Brown Thumbs Walk In kiln, Flue Cure, Attempt

[workhorse_01]

You should maintain a foot clearance from your hanging tobacco, and don't hang any over your duct. Did you have a bad lock on the panel that separated? If not you need to make sure the lock is turned full on in the lock position. Those locks grab the pin then actually pull the box together, like the chain load locks on a semi trailer. I've never had a cell have a pocket of uncured foam, once in atmosphere it hardens. It's possible, but I've not seen it.

 

[Brown Thumb]

The locks are locked , I Siliconed the inside seams and they did not move inside the chamber, The
corner pieces swelled outward on the outside. Weird? Maybe that is cold foam not heat foam.​

I have been looking for a used window for the door for a week and the sob was right In front of me.
I gots me a boat window for my door from a business next door to me junk boat.
ATTACH]7809[/ATTACH]

 

[deluxestogie]

Take them both. Use double pane to avoid condensation.

Bob

 

[workhorse_01]

Bob's right. You should get both. You wont be able to evacuate them to stop fog but the heat might help you there.

Take them both. Use double pane to avoid condensation.

Bob

 

[Brown Thumb]

I have to find another window.
She is ready to start loading looks like it will fit 2000 leaves.
Little Big Gem first, loading tonight and in the morning.
Got to go pick Another 1000 leaf, storm is on its way, chit!

 

[Brown Thumb]

Some Help Needed Loading the Chamber.
the leaf is hanging down towards the ground the size of my chamber.
is it too tight or loose against each other?
How tight against the sides of the sides of chamber
Thank Guys,
Tom


Can the leaves be shoved against the walls?

 

[DGBAMA]

If you can hang those strings horizontally in the chamber you will be good. Vertically they will pack down against each other during wilting.....too close to allow air between the leaves.

 

[Brown Thumb]

If you can hang those strings horizontally in the chamber you will be good. Vertically they will pack down against each other during wilting.....too close to allow air between the leaves.

Thanx DGBAMA, You Are one of the Masterminds behind all of also.
I will hang them horiizonaty across the chamber, I was
Trying to find out how tight to pack them. Can they be smashed against the walls also?

 

[DGBAMA]

Against the walls but not pressed against. Need some air movement. By the time yellowing and wilting is done they will shrink quite a bit and have good spacing for drying.

BE PATIENT WITH THE YELLOWING. The temptation to move to wilting too soon is almost unbearable sometimes. This cost me some cured ugly green my second run.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Against the walls but not pressed against. Need some air movement. By the time yellowing and wilting is done they will shrink quite a bit and have good spacing for drying.

BE PATIENT WITH THE YELLOWING. The temptation to move to wilting too soon is almost unbearable sometimes. This cost me some cured ugly green my second run.

Thanks, that is what I was looking for.
400 more to string and time to start loading.

 

[AmaxB]

Holy shite that is a lot...
They should touch walls, but if walls sweat to much those leaves will become wet. Keep them about a foot below the ceiling same with the floor a foot above.
If two or three levels high leaf tips just above the butts. Keep the wire tight so you don't have much sag.
.

.

 

[AmaxB]

You may need to run a few times to understand best way to load your chamber....
First run I would load a little lose to avoid high loss, and get a feel for how things will react in your chamber. As well as how the chamber it's self will run, keep in mind if you are going to use a wet/dry bulb and open the door to read it the reading will change the second you open the door.

 

[DGBAMA]

You may need to run a few times to understand best way to load your chamber....
First run I would load a little lose to avoid high loss, and get a feel for how things will react in your chamber. As well as how the chamber it's self will run, keep in mind if you are going to use a wet/dry bulb and open the door to read it the reading will change the second you open the door.

For that reason I like my "remote weather station". May not be a perfect solution but doing well for me.

Love that graphic of leaf loading.

BT...your new name should be "BaccaThumb
"

 

[Brown Thumb]

Thanks Guys, she is loaded.
My nerves are nervin. I fell like I am getting married again.
I Cant screw this up, unlike a marriage.
Got to put me one of those wet bulbs together.
I cannot find a old style thermometer with the metal base will the new style work?
I have ones like a meat thermometer you stab in.

 

[workhorse_01]

I've never seen one used for wet bulb reading, because they sense from the tip.

Thanks Guys, she is loaded.
My nerves are nervin. I fell like I am getting married again.
I Cant screw this up, unlike a marriage.
Got to put me one of those wet bulbs together.
I cannot find a old style thermometer with the metal base will the new style work?
I have ones like a meat thermometer you stab in.

 

[Knucklehead]

I think an old oven window, or the whole door welded into the chamber would make a great viewing window.

My understanding is that there should be no gaps around the tobacco as you want the hot air forced through the tobocco. It will take the path of least resistance so if there are gaps around, thats where the air will go. As the leaf wilts down, it will take less force to make the air go through the tobacco as paths will open up with wilting.

 

[DGBAMA]

My "accurite" temp/humidity monitor was less than 20$ at Lowes. gets the job done. Just put the outdoor remote sensor inside the chamber. Keep humidity over 90% and temp below 104 until yellowing is done. 95- 100 until yellowing is started good.

 

[Brown Thumb]

Up and running. I have three sensors in the kiln top middle bottom.
I have the heat controller hooked to the top sensor.
the heat stays on until the top reaches temp. But the bottom temp. Will go real high if I let it.
should I use the bottom sensor to control the heat. I would think so?

 

[DGBAMA]

How much temp variance from top to bottom? I would use your highest temp for the control. May need more air circulation to even out the temps. missing a target temp on the low end makes things take longer. Going over a high limit temp like 104 for yellowing can ruin a lot of good leaf. locking in green or drying before it should.

Watch humidity changes. A drop in humidity allows my temp set point to rise with no adjustment of the thermostat. I have to adjust down as humidity falls to maintain the same temp.

 

[Brown Thumb]

I wired the bottom sensor to the heat controller set at 98.5 degrees which it is maintaining in the bottom.
the top is slowly coming up 84.1 now. Started out at 69 degrees at 1:30
rh is 84.2 and is just hanging out there.