Sorry. I am unfamiliar with Uncle Auggie. But why prolong the journey? I think some vents at the top too would greatly increase effectiveness. The only problem I see with solar kilns in general is you increase humidity—(unless it’s well vented) which in counterproductive for drying. Open air circulation seems a better option to me.
The answer to your questions are in the thread in Tim’s post #32. The short answer is your suppositions are incorrect. This style kiln has proven very effective and is very popular with the sawmill/hobby lumber crowd. If you have the space/time for open air seasoning, then cool. The op stated he does not. I’d hate to see this thread turn into the píssing match the uncle auggie thread did.
We have some IBC totes, the bottom has a few holes for drainage. I'm thinking of stacking 1 with oak and wrapping it. Our company has a couple stretch hooders, very tough plastic. Might see if they would run a couple the machine. It seals the top and then pulls the bag over the pallet.
Solar Kiln Firewood Drying (35?) (Edit...oh, I see, #32 in this thread, is linked to the whole thread that is being referenced, not just a single post in that thread)
I read all the Augie thread and this one and I had already read a ton on this... how did he do the weep holes, I missed that. Just take a knife and stab some slits in the bottom or use a drill to make real 'holes' or what? How far apart are these weep holes spaced? TIA. Until I read this thread and learned about foregoing venting and using weep holes instead... I had never read about using weep holes. In all the other reading from posts over the past two-three years, it was always using venting to let moisture escape. Is anyone able to say what is the favored method now that some more years have gone by? Weep holes or venting? Is there one method that more people are using?
Thank you for the encouraging words! I agree with you about Uncle Augie’s thread. I thought his was approach was well thought out and he showed how well it worked (obviously, as I heavily utilized his process). It was a shame he got so fired up over member’s questions/doubts. The extra heat by fully enclosing the wood to me is the deciding factor and why I went with this design. Especially as I am not able to get a full day’s sun anywhere on my property, I try to build up the heat as much as possible.
I plan on revamping this kiln with windows in a few years (once the plastic breaks down). I am constantly cruising Facebook/Craigslist for some.
What you are describing would be my ultimate drool design. I would go with some sort of large Quonset but with greenhouse fabric that had a roll up door on either end. But that would necessitate getting a larger tractor, larger kiln floor plan, and larger place to store the dry wood . I think your wrapped IBC totes would work well. You would essentially be making lots of small solar kilns.
I didn’t space out or count the number of weep holes in the floor. They were made with the tip of a 16d nail so quite small in diameter. My kiln was heavily rained on 3-4 times before I finished the roof, so anywhere the water pooled I would poke holes to let the moisture escape. Probably 2-300 total. My original plan was the weep holes in the floor but I now think most of my moisture is escaping via 1) the weep holes I poked on the short side of the roof to let all the accumulated moisture escape and 2) the tall side of the roof - the roof piece hangs about 1.5 feet down the tall vertical wall and in that small gap there are consistently drops of water falling down the front face of the kiln.
If I had the time to get three years ahead on wood (my red oak requires that in my location), I would. Much simpler and wouldn’t have had to spend the money on my kiln. However, for the foreseeable future I won’t (too many kids and other priorities). So my only option is to either wait two more years to heat with wood again (yikes, propane prices ) or try a kiln.
Update, the shed is full - I will have to rethink the stacking situation next year. I didn’t leave enough space at the front of the kiln to squeeze in and get a full row at the front. I currently have a little over five full rows of red oak in there (~4.25 cords red oak) and once face cord honey locust. Next year I think I will put wood lattice on the inside of the kiln so I can stack my rows the other direction and leave myself a doorway to get in and out of the shed (this would also help protect the plastic in case one of my piles shifts inside the kiln). It would also allow me to utilize the wasted space you see at the front of the kiln (from about 6 feet to 9 feet tall). Today is partially sunny and ~75 degrees. I am seeing temps of 113 with about 40% relative humidity and water is dripping out of the kiln at a consistent rate. ps Don’t mind the ladder in front of the door. I have to figure out a way to secure the door as the latch I threw on there initially is not very secure.
What you want Jeff is a Stimson marine bow roof shed. They can be built pretty cheap with 1x4 strapping: The Bow Roof Shed by Stimson Marine should be pretty easy to modify into a solar kiln using greenhouse plastic sheeting.
Love it so far Spitfire0905 Main concern for me would be how well the plastic does where I circled- Might have been gooder to have hung a fascia board (and presumably the lower side) across the rafter ends. Otherwise- carry on.
Good greenhouse sheet plastic can last 5 or 6 years before it starts getting brittle and ripping as long as there are no sharp edges to chafe on in the wind or water/snow loads.
