Loaded in 2 cords yesterday afternoon. Stats at the time. Now 24 hrs later the stats are: Here's a video
5 days after loading the kiln, the wood is done. Time to unload. You can read about the 5 day process at our web site Kiln drying firewood
Jim, thanks for posting.. do you keep track of the number of kilowatts of electricity that are required to run a load through the kiln? Also, what is the R value of the insulation in the walls.. the L200M looks like a pretty formidable unit..
stuckinthemuck Yes, I do. This forum doesn't allow spreadsheet uploads so I can only give you a summary. The kiln consumed 529.6 kWHrs of electricity over the 5 day cycle. It also expelled 600L of water. 300L is equivalent to filling a standard sized bathtub. The drying process effectively reduced the weight of each cord by 300kg.
regarding insulation, here's a blog post on our web site about the process Spray Foam Insulation in the Kiln Building
You can take a screenshot of the spreadsheet and upload it.. looks like a pretty slick operation. Have you considered a different heat source to reduce your electric bill?
Oil and gas are out of the question. That leaves wood heat. For the cost of setting up an maintaining a fire, let alone the added risk, electrical is the best option. Besides, the amount of energy is acceptable in my opinion. The 4 kilowatt heating element is the only extra bit as you still need the 240V fans and kiln unit with compressor. When I looked at the elec meter while the heater was on, it was no different than the oven being on in the kitchen. Its a big spreadsheet with lots of data. I see that the forum allows a PDF, so I have uploaded it as that.
