drive past on occasion up in Conway NH on RT 302 (just before the turn off to North Conway), he has at least two of them. He started out with one and them built a second so he must be happy with them (even though they are not in direct sunlight. If you search Woodweb there is a lot of info on them. I cant see how they wouldnt work for firewood except for the cost to build them. Obviously the effectiveness is directly connected on how well the air flows so stacking would b a challenge.
It seems like it would be a fun project and sure beats stacking outside all year. I will have to check that out the next time I am over in conway. I think as long as it is stacked loose and you have a good baffle it would work.
From a sawyer's perspective; A solar kiln can acheive temps of 140F easily. The simplest designs have a vertical backwall, with adjustable vents at the top, and an angled glass wall facing the sun. The use of a solar kiln would enable you to reduce your seasoning time greatly and or lower your percentage of moisture dramaticaly.
Would work great for firewood.
Would not be great for quality lumber drying.
Bark off, dry area with no sun or wind yet free circulation around all boards.
This will result in less warping.
Would not be great for quality lumber drying.
Bark off, dry area with no sun or wind yet free circulation around all boards.
This will result in less warping.
In Maine, like most places, you never know what the weather is going to bring. I cannot imagine it will cost a great deal to build something that will handle 2 or 3 cord at a time. If I can cut seasoning in half it would be worth the money to build.
I came across this article awhile back talking about a "Virginian Dryer." It is an intriguing idea. The author claims that you can season wood in one month--this seems dubious but I think that 3 months of summer heat and sun might do a pretty darned good job. With used building materials, I would think you could build one for under $300.
I've also been tempted to try wrapping a cord of wood stacked on pallets with black plastic, and then place a couple (2-3) flues/vents on top with a spinning vent cap. The idea is that the sun would heat up the black plastic, and as the wood stack heated, the moisture would escape/vent out through the vents (cheap HVAC ducting would work just fine) thus drying/seasoning the wood faster. The big advantage (if it works!!) would be that it's very inexpensive to make, and, you could move it around to your various stacks as opposed to having to load a solar kiln, and then re-load it with new wood over and over. I'm tempted to try it next summer......
NP
I've also been tempted to try wrapping a cord of wood stacked on pallets with black plastic, and then place a couple (2-3) flues/vents on top with a spinning vent cap. The idea is that the sun would heat up the black plastic, and as the wood stack heated, the moisture would escape/vent out through the vents (cheap HVAC ducting would work just fine) thus drying/seasoning the wood faster. The big advantage (if it works!!) would be that it's very inexpensive to make, and, you could move it around to your various stacks as opposed to having to load a solar kiln, and then re-load it with new wood over and over. I'm tempted to try it next summer......
NP
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