Following are some questions we're often asked by our
customers. |
 |
| Q: Why
do you use hot water to heat your chamber as
opposed to steam or forced hot air? |
| A: Our kilns
utilize hot water because our drying methodology does not require extremely
high temperatures. It is simply the best and most effective way to deliver
the energy required to dry lumber using our schedules. Our maximum chamber
temperature is 160°F and due to the larger surface area on our fin
tube, we can come up to temperature just as fast as steam. The recommended
hot water supply temperature is 180°F. |
| Q:
How does the hot water heat the chamber? |
| A: The hot
water is pumped from a boiler at 180°F to the chamber. Inside the
chamber has copper fin tube that is adjacent to the circulating fan wall.
The water circulates through this fin tube. The water flow is controlled
by an electronic controller based on the desired chamber dry bulb temperature. |
| Q:
What type of boiler can supply the hot water and do you provide the
boiler? |
| A: The hot
water boiler can be an open or closed type that operates at pressures
around 18psi. The fuel of combustion can be natural gas, propane, fuel
oil, wood waste etc. The wood waste boilers are popular since they use
scrap wood. Nova Dry Kiln is an OEM distributor for a select few quality
manufacturers of boilers and boiler feed systems. The customer may choose
to supply his or her own boiler. |
| Q:
How difficult is it to set up a wood waste boiler for automatic feed? |
| A: There
is a lot to consider with automatic feed and it is probably not worth
the increased cost on boilers that are below 800Kbtu. We have systems
that meter in the wood waste based on demand from a hopper. There are
variable feed and constant feed systems. Give us a call to discuss the
best system to meet your needs. |
| Q: With
respect to the smaller manual feed wood waste boilers, how frequently
must you charge the combustion chamber? |
| A: For most feed stock, you will need to fill the combustion
chamber twice per day. If the feed stock is real dry, the frequency
could increase to four times per day. Some of the larger manual
feed boilers can be fed pallets. |
| Q: What
happens if I let the flame go out in my wood waste boiler? |
| A: Most of the time this does not present a big problem.
Wood waste boilers are well insulated and our kilns hold heat
quite well. Once the kiln is up to temperature and should the
boiler flame out, one can expect the chamber temperature to
drop 2°F per day if the powered vent is turned off. Once heat
is restored to the chamber, simply pick up the drying schedule
where you left off. |
| Q: Does
Nova Dry Kiln provide a boiler connection kit? |
| A: Yes. This
is optional. The smaller boilers (<300KBTU)
come with a pump installed so the kit includes pipe valve and
fittings. The larger boiler connection kit includes the same
as above along with a pump and expansion tank. |
| Q:
Can more than one kiln operate off of one boiler? |
| A: Yes. The
kilns can operate off of a common manifold with their individual controls.
Other loads can be piped in as well including heating a house, workshop
etc. |
| Q:
What is the insulation R-Factor for your chamber walls? |
| A: The R-Factor
is anywhere between 22 and 37 at 75°F depending on the size of the
chamber. More important, the overall thermal
efficiency is quite high due to the tightness
of the chamber itself. Our kilns operate at a slight vacuum assisting
with the sealing of the doors. Please contact us for individual chamber
BTU requirements. |
| Q: What
materials does Nova Dry Kiln use for the chamber walls? |
| A: The end
loading kilns use a preinsulated polyethylene
aluminum panel that interlocks in place. The
front loading chambers use SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) that is connected
using wood splines. The SIP consists of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) with
a treated UL Classified EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) rigid core. The inside
of the chamber is lined with sheets of aluminum and the exterior has
galvanized sheet metal. |
