Humidity in home made Kiln?

[Bramleyjordan]

Hello all,

Me again

I have made a kiln out of insulation. I have a small slow cooker (Crock pot as you may refer to) to raise the temp and humidity however, after testing to see if this works, I am able to achieve 51 Degrees but unable to get the humidity over 50%. Any ideas on how I can achieve this?

I have discovered there are small leaks in the door of my kiln so am working on getting that addressed (Which may solve my issue here) but wanted to get some expert advise . Does a small fan need to be added into the kiln for air circulation or is this not necessary?

Thanks!

EDIT: 51 Degrees Celsius*

 

[deluxestogie]

If there is still water in your slow cooker, then the likely cause of the low humidity is a poor seal of the chamber: joins, door, etc.

Once the kiln is loaded with tobacco, then a fan will improve the uniformity of heat distribution.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

I agree with Deluxestogie but wanted to point out that the humidity may shift somewhat until the leaf and air stabilize. If I put dry leaf in the kiln, the humidity will read low until the leaf has absorbed enough moisture.

I used foam door weatherstrip like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frost-King-10-ft-x-4-1-5-in-Grey-Vinyl-Foam-Door-Weatherstrip/1001065442

edit: and sealed the seams with house wrap tape:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tyvek-Tape-1-88-in-x-164-ft-Housewrap-Tape/3063623

 

[Bramleyjordan]

I agree with Deluxestogie but wanted to point out that the humidity may shift somewhat until the leaf and air stabilize. If I put dry leaf in the kiln, the humidity will read low until the leaf has absorbed enough moisture.

I used foam door weatherstrip like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frost-King-10-ft-x-4-1-5-in-Grey-Vinyl-Foam-Door-Weatherstrip/1001065442

edit: and sealed the seams with house wrap tape:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tyvek-Tape-1-88-in-x-164-ft-Housewrap-Tape/3063623

Thanks but I am unable to find those items on UK sites The weatherstrip seems to be plastic.. not sure if it will do the same job (https://www.diy.com/departments/dia...SN5uJRoCTPwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&storeId=1017)

And not sure on what the tape should be, I have used this to seal the box together https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Self-Adhesive-Foil-Tape---50mm-x-45m/p/161265

 

[Knucklehead]

Thanks but I am unable to find those items on UK sites The weatherstrip seems to be plastic.. not sure if it will do the same job (https://www.diy.com/departments/dia...SN5uJRoCTPwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&storeId=1017)

And not sure on what the tape should be, I have used this to seal the box together https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Self-Adhesive-Foil-Tape---50mm-x-45m/p/161265

That seal will work nicely. If you press + to enlarge the larger photo you will see it is a foam rubber and will work good as you want it to compress enough at the high spots to fill the low spots. The foil tape will also work perfectly as it’s made for heating and air. Good finds.

 

[Bramleyjordan]

That seal will work nicely. If you press + to enlarge the larger photo you will see it is a foam rubber and will work good as you want it to compress enough at the high spots to fill the low spots. The foil tape will also work perfectly as it’s made for heating and air. Good finds.

Thank you! I have ordered the parts and will hopefully seal the gaps. Will let you know how I get on

 

[Bramleyjordan]

That seal will work nicely. If you press + to enlarge the larger photo you will see it is a foam rubber and will work good as you want it to compress enough at the high spots to fill the low spots. The foil tape will also work perfectly as it’s made for heating and air. Good finds.

Hey Knucklehead, it seems I have mended my kilt now with the products I mentioned. Am now seeing around 50c and 75% humidity. Just wanted to ask, if I hang the leaves, do I have to open the kiln at all duing the 4 weeks? I think I read that if they are stacked they will need shuffling daily to prevent mold but am wondering if this is needed if hanging.
Thanks

 

[deluxestogie]

My 6 quart Crockpot runs out of water every 3 to 5 days, depending on the ambient temperature. So if you need to open the kiln to refill the water, then yes, you will need to open the kiln. Mark the refill dates on a calendar. Check it after 2 days, initially, then space that out from observation, so that the water is refilled when it runs dry.

To refill, I unplug the Crockpot, then wait for the kiln temp to fall below about 110°F. Then I refill the Crockpot with my hottest tap water.

Bob

 

[Bramleyjordan]

My 6 quart Crockpot runs out of water every 3 to 5 days, depending on the ambient temperature. So if you need to open the kiln to refill the water, then yes, you will need to open the kiln. Mark the refill dates on a calendar. Check it after 2 days, initially, then space that out from observation, so that the water is refilled when it runs dry.

To refill, I unplug the Crockpot, then wait for the kiln temp to fall below about 110°F. Then I refill the Crockpot with my hottest tap water.

Bob

That is a very good point that I overlooked! Diddnt take into account the water thanks for the advice

 

[Bramleyjordan]

Hey guys, thought you may like to see my finished home made kiln! Just waiting on the temp control unit and the leaves to become ready but can achieve 51 degrees c and 70-80% humidity. Cost in total around £70 and a bit of 'bodging'. Thanks all for the suggestions! This forum is literally the 'Google' for tobacco

 

[stuart1]

Great work, looks like a good set up thanks for sharing

 

[Bramleyjordan]

Great work, looks like a good set up thanks for sharing

Thank you! I haven't really done anything like this before but found it quite easy!

 

[stuart1]

Thank you! I haven't really done anything like this before but found it quite easy!

That’s encouraging as also in the uk and hoping to give it a go this year

 

[Bramleyjordan]

That’s encouraging as also in the uk and hoping to give it a go this year

Nice! Good luck!