Hello everybody, im new here! Does someone have a guide/tutorial/diy for a solar food dehydrator? through navigating the web, i only collect this one, made by Victor Paiam, but i want more infographies or resources so i can made my own thank you for all!!
searching for solar food dehydrator resources
17 Comments
poVoq@slrpnk.net · 14 pts · 3d
Seems to be based on this design: https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/solar-food-dehydrator-plans-zm0z14jjzmar/
or as pdf here.
MalReynolds@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 3d
Wow! Nailed it.(heh)
masparfad@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 1d
thanks!!
schmorpel@slrpnk.net · 5 pts · 3d
You can build stackable wooden frames, staple a net curtain to them and put them in the sun, or use those plastic fruit boxes, always covered with a net on top against insects. Placing your frames or boxes on or between rocks provides extra heat after sunset. Or the extra lazy method: place your drying net under a fruit tree, wait for fruit to drop, drag into sun or halfshade as is convenient.
When energy is low and overwhelm is much the simplest solutions are often the best.
And for indoor drying in winter a repurposed shoe shelf (or yet more stackable boxes) placed near your radiator might do the trick.
livligkinkajou@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 3d
Keep in mind that, at least in my experience, if you are in a high humidity and temperature area, only stacking them might not be enough to prevent mold on high water content fruit like tomato, so it needs to look more like the one pictured by OP to have enough air flow in the system
schmorpel@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 2d
That is true. Whenever I see these designs I feel like I would like to develop a hybrid model - to use with either solar heat or other heat sources when needed.
Or for a low low tech solution, a drying rack that can handle a fire under it. Things will be smoked rather than dried, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage.
masparfad@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 1d
thank you!! have you minded about making a guide?? :)
schmorpel@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 1d
Yes, but first I have to build a few and test them - they are result of a few years experimenting and thinking about the problem from the perspectives of ease of building and using it, repairability, flexibility, price ... It has the option to stack frames as high as practical and cover a stack of frames with either mosquito/flynet or shading fabric or a combination of both, and add any heat source to the bottom of a stack. The current heat would be great for drying all sorts of stuff and put this to the test, but unfortunately the same heat is crap for any mental and physical activities, so this project has been progressing slowly. But it is one of the parts of my small gardening and processing cycle. Equally slow is my documentation of this cycle. I'll try to come up with a drawing of this idea!
NihilsineNefas@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 1d
https://youtu.be/6fCx8LTxLP4
This chap's been designing and building a whole slew of them for that exact purpose (and for general solar heat collection in general)
masparfad@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 1d
interesting!! ty
eestileib@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 3d
https://horticulture.ucdavis.edu/chimney-solar-dryer
Gladaed@feddit.org · 3 pts · 3d
I don't think this principle would work all too well. You usually don't want to place this outdoors and a regular drying cabinet(?) should be good enough. If you want to utilize solar power using solar panels is much easier and more efficient.
The harvestable power is about the area in sqr meters in kw. (Peak) This means you would get about Watts of heating. That's not a lot. If you actually need the extra heating, just use resistive heating.
HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 3d
Depends if you want something you can build yourself or if you want to buy premade electrical things. Both options are probably worth considering tbh.
Could make it in a way that it doubles as a smoke box.
masparfad@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 1d
i dont want electrical or solar panels because its need to be easy to made and... well is dehydrator, we no need that stuff for only dehydrate food!! thats is not too solarpunk!!
Gladaed@feddit.org · 1 pts · 1d
It is deliberately inefficient and wasteful. Just trying to point out the physics. Do what you want, inefficiency can be enjoyable. You should just temper your expectations to effectiveness and convenience.
aberrate_junior_beatnik@midwest.social · 1 pts · 3d
Have you considered that "the white colour on the inside makes the warm air bounce"?
foxymochakitten@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 1d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ70hCa3JJo < this guy made one out of junk!! I haven't tried it myself though