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Natural gas kiln?

3800

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I'm thinking about putting in a NG ventless wall heater in my insulated pole barn office with ceiling fan and turn it into a big kiln. What I found is that the ventless wall heaters max out at 118F.. Is this too much colder than ideal parameters resulting in a mold mess of a room or will a few degrees probably not matter? Or is there something additional that could help? Is the mold graph linear that it keeps growing faster until a certain temperature or is it like a bell curve that by 118 its back down to growing very slowly like it would at say 40F?
 

deluxestogie

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I see two problems with a ventless NG heater.
  1. Unvented gas heat will dramatically increase the production of carcinogenic compounds---tobacco specific nitrosamines--in curing tobacco (and is not allowed for commercial production, for that reason).
  2. You really do need to stay mostly above 122°F to halt vegetative mold growth. Even at 122°F, the mold is not killed. It just can't grow until the temp drops below 122°F.
As for linear vs bell curve, mold, like all life, inhabits bell-curve-shaped environmental conditions. Mold grows best within its "typical" temp and humidity ranges. So yes, it grows more slowly at 121°F than at 90°F. A kiln that consistently runs above 122°F is in a "set it and forget it" temp range, in which the humidity doesn't matter, and you simply will not get mold (assuming good air circulation for even heating). If you maintain a kiln at temps below that, then plan on frequently checking all the leaf for mold growth. Leaf that is thinking about molding can go from apparently mold-free to covered with blue fuzz overnight.

Bob
 

deluxestogie

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Effect-of-temperature-on-the-growth-of-fungi.jpg
 

Cray Squirrel

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If you really needed that much kilning space you could set up a small, possibly used hydronic boiler with a couple base board heat exchangers inside the room.
 

3800

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I don't need the kiln space as much as I need more total space in the barn and more aged leaves. I figure I can stay out of the office for a month but I don't think I can store a big foam box all year. I'm more motivated than in the past because last week I was going to roll some cigars so I moistened my box of leaves, got pulled away, and when I got back to it the whole box was molded. The rest of last year's crop all gone. I don't think I'll store all my eggs in the same basket anymore.
 

Cray Squirrel

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I don't need the kiln space as much as I need more total space in the barn and more aged leaves. I figure I can stay out of the office for a month but I don't think I can store a big foam box all year. I'm more motivated than in the past because last week I was going to roll some cigars so I moistened my box of leaves, got pulled away, and when I got back to it the whole box was molded. The rest of last year's crop all gone. I don't think I'll store all my eggs in the same basket anymore.
Wow that really bites...grrr..
Do you have an overhead or attic you can use? Lots of people are using their attics and overhead to cure their leaf.
Have a closet or such to glue in some insulation that could make it heatable for temporary? An old freezer or even a box that you could kill with using a crockpot for heat and then stick the rig our behind the barn after you're done? Heck could probably even set it up outside. Big thing is having an accurate controller for the heat from a dry crockpot with your leaf in case and in bags. Check every few days at first to make sure the leaves have enough moisture for the amalases to convert the starch etc.
At least if you lost your leaf, you can buy some from Don.
 

peterd

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Accurately controlling heat is accomplished with an industrial PID controller. You don’t need a fancy one, something like this would suffice for anything electrically driven. I have similar one to these, all these came under many different brand stamps but likely same factory, on my lead smelter to turn it into a very accurate device so I don’t create alloys of metals when I don’t want to.
 

Cray Squirrel

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Accurately controlling heat is accomplished with an industrial PID controller. You don’t need a fancy one, something like this would suffice for anything electrically driven. I have similar one to these, all these came under many different brand stamps but likely same factory, on my lead smelter to turn it into a very accurate device so I don’t create alloys of metals when I don’t want to.
I like the trim line inkbird pretty well too. Bit more money but plenty accurate.
Maybe you could think above the box... a shelf or alcove kiln where it could stay all the time, maybe another use during off season. You could still have the office...
One of the members used his camper-RV .
 

3800

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How often should I check it if I built it into the trusses? It would mean moving table saw, router, tractor etc and setting up a step ladder each time but if it was only every other weekend I could do that.
 

Cray Squirrel

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How often should I check it if I built it into the trusses? It would mean moving table saw, router, tractor etc and setting up a step ladder each time but if it was only every other weekend I could do that.
Just have to keep the temperature under 128 to130 so you don't denature the amalases. At 128 to 130 it wont mold and in 6 was or less plus a week or 2 airing out so it can outta the nitrogen in the form of ammonia.
If it's in a sealed bag or plastic bin you won't need to check it.often. if it does dry out no biggie. You only lost a little time. Just remoisten and put the temperature to right zone. Might have to futter a bit for a week or so but once you establish a system you've got it.
 

Cray Squirrel

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What happens if it is in the sun?
Maybe get too hot? In that case it would kill the lower temp amalase that does most of the starch conversion to sugar. No idea here.
I wonder also if you could hold a temperature high enough in an uninsulated tent.
Anything you could use for a temporary place to kiln that you could get some insulation around. You only have to hold a temp below 130 F. Its not like flue curing where you have to get up into the high 160s to stem kill. Heck tape pink roll insulation up inside a closet.. set up a crock pot..must be a decent place for temporary if you think about it could be...hmmmm .
Some guys here use their hot attic of their house for a poor boy way to age bacca.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Maybe get too hot? In that case it would kill the lower temp amalase that does most of the starch conversion to sugar. No idea here.
I wonder also if you could hold a temperature high enough in an uninsulated tent.
Anything you could use for a temporary place to kiln that you could get some insulation around. You only have to hold a temp below 130 F. Its not like flue curing where you have to get up into the high 160s to stem kill. Heck tape pink roll insulation up inside a closet.. set up a crock pot..must be a decent place for temporary if you think about it could be...hmmmm .
Some guys here use their hot attic of their house for a poor boy way to age bacca.
I'm sorry. That's kinda gross. Fiberglass insulation near tobacco is a bad idea, and a crockpot in a sealed drywall closet... You're breeding mold for sure. Maybe not the tobacco, but surely in the wall.

The tent greenhouse is bigger than he needs, and would require to waste energy but it's a step in the right direction.
 

Cray Squirrel

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I'm sorry. That's kinda gross. Fiberglass insulation near tobacco is a bad idea, and a crockpot in a sealed drywall closet... You're breeding mold for sure. Maybe not the tobacco, but surely in the wall.

The tent greenhouse is bigger than he needs, and would require to waste energy but it's a step in the right direction.
I disagree with your suppositions. The insulation wouldn't be in contact and be separated from contact in any way with the tobacco.
Crock pot wouldnt need water if it were being run dry with the leaf in sealed bags or boxes.
 

Cray Squirrel

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I'm sorry. That's kinda gross. Fiberglass insulation near tobacco is a bad idea, and a crockpot in a sealed drywall closet... You're breeding mold for sure. Maybe not the tobacco, but surely in the wall.

The tent greenhouse is bigger than he needs, and would require to waste energy but it's a step in the right direction.
I disagree with your suppositions. The insulation wouldn't be in contact and be separated from contact in any way with the tobacco.
Crock pot wouldnt need water if it were being run dry with the leaf in sealed bags or boxes.
You do you.
Translation? Is that a misstype?
 
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