There are obviously going to be efficiency gains from kiln loads of part dry or semi seasoned logs, but honestly Archie, until you find yourself in a burner fuel deficit trying to dry fresh cut green and wet logs you don’t actually have an issue hen you think about it that way.
If you loaded your trailer with the cages sideways you would have a 20cm overhang each side and at the rear but squeeze 5 rows on. You know what your comfortable with towing though. edit or half of them length ways and half sideways for less width but still 2 more cages total
Great video.🎉 Is there a reason why you handle the delivery yourself? You could hire someone to do that. That way, you would have more time at the wood yard. Best regards from Germany.
Try putting less IBC's in, need more air in the kiln to absorb the moisture from the logs. Counter intuitive but the drying hours per cube will reduce. 25m3 would be optimum for a 40ft HQ refer
Maybe add some floor rollers in the kiln to pull the cages out rather than drive in. I’d think the best option would be to add cages in one end and remove finished ones out other end for fast production turnaround. Anything to reduce time 🕰️
I know they have auto feeders for chip or pellet burners. It would be great if something could be engineered for your situation so the burner keeps going. Probably a lot easier said.... Do you have a London delivery surcharge to account for the extra traffic? I would. Running 2 processors would be great if they are close together in the yard. Otherwise I can see inefficiencies in 2 operators using 1 forklift and 1 loader.
To make firewood drying more efficient in the kiln, try adding an automated feeding system, humidity release valves, and a woodchipper to create uniform woodchip pieces. Automated feeding keeps the wood supply steady and reduces manual labor, while automatic humidity release valves help control moisture levels precisely, venting only when necessary to save energy if you can move from 120c to lets say 200c it could drastically reduce lead time for drying wood. Using a woodchipper ensures even-sized woodchips, which burn more consistently, boosting efficiency. If you can achieve a 3:1 fuel ratio by using waste materials like these woodchips, it’ll also help cut costs and make the process more sustainable. These upgrades together can make drying faster, cheaper, and easier to manage.
That is not related to the boiler. Weather it has the whole in the kiln or not the boiler will use the same amount of wood. The hole is actually helping vent the wet air out the kiln 👍🏼
@@oakfarmfirewood it kind of is related to the boiler mate, its like your trying to blow a balloon up but the balloon has a hole in it. If its an operational "hole" then cover it with a jigsawed piece of wood on first day the kiln heats up,, then take it off. Nothing much happens in a kiln the first 2 days until every piece of wood gets to temp. Then the humidity release comes in,,, but every kiln is different.
Sorry for being a bit daft, but why do you have circular holes in the kiln wall (looks like about 15 inches in diameter). Isn't it supposed to be holding the warm air in, and only releasing air when the humidity sensor trips to set limit. Seems a bit weird to have a hole in the ships' hull if you know what I mean.
It was where I had a fan. And I moved it. But i actually find it’s better for letting the air back through. The kiln still gets plenty hot enough with the whole in the side, I did actually patch it in and found it was worse
You look like your weekend was good archie keep up the good work mate I enjoy all of your filming woody is such a good boy thanks mate 👍
Thanks Andrew!
I like to see what you do during the day. It’s good just to watch. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoy it!
There are obviously going to be efficiency gains from kiln loads of part dry or semi seasoned logs, but honestly Archie, until you find yourself in a burner fuel deficit trying to dry fresh cut green and wet logs you don’t actually have an issue hen you think about it that way.
Hello there looks like you’ve got a slick operation👍🇺🇸
Thanks
If you loaded your trailer with the cages sideways you would have a 20cm overhang each side and at the rear but squeeze 5 rows on. You know what your comfortable with towing though. edit or half of them length ways and half sideways for less width but still 2 more cages total
Nice! But yes on our narrow lanes I think I’ll stick with the safe load especially at night 😅
Why do you not put a fan in kiln 2 sucking the hot air from kiln 1. So kiln 2 would be part dry.
i bag up the ch ips and give it away with every load i sell people love it as a fire starter
Great video.🎉 Is there a reason why you handle the delivery yourself? You could hire someone to do that. That way, you would have more time at the wood yard. Best regards from Germany.
I like to see the end user. Also for insurance purposes it’s a lot cheaper, I will however have to get someone to do it one day
With your drive to continuously process and stack, would it be an idea to have the next lot of ibc delivered into the main yard?
Yes if he can get in. He is very high 😅
@oakfarmfirewood lay them down in the field next to the track with the excavator if he is too tall. 🤷♂️
Try putting less IBC's in, need more air in the kiln to absorb the moisture from the logs. Counter intuitive but the drying hours per cube will reduce. 25m3 would be optimum for a 40ft HQ refer
Maybe add some floor rollers in the kiln to pull the cages out rather than drive in. I’d think the best option would be to add cages in one end and remove finished ones out other end for fast production turnaround. Anything to reduce time 🕰️
Nice idea
I know they have auto feeders for chip or pellet burners. It would be great if something could be engineered for your situation so the burner keeps going. Probably a lot easier said....
Do you have a London delivery surcharge to account for the extra traffic? I would.
Running 2 processors would be great if they are close together in the yard. Otherwise I can see inefficiencies in 2 operators using 1 forklift and 1 loader.
I have an idea where to set up next the processor but yes ideally you want both processors going over one cleaner
To make firewood drying more efficient in the kiln, try adding an automated feeding system, humidity release valves, and a woodchipper to create uniform woodchip pieces. Automated feeding keeps the wood supply steady and reduces manual labor, while automatic humidity release valves help control moisture levels precisely, venting only when necessary to save energy if you can move from 120c to lets say 200c it could drastically reduce lead time for drying wood. Using a woodchipper ensures even-sized woodchips, which burn more consistently, boosting efficiency. If you can achieve a 3:1 fuel ratio by using waste materials like these woodchips, it’ll also help cut costs and make the process more sustainable. These upgrades together can make drying faster, cheaper, and easier to manage.
Easy to say, not so easy to PAY .
Yes but that’s when you want to spend £100k plus on a kiln. This unit has cost all of about £30k.
What brand temp and moisture sensors and app do you use to record your data again?
The efficiency of your boiler,,, hmmm if you didn't have a gaping big hole in the side of the container, your efficency would improve wouldn't it?
That is not related to the boiler. Weather it has the whole in the kiln or not the boiler will use the same amount of wood. The hole is actually helping vent the wet air out the kiln 👍🏼
@@oakfarmfirewood it kind of is related to the boiler mate, its like your trying to blow a balloon up but the balloon has a hole in it. If its an operational "hole" then cover it with a jigsawed piece of wood on first day the kiln heats up,, then take it off. Nothing much happens in a kiln the first 2 days until every piece of wood gets to temp. Then the humidity release comes in,,, but every kiln is different.
Sorry for being a bit daft, but why do you have circular holes in the kiln wall (looks like about 15 inches in diameter).
Isn't it supposed to be holding the warm air in, and only releasing air when the humidity sensor trips to set limit.
Seems a bit weird to have a hole in the ships' hull if you know what I mean.
It was where I had a fan. And I moved it. But i actually find it’s better for letting the air back through. The kiln still gets plenty hot enough with the whole in the side, I did actually patch it in and found it was worse
Am i right in saying that the majority of your orders are from repeat customers? All through the website?
Yes but a lot of new this year also
Do you take all your orders over the phone? Or do you have a website or a secretary to take your orders?
90% through the website (then comes through on an app) the rest is over text phone call