If you have country plot, then, as a rule, the problem arises, where to put the whole crop. Of course, a lot of things you can just eat during the season, and some canned for the winter. But many different fruits and vegetables have to be thrown away, because they have nowhere to put them.
The best way to stockpile for the winter is through drying. So the maximum vitamins are stored in the products, and this process is much simpler than canning. In addition, dried fruits and vegetables take up little space and not heavy.
Today we will look at how you can make a simple solar-powered dryer. This will be especially convenient for those who like to save money, or for those whose home has been working on alternative energy for a long time, using the power of the wind or the sun. Also, construction such a dryer will be much cheaper than buying an electric appliance.
The main principle of a solar dryer is to make hot air circulate inside the device. The more actively it will circulate and the hotter it will be, the faster and better the products will dry. Air in homemade Heats up due to a special panel, which is painted black with heat-resistant paint. Cold air enters through the lower part, then is heated by solar heat, expands and exits through the upper part of the dryer. It is important to correctly calculate the diameter of the inlet and outlet in order to obtain the desired temperature and air velocity.
The author decided to use metal as a material, so the device will be durable. But in extreme cases, it can also be made of wood.
Materials and tools for homemade:
Material List:
- square pipes;
- sheet metal;
- polycarbonate sheet;
- two hinges for the door and locking mechanism;
- screws, screws and more.
Tool List:
- welding;
- grinder;
- drill;
- marker and tape measure;
- scissors for metal;
- stationery knife;
- a hacksaw.
The process of manufacturing a solar dryer:
Step one. We make a frame
It all starts with the manufacture of the frame. As a material, the author used square pipes. Everything is assembled using a grinder and welding. As for the sizes, you can choose any of them, depending on the needs and availability of materials. The author was guided here by the size of the polycarbonate sheet.
What shape the dryer should be, can be seen in the photo, but you can come up with your own.
Step TwoDoor manufacturing
The author makes the door metal, then sheet metal and square pipes will be needed. First you need to cut off four pieces of a square pipe and weld a rectangle from it, which in shape should fit under the frame of the dryer. The door should fit snugly against the frame, as in the event of gaps, the efficiency of the appliance is reduced.
But in the end, the frame is sheathed with a sheet of metal. Here you can use self-tapping screws, screws with nuts, and so on. Another steel sheet can be welded. The door is installed after sheathing.
Step Three Sheathe Dryer
Before sheathing the dryer, you will need to make fasteners for baking sheets. For such purposes, you can use wooden blocks. They can be fastened with screws, or better with screws. In total, the author has space for 4 pallets.
Now you need to install such a thing as an absorber in the dryer. To make it, you need a sheet of metal. This sheet is installed at the very bottom of the dryer to heat cold air there. The sheet must be painted black using heat-resistant paint.
As for the thickness of the metal, the thinner it is, the faster the dryer will start to work when hit by the best. It is better to use copper or aluminum as the material, since they conduct heat very well, but steel is also suitable.
After installing the absorber, the outer skin can be assembled. It can be fixed using self-tapping screws or using welding. An important element of the dryer is the roof, it must be transparent, since it is through it that warm sunlight will pass. The roof can be made of glass, polycarbonate and other materials.
To prevent flies and other animals from flying into the dryer, the author attaches a mosquito net to the ventilation windows.
That's all, the design is almost ready. Now you just need to fix the door. There will be the necessary door hinges, a locking mechanism, and it will not be amiss to attach a handle.
Step Four Making baking sheets
Pans here are not needed like in conventional ovens. They must pass air well for the food to dry. They are made very simple. For their manufacture, you will need a metal mesh, as well as a wooden beam.
First, frames will need to be made from the timber. Well, then these frames are simply sheathed with mesh. To make the trays convenient to install and remove, the screws on the sides are not completely wrapped in them, and the tray is held onto them.
Step Five Testing the dryer
First of all, the dryer must be installed correctly. It should be such a place so that there is the maximum amount of sun here during the day. The sun's rays will come through the cover, so that the device is oriented accordingly.
Further, the solar dryer will still have to stand in the sun for at least two days. This is done so that all unpleasant odors and harmful substances come out of it.
At first, two trays of food should be put in the dryer, if it copes with this task successfully, then the number of trays can be increased to three and four. The weather should be sunny and preferably without wind. Products should be sliced as thin as possible, so they will dry faster and better.
You will need to put a thermometer in the dryer to monitor the temperature. For normal drying, it should be in the region of 50-55aboutC. If the temperature is lower, it can be increased by covering the lower inlet with a rag. So the air will circulate more slowly, but will be warmer more.
That's all, the dryer is ready. It can successfully dry leaves, meat, fruits, vegetables, fish, roots and much more.