Kiln advice

[FarmingMachinery]

Got busy. Sorry for the late replies fellas.

I tried uploading pics but looks like I’ll have to do some homework before posting them. File too large. I’m stupid with technology!

My current temp range is set to 110-120. I bury the temp probe beneath a hand of tobacco so I know the internal temps are high enough but I don’t want to overshoot. I could get more accurate (closer to Bob’s recommended range) but I think that will take a fair bit of tinkering with multiple thermometers to ensure accurate reads of surrounding temp and internal leaf temps.

I appreciate all the feedback everyone. Still working on posting pics!

@NWgrower No worries about the tech stuff - we've all been there!

A quick tip for uploading pics: try resizing them to under 1MB first (most phones have a built-in resize option, or you can use a free online tool). Or you could upload them to a free image hosting site and just paste the link here.

I'd genuinely love to see your setup - the chest freezer + crock pot + fan combo is such a clever DIY approach. I've seen similar logic used in small-scale commercial curing units from Chinese manufacturers - insulated chamber, heat source, humidity tray, circulating fan, all in a compact box. If I could see your setup, I might be able to compare it to some of those commercial options and give you some ideas for upgrades or alternatives, if you're ever interested.

Either way, looking forward to seeing how your batch turns out! Your temp range of 110-120°F sounds solid - Bob recommends 123-128°F, but you're in the ballpark. How's the aroma development coming along?

 

[NWgrower]

@NWgrower No worries about the tech stuff - we've all been there!

A quick tip for uploading pics: try resizing them to under 1MB first (most phones have a built-in resize option, or you can use a free online tool). Or you could upload them to a free image hosting site and just paste the link here.

I'd genuinely love to see your setup - the chest freezer + crock pot + fan combo is such a clever DIY approach. I've seen similar logic used in small-scale commercial curing units from Chinese manufacturers - insulated chamber, heat source, humidity tray, circulating fan, all in a compact box. If I could see your setup, I might be able to compare it to some of those commercial options and give you some ideas for upgrades or alternatives, if you're ever interested.

Either way, looking forward to seeing how your batch turns out! Your temp range of 110-120°F sounds solid - Bob recommends 123-128°F, but you're in the ballpark. How's the aroma development coming along?

The aroma is heavenly! Every time I check in on things I pause to huff!

So at this point I’ve added two thermometers. One monitoring the internal air temp (away from the leaf) and one inside the crockpot water. They are giving me more confidence I’m staying close enough with the temperature.

I did also go buy a cheap dial crockpot to replace the digital one and that has helped. I can now finally leave it on day and night without rest so that’s a big improvement.

Unfortunately I now suspect I have insulation problems as it’s drippy inside when I open it up. I’m guessing it’s an insulation problem but the only area I think might be a problem is where the cord from the crockpot exits the gasket of the lid of the chest freezer. I wouldn’t have thought that would make such a difference in the insulation ability of the unit.

I feel like I’m so close to a system I don’t have to babysit quite so frequently!

Also, I haven’t given up on posting pics yet either.

 

[FarmingMachinery]

Great to hear the aroma is coming along so well — that's always a good sign! And smart move adding the dual thermometers, monitoring both air temp and water temp gives you a much clearer picture of what's happening inside. The dial crockpot upgrade makes sense too, those digital ones can be finicky.

On the insulation issue — you're absolutely right that the cord pass-through is likely the culprit. Even a small gap where the cord exits the gasket can create a significant cold bridge, causing condensation on the lid and walls. A few things that might help:

1. **Seal the cord gap**: Use some high-temperature silicone or foam insulation around where the cord passes through the gasket. Even a small amount can make a big difference.
2. **Check the lid seal**: Make sure the chest freezer lid is closing evenly and the gasket is making full contact all the way around.
3. **Condensation management**: Some dripping is normal in any high-humidity chamber. You could place a shallow tray at the bottom to catch it, or drill a small drain hole with a tube leading outside.

What you said about wanting a system you don't have to babysit really resonates — that's exactly what commercial curing units are designed for. They have fully sealed insulation (no cord pass-through issues), built-in condensation drains, and precision temp/humidity controllers that maintain consistent conditions 24/7. The small-scale ones from Chinese manufacturers use the same chest-freezer-plus-heat-source logic as your setup, just engineered for zero maintenance.

Looking forward to those pics whenever you get them sorted! How's the color developing on the leaves — are they moving toward that nice reddish-brown yet?

 

[FarmingMachinery]

Hey NWgrower, just checking in — hope the kiln's been treating you well. Curious if any of those insulation tweaks helped with the dripping, and how the leaf color is coming along. No rush at all, just interested in how it's going! And whenever you get those pics sorted, would love to see the setup.

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

Hi there NWgrower, IMHO opening and closing the kiln frequently brings problems. If the rh is different between inside the kiln and outside, you'll get a huge exchange every time you open it. I use this thing called a Govee WiFi thermometer/humidity meter and it's awesome. I can check on the internal temp of the leaf pile and the rh, just on my phone, whenever I happen to be. It cost like $30 on amazon. So I go 3 days now without opening up my fermentation vessel.

 

[NWgrower]

Thanks again everyone for all the valuable input. I got over confident and didn’t check on things for too long and some of the leaf fell of the rack and touched the bottom of the chamber. The condensation issue got away from me and a puddle developed.

I just opened it up to check and found mold on some leaves!

I’ve pulled this batch out and am currently combing this forum for tips. How much can I save, if any? Do I just cut out the visible mold and sanitize the interior and restart?

For the moment that will be my plan unless I find advice here steering me another direction.

It’s a tad devastating as I thought I was doing well but ya gotta break some eggs to make an omelet I guess right?!

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

Well I'm not sure what temp you are fermenting at but if you keep it at 50C, you don't get any mold, so your safest path is get the temp up. Before I put a heat source on the base of my kiln, I got one hand that got mouldy. I opened it, tossed the approx 50% that had visible mold and kept the rest. They never went on to develop mold.

 

[StoneCarver]

Unfortunately I now suspect I have insulation problems as it’s drippy inside when I open it up.

Imo, the method of providing heat and humidity can mean the difference between lots of condensation or not. When I first tested my kiln, I tried using the equivalent of a crock pot. I used a pot of water on a single burner electric stove. I got lots of condensation that way. The temp and rH was within parameters but it was sopping wet inside the kiln. Then I took out the pot of water, continued using the stove for heat only, and used an ultrasonic humidifier to provide humidity. Doing this I get very little condensation on the floor of the kiln and none on the walls. Whilst hanging in the kiln, the tops of the leaves are very damp but the tips down nearer to the stove are dry. I guess the stove dries the leaves out when they are close enough to the stove. (something for me to work out, I am using a fan inside too). In any case, the point I'm making is the quality of the insulation and door seal had nothing to do with the amount of condensation I got. If anything, my kiln is likely over insulated because I basically doubled up the thickness of my kiln in comparison to Bob's exoskeleton.

Sometimes leaves in my kiln drop too. That's because the wires I used to hang some of them are rusting during the kilning process. I'm a bit surprised by how quickly they are rusting.