In traditional dehumidification kilns, a dedicated sterilization cycle is often skipped. Wood may be kiln-dried, but this doesn’t ensure sterilization, as most cycles max out at 120 degrees, inadequate for proper sterilization. Sterilization requires extra effort, time, and costs. When getting wood from other sources, ask about their sterilization methods, though you might get puzzled looks.
Even with prolonged air drying, wood stays unsterilized. Due to insects’ lengthy incubation periods, absence of visible pests in air-dried wood upon purchase doesn’t guarantee their absence. Interestingly, kiln-drying and sterilizing live edge slabs consistently reveal dead insects post-cycle. These slabs often harbor bugs under the bark or in the cambium layer, requiring heat treatment for eradication. Thus, we meticulously sterilize every batch of wood leaving our kilns.
Each iDRY kiln uses vacuum to create a pressure gradient between the wood’s shell and core. Unlike conventional methods relying on moisture differences, our system maintains minimal moisture difference between the shell and core, ensuring rapid drying. Typically, the wood’s core remains at atmospheric pressure, while the shell operates at reduced pressure, facilitating accelerated water flow towards the shell.
During lumber drying, maintaining temperature alongside vacuum is crucial. This causes superheating within the dryer, reducing equilibrium moisture content and prompting moisture to convert to vapor at reduced pressure. Subsequently, the wood’s moisture vapor can be condensed, removed, and drained.