Airflow in curing chamber

[Steve2md]

ok tempbond, i get where you are coming from now....GADGETS!!! love em! please post pics of your build so we can all bask in their glory. Just remember, you started with 0 tobacco in your hand, in the end, even if the pooch gets screwed, the worst that can happen is still no baccy in hand and you have then paid for a learning experience. I would definitely heed Bob's (deluxestogie) advice as often as you can. he's got a head full of knowledge on his shoulders and has been so far more than happy to share it.

Enjoy the hobby brother!
Steve

 

[FmGrowit]

Honestly!...All of you guys impress the hell out of me. This is really great team work. Congrats to you all...really!

 

[deluxestogie]

what setting do you have your crock-pot on ,, low.. med. high???

Chicken,
My little kiln uses a 2 quart Crockpot. I leave it set to "low." I control the humidity using the lid on the Crockpot. As it turns out, just having the lid fully in place gives me ~75% RH. I add only 1-1/2 cups of water each time that it runs dry. A cup of rock salt inside the kiln buffers the humidity.

Sébastien,
With two separated chambers, I would be inclined to leave them separated, and have the option of running a different temp/RH regimen in each. Since you will be kilning cured leaf, the need for copious ventilation would seem to be minimal. Substantial ventilation will, of course, become necessary if you use an aggressive humidification device.

I should point out that if the humidification source is also the heat source (as with a Crockpot), then ample insulation is needed to keep the humidity from rising too high.

Bob

 

[tempbond]

Chicken, that's gonna be a huge kiln !

If you are looking for some water heater thermostats that go high, I found some at Home Depot.

http://db.tt/4jIEcevm

 

[tempbond]

ok tempbond, i get where you are coming from now....GADGETS!!! love em! please post pics of your build so we can all bask in their glory. Just remember, you started with 0 tobacco in your hand, in the end, even if the pooch gets screwed, the worst that can happen is still no baccy in hand and you have then paid for a learning experience. I would definitely heed Bob's (deluxestogie) advice as often as you can. he's got a head full of knowledge on his shoulders and has been so far more than happy to share it.

Enjoy the hobby brother!
Steve

I will post pics, but it won't be very soon, because I'm still busy transplanting my tobacco plants to the backyard. I have about 70 in the ground, about 90 more to go. I think I went a bit overboard for my first batch...

 

[tempbond]

I should point out that if the humidification source is also the heat source (as with a Crockpot), then ample insulation is needed to keep the humidity from rising too high.

Bob

The Crockpot will only be used for heat.

By the way, has anyone ever used an electric baseboard heater in a kiln ? I would think it would be very durable...
Something like this one : http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=202692063&R=202692063

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I have not, but 500 watts is a hell of a lot for a kiln.

 

[Chicken]

Chicken, that's gonna be a huge kiln !

If you are looking for some water heater thermostats that go high, I found some at Home Depot.

http://db.tt/4jIEcevm

it acyually aint that huge, compared to the ammount of baccy i plan on throwing in there,

once i get it all colour-cured, i plan on making hands, and filling it slap up,,,

and yes when the time comes i plan on mounting the gadgets up to a thermostat controller,

how fancy of a controller,??????

a digital one would be nice, with a outside mount, showing temp and rh, at a glance,

 

[deluxestogie]

I have considered a small (~30" long) baseboard heater as a practical heat source for a flue-curing chamber. So far as I can tell, all of them sold in the US contain an internal, automatic cutoff switch to prevent it from overheating. I don't know the cutoff temp. 180ºF would be OK, but any lower, and it would have to be removed or bypassed. My thought was to rig it with a "commercial" 180ºF max water heater thermostat, which costs the same as a standard water heater thermostat, but has to be special ordered for "non-residential use."

Bob

 

[Steve2md]

someone posted a digital temp controller here a while back. I had to order one. I ended up using it on one of my other grows to run a window ac unit, and a heater. The damn thing works great and is as gadget-y as they get, but it is easy to wire up and mounts flush. can't ask for much more than that!

 

[tempbond]

I have not, but 500 watts is a hell of a lot for a kiln.

Maybe to make some "fireless" fire cured...LOL

But electric baseboards don't produce instant heat, it takes some time for the metal fins inside to heat up, so the full 500 watts would never be at maximum level. Also, connected to an appropriate thermostat, it would deliver short cycles of heat, not like the almost continuous functionning of a crockpot. That way, the unit would last longer, especially since it's designed to have a very long lifespan.

As a matter of fact, you could even use a fan heater, which would provide air circulation as well as heat.
Something like this : http://www.homedepot.ca/product/portable-fan-heater-with-thermostat/918974

 

[Chicken]

very good thread with all types of good info. on kiln spec's.

i was just looking at some thermostat / humidity controllers,

a item you plug your heater,,,and humidity maker in, and it regulates them both, at pre-set rh. and temp settings,

i'd like to set the crock-pots, to it, and my heater device to it,,,,

but i have no idea which one would suit me best,,, COST is a issue, i dont have a lot to spend on it,

e-bay has all kinds of these things, but which one,????

 

[Chicken]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PLUG-N-GROW...614?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6e9ad0b6

..http://www.ebay.com/itm/Humidity-Te...480?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d12b6138

this part of the equation has me baffled,

 

[LeftyRighty]

I'm in the process of building a better kiln/fermentor this summer - looking for a large freezer chest as the box now. Not that easy to find one. Most of the appliance dealers send the old ones direct to be shredded for scrap, and don't want to mess with saving one for me.

After messing with my ole kiln, frustrating as the crockpot can be at times, I think it is the best overall solution for heat/humidity. Going to use the crockpot in my new kiln.

Steve2md--- it this the temp control you're refering to:
http://www.climatedoctors.com/items/item.aspx?itemid=429705
I got one for my new kiln. Am wiring this, and fans and all for easy 110/120 volt system.
Am also going to install a $15 hotwater heater thermostat, set at 130 degrees cutoff, in front of all the other controls, crockpots and fans, just for the peace of mind factor.

 

[darren1979]

Chicken im in the process of building my kiln and im gonna buy this thermostat http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Digi...?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item4aaf6c7b76 and this humidity sensor http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Humidifie...arden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item3cc6d9d8d0 most a hong kong sellers and ship free to the u.s

 

[Chicken]

both of those look good, and ive seen them on e-bay,,,

ive researched the options extensivlly, it's just right now, it's getting crunch time,

the kiln is built, now i gotta get the inside items, which 3/4 i allready have,,,

but these comtrollers are going to be a addition,,, and i want to do it right the first time.

 

[johnlee1933]

As a matter of fact, you could even use a fan heater, which would provide air circulation as well as heat.
Something like this : http://www.homedepot.ca/product/portable-fan-heater-with-thermostat/918974

I have one of those fan heaters. It has an internal thermostat the maxes at 80F. You'd have to figure a way around that. Plus they're plastic. Would the plastic handle the temps you are considering?

What about the heating element from an electric dryer? Certainly heavy duty. Available in 110 and 208V models. Might be got from a dead dryer (That's where I got mine.)

John

 

[deluxestogie]

...the almost continuous functioning of a crockpot.

The Crockpot should always be controlled through a separate thermostat. Because of the large quantity of ceramic in the pot part of it, it heats gradually (on "low"), and retains the heat. In observing my setup, I found that the Crockpot was receiving current from the thermostat about 1/3 of the time. I assume that the load from the "low" setting is between 50 and 75 Watts (since "High" is rated as 100 Watts). My 2 quart Crockpot cost $2.94 on sale at Walmart. They last a long, long time.

It is certainly possible to spend a lot more money on more finely calibrated equipment, but the kilning requirements are so flexible that it doesn't matter very much.

Bob

 

[tempbond]

it acyually aint that huge, compared to the ammount of baccy i plan on throwing in there,

once i get it all colour-cured, i plan on making hands, and filling it slap up,,,

and yes when the time comes i plan on mounting the gadgets up to a thermostat controller,

how fancy of a controller,??????

a digital one would be nice, with a outside mount, showing temp and rh, at a glance,

someone posted a digital temp controller here a while back. I had to order one. I ended up using it on one of my other grows to run a window ac unit, and a heater. The damn thing works great and is as gadget-y as they get, but it is easy to wire up and mounts flush. can't ask for much more than that!

I posted that ! Here you go : http://fairtradetobacco.com/showthread.php?806-Temperature-and-humidity-controllers

Those are the controllers I'm gonna use in my fridge kiln.

Steve, glad to know it works !

 

[Chicken]

im getting all exited, about the info. on these gadget's.

i was gonna go with a heater element controller for a hot water heater,

but i may go high class, and go digital<