unclejoe
Almost Self-Reliant
Not me. This is a grand experiment for me. I really don't know how well it will work. In theory it should be fine. I'll post pics when it's finished and then let everyone know how it performs when the time comes.
Need ideas on how to build a solar dehydrator
- Thread starter VT-Chicklit
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freemotion
Food Guru
Do you put it outside on nice days and bring it in when not in use or if it rains?
unclejoe
Almost Self-Reliant
It hasn't been in the weather yet. I'm thinking that it will set out all the time once I start using it. That's why I'm going to put a cap on the chimney. Last year I learned to can & dehydrate with electric. This year I'll learn to dry with the sun. I'm sure I'll have some failures but hopefully there will be some success stories as well.
freemotion
Food Guru
Thanks, I am trying to figure out a way to dry "special" leaves for my goats for the winter, aside from the hay I will make with my scythe. I want to dry and bag things like beet greens, grape leaves, pea vines, things that I might have in small quantities but that need more intensive drying than a few hours in the sun. I wonder if a version of your dehydrator would work for me.
I also would like to dry more stuff for us, and for others, too. So my little round electric dehydrator is looking smaller and smaller!
I also would like to dry more stuff for us, and for others, too. So my little round electric dehydrator is looking smaller and smaller!
Tallman
Almost Self-Reliant
Unclejoe, you have a great system going there. A few years ago I made a wood frame that set on the back of the seat of my old pick up and extended to the dash. I tacked cheese cloth over the frame, scattered some sweet corn on top, covered it with cheese cloth, and parked the rig in the sun. With the holes in the floor and the windows cracked. It seemed to worked okay.
freemotion
Food Guru
freemotion
Food Guru
Why not? It is far less work!
unclejoe
Almost Self-Reliant
That's what spurred me to do this. We have 2 of those little round electrics and I was running them both almost around the clock last summer and fall. Don't know if you saw my posts, but last year I started trading a guy wood chips for fresh fruit and berries. I was completely overwhelmed with produce from July through November so I decided to figure out how to process larger quantities. This is what I came up with. Hope it works.freemotion said:
Tallman, It's a shame you didn't throw that idea at me before I spent all those hours designing and building mine.
We have 5 vehicles here that could dry a LOT of stuff. 
