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Lumber weight as a drying signpostQuestion
At present, I put two nails in two sample boards and run wire to the outside of the kiln so I can use a pin meter to monitor MC. When the meter says I am dry and the water extraction falls off, I open the kiln up and retest with a pin-less meter and oven dry. Can you comment on this procedure? I am new to DH drying and don't want to open the kiln door because it has a whole bunch of clamps holding it shut and I don't want to fill it back up with cool, humid, outside air. Forum Responses
Your nails, wire, and MC meter measuring technique is used within the industry. Above 20% MC, it is not too reliable, and yet that is where most defects occur. You do need to make appropriate temperature corrections, too. In short, be aware of possible shortcomings in both methods and adapt to these risks. Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor
Measuring the water coming out the drain is an indication of how the wood is drying but is not usually a good way to determine drying rate. All the water does not leave that way. Some will leak out through cracks and openings and vents. People think they have the world's tightest kiln and there is no air leakage, but there often is. Do you have to run heaters to maintain the temperature, once a certain temperature is reached? If you do, your kiln leaks. A well-constructed kiln will have more heat generated by the fans and dehumidifier than is needed to maintain temperature. The amount of heat loss or moisture gain by the exchange of air when the door is opened is miniscule compared to the amount of heat and moisture in the wood. It is not a concern unless the door is left open for a long period. It is more important to get a good handle on the drying than to worry about the little heat loss from exchanging 100 cubic feet of air.
It looks like it would be possible to weigh your whole kiln. Calculate the water loss per day by change in weight. I don't know how much 1,000 board feet of oak would weigh or how much the scale would cost, so price may be prohibitive. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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