# Kiln dryer out of a shipping container



## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

Anyone here ever built a kiln dryer out of a shipping container? I was figuring if you install fans and vents and cut out the top and part of the sides so you can install the solar panels it woud work. What do you think, or am I missing something? 

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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You tube has one ...*

Seems like a great idea, but not a lot of examples I could find:






and then there are vacuum kilns:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

crookedkut said:


> Anyone here ever built a kiln dryer out of a shipping container? I was figuring if you install fans and vents and cut out the top and part of the sides so you can install the solar panels it woud work. What do you think, or am I missing something?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


You need something to heat the inside to 200 degrees.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

> You need something to heat the inside to 200 degrees.


Move the kiln to Arizona or New Mexico? A car can heat up to 140 degrees in the sun. The black paint on the metal should do the trick. I recall a man in Brooklyn, NY, frying eggs on the hood of his black car one summer.


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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

Steve Neul said:


> You need something to heat the inside to 200 degrees.


I live in South Texas. It gets pretty hot down here. I figure with the solar panels replacing the metal cutouts it may work. 

I had never thought about a vacuum kiln. Vacuum is used to remove all the moisture from AC systems in homes and vehicles. 

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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

crookedkut said:


> I live in South Texas. It gets pretty hot down here. I figure with the solar panels replacing the metal cutouts it may work.
> 
> I had never thought about a vacuum kiln. Vacuum is used to remove all the moisture from AC systems in homes and vehicles.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


The heat is needed to sterilize the wood. Often wood has insects deep inside the wood and if the wood is heated to 200 degrees all the way to the center of the wood it would kill any insect infestation the wood might have.


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## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

That's a rather interesting idea.


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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

Steve Neul said:


> The heat is needed to sterilize the wood. Often wood has insects deep inside the wood and if the wood is heated to 200 degrees all the way to the center of the wood it would kill any insect infestation the wood might have.


I am not doubting the heat theory at all. My question is why wouldn't a shipping container work if I treated it on the inside just like I would do to a wooden built kiln. The vents, fans and solar panels would still be there. You could probably buy a small shipping container cheaper that what you could pay to build a kiln dryer. 

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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*That 200 degrees isn't necessary accoring to these links*



Steve Neul said:


> The heat is needed to sterilize the wood. Often wood has insects deep inside the wood and if the wood is heated to 200 degrees all the way to the center of the wood it would kill any insect infestation the wood might have.


The temperature most often referenced is around 135 to 140 degrees. See the last paragraph here:
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Solar_Drying_Kiln_QampA.html

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/How_Much_Heat_is_Enough.html

Also here:
http://www.solarkilninfo.com/a-plac...elated-to-solar-kilns?func=view&catid=2&id=34


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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

woodnthings said:


> Seems like a great idea, but not a lot of examples I could find:
> My nyle L200 shipping container kiln I built. - YouTube
> 
> 
> ...


Wow how does that work? I would like more information on that system. 

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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

woodnthings said:


> Seems like a great idea, but not a lot of examples I could find:
> My nyle L200 shipping container kiln I built. - YouTube
> 
> 
> ...


This is interesting. Do you have plans for this?

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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

crookedkut said:


> This is interesting. Do you have plans for this?
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


The vaccum system that is. 

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## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

I believe I've read that the Chinese can make new containers cheaper than sending empty ones back there, so there is a glut of them here. I haven't priced one, so I don't know how true it is. 

Pulling much of a vacuum in a container may not be possible due to the stresses involved. The vacuum kiln shown above is round, so it can stand the vacuum.


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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

ducbsa said:


> I believe I've read that the Chinese can make new containers cheaper than sending empty ones back there, so there is a glut of them here. I haven't priced one, so I don't know how true it is.
> 
> Pulling much of a vacuum in a container may not be possible due to the stresses involved. The vacuum kiln shown above is round, so it can stand the vacuum.


There is a local guy here that sells them. Gonna ask what the going price is. I will go from there. 

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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> The temperature most often referenced is around 135 to 140 degrees. See the last paragraph here:
> http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Solar_Drying_Kiln_QampA.html
> 
> http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/How_Much_Heat_is_Enough.html
> ...


The question is how do you know if the information they are posting is correct. From what I understand the standard for a dry kiln for sterilizing purposes is 100 degrees Celsius which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I trust the professsor who wrote it*

QUOTE:
_From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:_ 
Almost all insects will not survive low MCs. The lyctid powder post beetle enters wood at low MCs, so it is unlikely that you have a PPB in your kiln dried lumber that is still in the kiln. With your six hours at 130 F, it sounds like you are well protected.









*Dr. Gene Wengert (the Wood Doctor)* is Professor Emeritus in Wood Processing, Department of Forestry, at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and president of *The Wood Doctor's Rx, LLC*, through which he provides educational and consulting services to lumber processing 



QUOTE:
_From contributor J:_ 
According to the DKOM, powder post beetles are killed at temperatures as low as 125F. They show T ranges of 125-130-140. For the lowest temperature, it takes longer, of course, 46-50 hours. For 140F, 3-7 hours is listed. 

We are trying to kill the powder post bugs, not sterilizing the wood, like in a hospital autoclave.


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## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

As a point of reference, per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPM_15 for international wood shipping materials, the temperature is 133F.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Steve Neul said:


> The question is how do you know if the information they are posting is correct. From what I understand the standard for a dry kiln for sterilizing purposes is 100 degrees Celsius which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit.


Steve, I've read a lot of documents on sterilizing wood AND I've NEVER seen a reference to 200 or + degrees. The "wood doc" Dr. Gene has the most knowledge in this field AND from all other sources and documents /studies they're all roughly state the same 133 deg AT the CORE (VERY IMPORTANT) for most state 3 hrs. and most are saying a kiln average heat of 140 for hardwoods without extra precautions.
THE closest reference to 200 I've ever read was 180-185...BUT....BUT...BUT THAT was for setting the pitch in softwoods (species group NOT JANKA scale). I just got through building AND running a load through my home built sterilizer only. This is JUST to STERILIZE/KILL the bugs with some AD'd pieces along with parts and pieces of found stumps and roots for displays and decor.



crookedkut said:


> I am not doubting the heat theory at all. My question is why wouldn't a shipping container work if I treated it on the inside just like I would do to a wooden built kiln. The vents, fans and solar panels would still be there. You could probably buy a small shipping container cheaper that what you could pay to build a kiln dryer.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


Crookedkut, YES a shipping container can be used OR a refrigerated (insulated) trailer (as semi). Nyle has kits for this.
I personally use a shed building that are built from the cutouts of insulated metal doors. ....so I have roughly 1 3/4" of urethane sandwiched between steel....RODENT PROOF. NOT the prettiest BUT very functional!!!! The ones in my area are up to 12' wide and 6' to 30' long. I have 3....2 for drying/sterilizing and 1 for safe storage of rodent free area. I just run weatherstripping around the doors and cover the vents.

Sorry no pics unless you research my old threads re" kiln". I also set mine up a little different and use under/updraft heating to gain the most efficiency of my heat source....hot air rises.

Sorry for not posting sooner, I've been trying to scan the posts/threads BUT NO response time prepping for this show AND work full time also.

Blessings and take time to research a lot of documents....research the writers also.....DON'T take all you read as facts BUT when you have consistant statements start digging deeper in those. I AIN'T doing your leg work, BUT I will help you on your basis fundementals.


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## crookedkut (Jan 28, 2018)

I just got another idea. I have a lot (I mean a lot) of brick just stacked in my back yard. I have the mortar mix and rebar. All would need is the concrete for the foundation and I could have the outer was complete. I am now thinking of starting it out of that. Then I would insulate the inside and place the fans and the vents. 

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