Building a Chimney Solar Dryer

The chimney solar dryer is built with low-cost materials and combines heat collection with constant airflow for efficient drying. Designed by UC Davis researchers for the Horticulture Innovation Lab, the dryer allows farmers and others to use the sun to efficiently dry fruits, vegetables and other foods for long-term storage. Farmers can add value to crop surpluses and extend access to fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
Find the Chimney Solar Dryer Manual here: horticulture.u...
More details about the chimney solar dryer: horticulture.u...
Produced by Hallie Casey
Filmed by Brenda Dawson
With thanks to Angelos Deltsidis, Emily Webster, Kari Flores, Khush Bakht Aalia, Lauren Howe, and Robert “Archie” Jarman for their help.
Music is "Drum Solo" by Turku off their album "Alleys of Istanbul" and is licensed under a creative commons attribution license.

[@crazydrifter13]

Excellent. Thankyou. Surgical masks have become very cheap after the pandemic so some new masks can be used at open holes to prevent dust from getting into the system

[@ahmeddaw2046]

thank you

[@RealityTrailers]

Interesting. Only closed mind and hearts could Dislike such videos.

[@rajendrachoudhary5146]

Excellent details message thanks

[@haram2163]

Cut food grade mesh screen into 60cm squares. Please ensure you carry out this operation on the floor or other non food grade surface. Also, please do not forget to stand on the food grade mesh in the process.

[@haram2163]

A simple design. Worth a punt.

[@wherearewegoing3657]

Were there any issues with off-gassing from the plastic?

[@crapisnice]

hi pal, you are contaminating air with nanoplastic

[@ezdeezytube]

Won't raccoons eat through the plastic to get to the beef jerky?

[@scottcater6639]

Hi , Very innovative , thanks . Was wondering if you think that covering the food in black plastic rather than clear would help even more & also as I have heard that direct sun on the food destroys some of the nutrients might prevent this as well - what are your thoughts & roughly how many hours of full sun does it take to dry a slice of tomato about 6 - 7 mm thick

[@mrfujipp1917]

Thank you very much.🌸🌺🌼🌾💐🌷

[@abdulwaiz]

It’s a really a very economical design I was wondering if we can replace the black polyethylene with black painted aluminum sheet. This way it will retain more heat though the cost will go up.

[@manaldadge]

Hi Guys, great work. Can u tell me how long will it take for a spinach to dehydrate?

[@TheRaj2482]

Can this model be used to dry oyster mushrooms ? Can we increase the model size accordingly, if yes than what would be the maximum measurements we can adopt ?

[@earljudepambid5218]

This can be also applicable for drying rice grain?

[@janusang9632]

Good day. Would it be advantageous if the chimney were taller/higher than 3 meters, or are there any ill effects if such?

[@outlookaccount4625]

I wonder if it would work better with the food racked in the chimney part?

[@zasvedogovore]

Outlook Account with black plastic on north side

[@hortcrsp]

Hi, thanks for your interest in the chimney solar dryer! What you're describing is similar to some of the more traditional cabinet dryers, where the racks in the chimney can actually impede airflow. This dryer works by combining the drying power of both direct solar heat and solar heated air. Placing the trays on the table (so that the airflow is parallel to the trays) reduces airflow resistance and allows the chimney to produce more airflow.

[@volcanicoespecial8719]

@@hortcrsp wow, this is something new, i´m from Colombia, as you know the cost of transport and the bad state of the roads makes really cost inefficient to sell most of the crops in my fathers farm, pluss all the crops go out the same month and the price drops, so i will make a pilot of solar dehidrators, i was ready to make a wood cabinet, based on a design i found, but your dryer seem a lot more cost efficient, i´m gonna give it a try, will post any results. Thanks.

[@AliveBlessedGrateful]

Hello. Have you tried making it? Any update?

[@peterkorsuk4522]

How will the design control rains and dust since the chimeny is open?

[@hortcrsp]

Hi, thanks for your question. The opening in the chimney is critical as it allows heated air to pass through the dryer. The products are not within the chimney itself, but covered in plastic on the table connected to the chimney. So none of the product would be directly exposed to rainfall. There could be a minimal amount of dust that travels on the air through the dryer (not from the chimney but from the small horizontal opening at the end of the table), but in comparison to open-air drying, the product is well protected. Please let me know if that does not make sense or if you have additional questions. Thanks!

[@hortcrsp]

@bram syamith Hi, thanks for your question! It could potentially work, though we have not tested it with coffee beans specifically.

[@sebastjansslavitis3898]

why chimney is transparent?

[@hortcrsp]

Hi, thanks for asking! We prefer to cover the chimney in clear polyethylene to prevent any potential shading of the drying table (which could happen if the chimney were covered in black plastic, for example, depending on how the dryer is oriented). We also find it relatively convenient to use clear polyethylene for the chimney since we are already using it to cover the product on the drying table as well.