Bud dryer - manicured to smoke in 3 days

Hey Al b. Just an update for ya. we werent able to switch the fans around this time, but the bud did dry in a week. its great!!
 
cc420, so you still have 2 fans drawing out and a bunch of holes letting air in? When you find the time, tape up those holes and turn one of the fans around. I think that will speed it up even more. However, adding the means of putting a small amount of heat into the intake air will make it even faster.
 
yeah, for sure. We will switch it up after the other baby gets done. this was a quick idea cuz we needed to harvest them. but im really glad we did. What do you suggest adding for the heat? working on a budget:)
 
Probably the least expensive way to make up an air warmer unit is to buy a cheap 25 watt (no bigger) soldering iron and clamp it firmly to a heatsink. Mount the heatsink to the intake fan as shown in my dwgs & photos in the first post so air is drawn through the fins and into the box.

Heatsinks are pretty expensive. The one I am using came out of my junkbox, but probably is worth about $40-50. You can make one easily and cheaply out of aluminum sheet (1/8" thick is good). Cut some sheets of aluminum to a convenient size, bend them into progressively smaller "U" shapes and bolt them together.

13_homemadeheatsink.gif


Use an incandescent light dimmer to control temp. A standard light dimmer should be able to handle at least 100W, so it will handle the 25W soldering iron element (also a resistive load, just like an incandescent light bulb) with no trouble.

Follow the wiring diagram I included in the first post in this thread. Substitute the heating element from a soldering iron in place of the two power resistors.
 
awesome info Al b.

would you consider yourself a "macguyver" grower? you seem to be able to knock something useful up out of nothing.

can you build me a house?
 
Australia is the 51st US state... We get so damn much US 'culture' (ahem!) that we all ought to at least get a vote in the presidential elections.

You guys can keep ya bloody dancing Karl Rove, tho... :lol:
 
Just thought of a different way to homebrew a heatsink.

For this application, a single strip of 1/8 or thinner aluminum sheet, around 12" x 4", can be rolled up around the soldering iron element, forming a spiral heatsink.

You'll have to be clever in how you clamp the soldering iron to the sheeting and how you attach it to the intake fan (epoxy, perhaps?), but it would be an even easier way to make this bit.
 
The clamp portion of the spiral heatsink:


click for larger size image

Form the aluminum sheet around a drill bit of the same diameter as the soldering iron element. Form a lip that can be drilled and fitted with 4-40, 6-32 or similar size stainless steel nuts and machine screws to create a clamp.

When the aluminum sheet has been clamped FIRMLY to the sheeting, roll the sheet up around the iron element to create a spiral heating element for many uses.

Temperature of this heater assembly can be controlled with a standard incandescent light dimmer.
 
Thats great that you prefer your old method. It doesn't give you any reason to tell the rest of us not to grow if we don't want to wait. VV
 
Very creative...i have to ask is there a way to modify this dryer to use during Veg and/or flower stage. I assume the heatsink has to be removed. Will the intake and exhaust fans do justice for air circulation in those stages. I want to be able to remove the heatsink and re-attach when necessary.
 
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