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Crockpot lid on or off

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Brown Thumb

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Do you put your lid on or off.
I cannot get the sweet spot I am looking for.
medium crock setting i low eighties rh.
high setting is high nineties rh.
i have the lid off.
i have it in my flue cure chamber. Temp is controlled by the normal setup it has.
 

DGBAMA

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I use no lid. I have a water heater thermostat wired in to turn the crock on and off at desired temp. If humidity gets too high i vent the chamber a bit.
 

Knucklehead

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Do you put your lid on or off.
I cannot get the sweet spot I am looking for.
medium crock setting i low eighties rh.
high setting is high nineties rh.
i have the lid off.
i have it in my flue cure chamber. Temp is controlled by the normal setup it has.

I've seen kilns on the forum with the lid half on/ half off. I've also seen homemade lids with cutouts in them. I've seen humidity controlled with auto or manual venting. The venting will also vent heat, so I think if you're happy with the heat try to block a little of the moisture coming off the crockpot and see what happens. That may block heat too, I don't know but play with it. Play with the lid and venting if you need to for that sweet spot.
 

Knucklehead

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yeah, boboro has a good point, try the crock pot on low and if humidity is right, raise the heat another way, like with light bulbs or a small heater the way BAMA did.
 

deluxestogie

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For my small kiln as well as my Cozy Can (as a kiln), I keep the lid fully on the 2 qt. Crockpot, with the heat on "Lo". The ceramic lip of a Crockpot is usually designed to allow pressure to easily escape. I keep the lids on in order to minimize the temp and humidity swings.

Bob
 

Knucklehead

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You have a huge kiln, keep in mind that one reason you are getting so many different answers and so many solutions is that the size of most of the kilns, except the freezers, are of a different size and volume. I think everyone has to play around with all the variables until the right combination is found for what will work with your kiln.
 

AmaxB

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I wasn't going to put this out here "but what the hell"
For future when kilning ... you can remove humidity control from the process using 1 or more plastic tubs with lids (this takes care of the humidity - you control only the temperature)
Be sure the tub is clean (ZipLock now makes a tub with a seal & Wal-Mart carries them)
With misting bottle and pure water mist the inside bottom of the tub heavily
Add 2-3 inches of tobacco and mist medium
Repeat creating layers of tobacco until the tub is full
Secure the lid to the tub and place in your kiln
For VA bright and many Burleys - Set temp to 120F to 125F ambient - You must learn to Judge but about every 2 days remove the tub and remove the lid feel the tobacco top, middle, bottom to see how well it is holding the moisture. If fairly moist middle and bottom just mist the top replace the lid and put it back in the chamber. If dry remove the tobacco in 3 layers or separate parts mist the tub bottom and place the top layer in the bottom, mist and place the bottom layer in the middle, mist and place the middle layer on the top, mist and put the lid on than place the tub back in the chamber. If at the end of a week and you have not broken and rotated the tobacco than you want to do this. This should be done every 5 to 8 days. The end of the second week start taking a samples every few days smoke test the sample. When it gets to where you like it stop the process and bag for safe keeping. To improve further kiln a second time after the tobacco has rested a minimum of 2 weeks. Bright Leaf can become a wonderful cigarette tobacco all by it's self if processed correctly.
 

Jitterbugdude

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This is what I've been doing for 2 years now but I've been using Canning Jars. They don't hold a lot but then again I have enough tobacco in storage that I do not need to kiln much tobacco, just small batches of the most recent grow. I try to avoid plastic. I get enough in my body from our toxic environment.
 

Brown Thumb

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I'm trying to figure the amount of rh output of the crock with the lid on off ect. I stole my wife's 7qt but Picked up a 6qt for 19.99 before I got thru out to the dog pen.
I have the Baccy in 2 1/2 gallon bags. 30 bags in kiln now it can do 90.
running on the low rh side might have to get another pot.
image.jpg
 

BarG

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my fridge kiln requires me to keep the lid skewed,half on half off on a hi heat setting. That was during summer time temps inside my shop area. . If I kiln this winter it will undoubtably be different. You will have to play to find your sweetspot to keep from being to dry or to moist to start moulding, probably first noticibal on upper stem. [ depending] Thats called CYA.
 

Brown Thumb

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I finally got your ytb and big gem out of the kiln turned out good I think I prefer the big gem to ytb
I flue cured them.
I like the big gem also, very smooth.
the YTB is a little harsh for a burly I think, the flue curing might have done that to it.
as soon as I get the batch out of the kiln I will be able to compare them and see if it made it harsh.
i have only tried it it my pipe so far.
 
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