The Ultimate Dry

[baker guerilla]

So i am currently lacking a suitable drying location, but i had an idea to build a small "smoke house" to hang and dry in. I was thinking like a wood shack outdoors in the woods...but as for the specifics, it can be kinda cold and damp durring the drying time of year so could i use a small space heater to keep the inside warm and dry, and what is the ideal drying temp? Also do ive heard that i need to circulate the air to prevent mold?

[Lungus]

A large tent would likely be easier and if you rolled up one of the small window flaps it would let the moisture out. 18-20 deg.C. or so should give you a good drying temp. without rushing it too much.

[islandgrow]

assume we wanted to rush it lungus? what could we do?

[Green Supreme]

Make hash. Peace GS

[c-ray]

run a dehumidifier and set up a small circulating fan if you can

[baker guerilla]

a tent is a good idea. I was thinking simple 2x4 frame with plywood and maybe some insulation.

[baker guerilla]

c-ray, can you run a fan and dehumidifier off like a car battery or some other portable power source

[Green Supreme]

Motor Master Eliminator series from Canadian Tire. Peace GS

[Lungus]

Motor Master Eliminator series from Canadian Tire. Peace GS
Those would only run something that takes as much power as a dehumidifier for a couple of hours max. For your situation I would up the heat to about 30 deg.C. to speed up the drying if it is a problem. The tent made out of 2x4's is a good idea. Some camo netting might also be a good idea if your worried about the choppers spotting a tent where there is no campground or tourist attractions or put it under the tree canopy.

[islandgrow]

Hey GS what is the return on hash? if I turn 100 grams of bud(actual bud) into hash how much hash does it usually leave me with? I love the idea, maybe not this year but just good info to know. Thanks

[Green Supreme]

Can be 3-10 %. Too many variables to say for sure. How good are you at makin hash for instance. Not to mention strain, grower abilities, conditions etc. Peace GS

[c-ray]

lungus is right, a dehumidifier is something like 1500 watts or more, I wasn't sure if you were talking about a remote location, but you could power a fan for days I'd imagine with that motomaster thingy
the fan is pretty key if you can swing it, you could even use a car or boat battery
and maybe a propane heater?

[Lungus]

but you could power a fan for days I'd imagine with that motomaster thingy
the fan is pretty key if you can swing it,
Depending on the size of the fan or the size of the eliminator (600, 700, 800 or 1200 cranking amps) you might get a day out of a mid size eliminator. I have a 12V cooler that draws 32 watts and my Eliminator 700 would keep it going for about 6-8 hours before it was dead. If you couple your Eliminator with several solar panels it will run with no loss of battery until nightfall. If you had two batterys you could charge one while the other runs the fan.

[islandgrow]

Ya its going to be fairly remote C-ray, or at least no power remote. So ya generator or car battery of some sort is going to be needed. Propane heater I might be able to swing, I'm worried about leaving it alone thought..risk of fire...last thing I wanna do is burn down someones property.

[islandgrow]

Oh ya and GS ya Ive never made hash or any of the others above haha...soooo ya not this year( But I want to learn). The return seems like it would be too low to really make it worth while 40-50 grams from a pound, and thats if you know what your doing.

[Lungus]

Propane heater I might be able to swing, I'm worried about leaving it alone thought..risk of fire...last thing I wanna do is burn down someones property
One or two of those propane radiant heaters would be fine, and they're safe, just make sure your tent is sturdy.:peace:

[outdoordreams]

Are you going to be there everyday for the drying?
Are all your plants going to be ready at the same time?

A small wood stove with proper ventalation, ie windows, will work fine.
Make sure if you use a wood stove not to put herb anywhere near the stove. Cause you will degrade your herb way to much.

Is your crop personal or commercial........Hash is great for personal!
If you market it properly, it can be profitable. But most people dont want to pay the proper value. Outdoor weed that is dried improperly will only fetch you minimal profits.
Best of luck in your projects.

[islandgrow]

Hey odd this isant commercial but it may turn a small profit. Ya hash will never go above 25 a gram here but an 8th will always bring in 50 no matter how good or bad it is. The stuff we get is never flushed properly and i have a feeling this will be the best stuff the island has seen in a long time. we are prolly going to do a proprane heater ran by generator and a fan or just dry outside under a tarp.

[baker guerilla]

the problem in this area no one knows what they're selling so an eigth goes for 50 no matter if its the crytaliest widow, or the shaggyist backyard homegrown (not to disrespect the homegrown). And hash isnt widley enough used to be marketable...but thanks odd, the wood stove is a good idea, i think i have an old small cast iron one somewhere

[hazedaze]

be carefull with that wood stove. plants can take on that campfire smell when drying...... i think propane would leave less smoke and campfire smell

[c-ray]

Sooooo what is 'the ultimate dry' then? :confused:

what would the ultimate drying system be if we could build it?

some ideas
> interior surfaces ideally should be odorless and benign...something that does not add any much extra odor to the herb in the curing/drying process...I am thinking stainless steel
> there could be a hepa filter on the intake to prevent contams and a carbon filter on the outake to remove odors
> humidity, temps and air-flow could be controllable and maybe even programmable

[islandgrow]

So basically I think we need to develop and further 2 systems of drying.

Indoor drying and outdoor drying, I don't really have any experience with either :/, but perhaps someone else could chime in, throw around some further advice and knowledge.