Kiln Question

[Thedbs999]

Iam doing a test run on my kiln. Only a test as most of my leaves are still air curing. Plus I will be away for a couple weeks, and i don't want to be running a kiln and not be home.

Iam running the test using a thermostat and it seems to be running the crock pot fine. So my question is, Am i Ok with a humidity of 61% or should I try boosting it up some more to 70%???

Dan

 

[deluxestogie]

I'm confused. Are the statements about not running the kiln, and the question regarding ideal humidity related?

Bob

 

[Thedbs999]

Iam doing a test to see if I've got my kiln dialed in to temp and humidity for when I actually put leaves in it in a couple weeks.

Right now the crock pot is turned on to the high setting with water in it, and it is heating very well. My readings inside the kiln on a digital meter are temperature 120-125 degrees, and the humidity keeps reading at 61%. I was just wondering if 61% humidity was Ok or should I do more to increase the humidity.

Dan

 

[deluxestogie]

It will likely work at 61% RH, though I try to get at least 70%. Is there a lid on the Crockpot? If so, you can set it ajar, or remove it entirely (which is how I run my kiln). Also, you might check it with the low setting on the Crockpot.

Bob

 

[Thedbs999]

Thanks Bob.

I'll work the humidity up to 70%. I've been working on the lid being ajar. I'm sure I'll hit the sweet spot.

Dan

 

[deluxestogie]

The bad news is that the ambient temperature and humidity outside the kiln influences the humidity inside the kiln. (My kiln is in my enclosed back porch. Even though open to my kitchen, the porch gets toasty in the summer and chilly in the winter.) When it's chilly, the Crockpot works harder to maintain temp, and the more frequent cycling may evaporate more of its water. Whenever I get it set perfectly, the weatherman changes the rules.

That's pretty much the reason that I just leave my Crockpot lid off all the time. But if your kiln condenses as drips excess water, you've got to fiddle with the lid to keep down the humidity. The tobacco doesn't care (at 125ºF) what the humidity is, so long as it has enough moisture to carry out the oxidation reactions in the leaf.

Bob

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

I believe they call that equilibrium. Or at least that was one of the things we talked about in college chemistry. Nature is constantly trying to find it. Isn't that what weather is all about?

Wes H.

 

[deluxestogie]

You might think that at a given internal kiln temp, the rate of water evaporation from the Crockpot would remain constant--equilibrium. Since the kiln is not a closed system (imperfect insulation and vapor leaks), and because the Crockpot itself does not regulate to a specific temperature, but rather cycles on and off at the behest of the separate controller, the external temp disturbs the kiln system, and external humidity influences the evaporative cooling from vapor leak. And then there is the matter of the lag time between the Crockpot turning off its heat element when the set temp is reached, and the excess latent heat in the ceramic, causing temp overshoot. It's too many variable for me to solve.

So Wes is correct. It is roughly the equilibrium of the kiln plus its environment, which is influenced by the weather, which is in turn influenced by atmospheric chaos and general climate.

I just leave the lid off, and refill the water when needed. Otherwise, my brain hurts.

Bob

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

To paraphrase what that man said in that movie..."Nature finds a way"...to steal your water vapor! (actually he said "Life finds a way", hence the paraphrase.)

And as I recall, equilibrium was a complex and chaotic subject. Hence the mathematical discipline called "chaos theory". That is if you are into some really mind-bending stuff. My brain is twisted enough without all that weirdness too.

Wes H.

P.S. Bob: don't let your head explode...I don't want to have to clean up the mess! (Just kidding! it must be late in the day.)