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Parkland Permaculture
Parkland Permaculture
Details
Commenced:
01/11/2014
Submitted:
08/01/2015
Last updated:
01/11/2015
Location:
Box 141 2 Mountain Avenue, Kelwood, Manitoba, CA
Phone:
(204) 967-2739
Climate zone:
Cold Temperate





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Parkland Permaculture

Parkland Permaculture

Kelwood, CA


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Angelika Fijalkowska Davis Ben Jackie Lehn Ride well Sara Elbohy Silke Burger simo devine simo devine Slade Doyle Virginia Huynh

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Solar Kiln Update

Project: Parkland Permaculture

Posted by Tim Engbrecht over 8 years ago

So I've finally finished my solar kiln, and as I write, it is in the process of drying a lovely load of local ash.

The build cost somewhere between $1000 - $2000 dollars, all told, and probably took in the neighbourhood of 50 - 100 hours to complete, working nearly exclusively by myself.  If I did it again, it would certainly go quite a bit faster, since I wouldn't have to trouble-shoot as I went along.

The kiln is a smaller, modified design based on this article: http://www.homepower.com/view/?file=HP63_pg50_Scanlin

...but whereas theirs can accommodate 16 foot lumber, I built mine with a 12 foot by 8 foot base (3 sheets of plywoood), which provides sufficient capacity to dry just under 1000 board-feet of lumber with a maximum length of 11 ft 2 inches.

The kiln runs on 2 solar (pv) cells which drive an array of 17 small 12-volt fans mounted in a knee-wall on the south side of the kiln.  These draw air through the heat-exchanger (5 layers of black aluminum window screen) which runs in the structure's rafter cavity, and blows the heated air through the lumber stack whenever the sun is shining.  There is no battery storage--when the sun shines, the fans blow.

So far, the HOTTEST temperature I've observed in the kiln was at 4:30pm on September 18th, when it hit a whopping 80.4 CELSIUS (177 degrees F.)!

Of course it cools off every evening, which permits the lumber to 'rest' and allows moisture levels to regulate, which apparently is desireable to prevent case-hardening and other stresses in the wood.

This kiln was born out of high lumber prices and access to a woodlot, which resulted in my purchase of a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LT15). From my calculation, the kiln will pay for both itself AND the sawmill before it has finished drying its second load of hardwood! (calculated based on the current price of hardwood like white oak and ash, which I have a significant supply of, even if I restrict myself to windfall.)

Here are some pictures of the finished kiln!  I would be happy to make plans available or discuss the project in more detail, if anyone is interested!

-Tim Engbrecht

Parkland Permaculture

Kiln loaded with concrete weights on top layers Kiln side view Kiln south side glazing Kiln clean doors open Kiln interior beginning to load

Comments (5)

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Tim Engbrecht
Tim Engbrecht : I am having difficulty uploading pictures with this post. Hopefully this can be fixed shortly!
Posted over 8 years ago

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Tim Engbrecht
Tim Engbrecht : Update: The kiln has now been in operation for more than 3 years. So far it has performed flawlessly, drying many loads of lumber including oak, ash, Manitoba maple, pine, and spruce. Additionally, I have used it for drying wet tents after camping trips, speed-curing linseed-oil treated wood, dehydrating food/berries, etc... My high temperature so far is 84 degrees Celsius, and on a TYPICAL sunny day, the kiln will be 50 degrees above ambient temperature by 3pm--although I have seen it as high as 75 degrees above ambient in winter!
Posted about 6 years ago

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Robert Hones
Robert Hones : We know how to keep your engine running like new. Our fully certified mechanics have over 20 combined years of experience–they can handle any size job. Pro Oxnard Concrete
Posted 3 months ago

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Kate Wilson
Kate Wilson : We’ll use advanced diagnostic tools to identify the root cause of any issues and determine the best course of action for repair. truck repair services
Posted 3 months ago

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San Concrete
San Concrete : We ensure that your cabin maintains a refreshingly cool temperature so you can get through that journey (and that game). Big Daddy Towing
Posted 3 months ago

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