You can also get computer fans that run off of AC, usually they are sold as fans for tanning bed machines, etc. I used one when I built my own laboratory equipment when I needed a 5 liter Erlenmeyer flask when I was growing yeast cultures for my yeast library back when I was seriously into brewing so you can find definitely find them out there if you really must have an AC variant. I am vaguely sure I bought that particular one from eBay at the time. AC will have more torque than the DC which I needed to move 5 liters of liquid with a bar magnet stirrer but either can be hooked up to a controller of some sort, whether you drive AC directly or DC indirectly through a transformer/wall wart its the same principle in play. I wouldn't fuss the details and end up in "analysis paralysis" as getting started is the most important step to completing any project. Moving air you don't need as much torque in play, if you want higher volumes then squirrel cage fans is what I used when moving large volumes of air against restrictive HEPA filters when I build a laminar flow hood for sterile mushroom cultivation. Either way just get started, the folks here will help you out if you run into any issues.
Deluxestogie's Endoskeletal Wood Tobacco Kiln / Flue-cure chamber
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
A transformer?! Like on the powerlines? Wow...
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
Hopefully sometime in the next 2 days i will get to take a better look. It might not be stained. The light sucks in the attic and the wood appears quite dry. It was unclear whether it was varnished of just that color from years in the attic. I been here 4 years and it was there when i moved in!
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
A comparable 4 qt crockpot uses about 170w.
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
So i know varnished/finished wood is out but is treated wood acceptable? I went into the attic and got my hands on it after i evicted the slithering guardian (about 5' long) and was able to confirm it is not in fact varnished but it is treated. A couple short 1x4s but a few nice 1x6s and 1 2x4. There are 2 2x2s in garage...1 was closely guarded by the serpent i exercised from my residence! Lol
Attachments
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
Its tail coiled around past its head! Unsure if a copperhead or oak snake or what?
You're asking if you can use wood after the hospital has treated you for snakebite? I would not use treated wood for burning, smoking, or any contact with food. It is "treated" to be toxic to insects. Heating it is likely to release toxic vapors.
I can't see the head of the snake clearly. If it is not roughly triangular (the back of the head significantly wider than the neck), then I would guess it is a bullsnake.
Bob
I can't see the head of the snake clearly. If it is not roughly triangular (the back of the head significantly wider than the neck), then I would guess it is a bullsnake.
Bob
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
So just plain old wood? Poo i was hoping to cut cost but i really like the endoskeletal concept.
Cray Squirrel
Squirreled a lot!!
Put an ad on Craigslist for used building materials, that you would take down a shed or old garage for materials. That you will haul away materials free. An enterprising young man answered my craigslist ad giving away firewood. Has a small sawmill that he's been using to make lumber for different uses.
Go big time, sell a kidney and do an excellent kiln.
Homegrowngoodnes
Well-Known Member
My luck id sell a good kidney n be left with a bad one
@deluxestogie , Hi, I think i found same controller as yours, isn't it ?
https://electronic.bg/Електронен-Програмируем--Терморегулатор
I need to ask you about wiring.
Are these extensions you have put required, or you put them to have enough lenght of the cables to work with. Couldn't crockpot cable go directly into the controller?
Can be done as simple as this ?
https://electronic.bg/Електронен-Програмируем--Терморегулатор
I need to ask you about wiring.
Are these extensions you have put required, or you put them to have enough lenght of the cables to work with. Couldn't crockpot cable go directly into the controller?
Can be done as simple as this ?
That will work. I find having an extension between the controller and the Crockpot cord allows me to unplug it a few hours before I add more water. The fan continues to run on its own circuit. The extension also allows me to add another heating device, if I needed to do that—and both would work from the same control.
I mark my wall calendar for when I will need to add water again. This varies with ambient temperature. During the summer, I add water every 5 days. During the coldest of winter, that may be as often as every two days. (This is a 7 quart Crockpot.) The morning of a day that water will be added, I unplug the Crockpot. I then glance at the temperature display every 1 or 2 hours, until the temp has fallen to about 110°F. Then I refill the Crockpot with hot water from my kitchen faucet. This prevents the crockery from cracking due to temperature shock. Once the Crockpot is refilled, I plug in the Crockpot again, and mark the calendar for the next refill.
If the Crockpot is empty when I go to refill it, but the open-bagged leaf in the kiln is still pliable, then I keep the same refill interval. If the leaf has fully dried, then I reduce the refill interval by 1 day.
Bob
My controller was hardwired. (Yours may be different) Rather than cut the plug off the crockpot to hardwire into the controller, I cut the extension cord in half. The male end went to the outlet, the female end met the crock pot plug inside the kiln. I felt the crock pot may go bad before the extension cord went bad, in which case I could just unplug the bad crock pot and simply replace it rather than having to rewire the whole set up.
Knuckleheads Wooden Box Kiln Build
... the miracle of siphoning work to automatically fill the crockpot. Then it will always be full, which I found to not be a good thing. Others have been satisfied with that approach. Bob
I mounted my controller and wiring in a 4x4x4" inch plastic electrical box. I used a jigsaw to cut the hole in the lid for the controller. I also mounted the three speed fan switch in a box for the bathroom exhaust fan, designed for moist environments. A light dimmer switch is not recommended to control a fan as they are not designed to carry that load and can be a fire hazard. Safety first.
I think I'm on my 3rd Crockpot. Using it to do flue-curing seems to toast the wiring insulation of the Crockpot.
Bob
How long do you get one to last on average? Has the crock ever cracked on you?.. mine is getting right crusty with hard water scale from the constant evaporation of cruddy tap water. I suppose that buildup will eventually exert enough pressure under heat to break it.
If I don't do a flue-cure run, and avoid thermal shock at refill time, the Crockpot lasts indefinitely. I've cracked one, by pouring cold water into a hot, empty Crockpot.
As for scale buildup, I remove the ceramic pot at least once a year, physically scrape away most of the minerals, then allow it to soak in a vinegar solution, to dissolve the remainder of the scale.
Bob
The fan just circulates the air for even temps and humidity throughout. Without circulation the leaf can sweat against the chamber wall.
If you plan to use your chamber to flue cure, you will need to provide a vent (not necessarily a power vent). In flue curing you start with green leaf and there will be alot of moisture given off by the process that moisture will need to be vented off. For kilning, you start with cured leaf and I do not use a vent although some members do use a vent.
I'm going to put yellow leafs so I might skip the fan.
Ok, but I will have to cut mine, cause I'm going to use a fridge, thus will need to make a big hole for the plug to pass trough.
It might be interesting to see if you can gain access to the terminals inside the crockpot. It they are screwed on with terminal ends you could just disconnect the whole wire and pass the wire through your small hole then reattach with the screws. If they are soldered on, you may want to cut if you're not comfortable with solder. I'm just guessing, I'm not looking at one right now.
Similar threads
