We Built A GIGANTIC Solar Powered Food Dehydrator Machine!

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This is the giant solar powered food dehydrator that we built. It includes a primary heater for dehydrating foods that require a higher temperature, a small solar panel and a small solar powered 12 volt fan. In this video we show how we built the dehydrator as well as a few of the food items that we have successfully dehydrated in the unit including blueberries and sun dried tomatoes.
WATER STRAWS: amzn.to/3Pgmxap
SOLAR PANEL & FAN: amzn.to/48irloG
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Опубликовано:

13 сен 2023

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Комментарии : 163

@JohnWilson-cs7iq 2 дня назад

If you line the bottom of your hydrater with a dark colured corrugated iron it will absorb heat & radiate it back up under the produce. Also, if you cut the legs at one end so the table is on an angle & the vent holes at the top high end the hot air will rise up to the top creating a natural hot air circulation over the produce increasing the drying effect & no fan required. John from New Zealand :)

@Primitivemycology 5 дней назад

I love this, I'm transitioning from a small hobby mushroom farm to a year round operational business focusing on dried mushrooms, extracts, and a small amount of fresh this year. About to break ground on a new building next month and I've been wincing at the cost of a commercial dehydrator. Thank you you so much, I think a stackable version of this is in order

@mywildholm 9 месяцев назад

Hey guys!! Fellow Canadians here - we bought a 62 acre island on a lake in British Columbia! We are also building a homestead in our own little 'country'... Love watching your channel... lots to catch up on. We welcome you to check our story out too 💚 This dehydrator!!! WOW!

@-whackd 8 месяцев назад

Cool, consider hosting a community for homesteaders and permaculturalists some Day

@JoeCoxJodo 19 часов назад

You could use it for dehydrating your herbs.... Put a black cloth or a tinted perspex sheet over the patio door - 😁👍

@ruthcaskenette8854 10 месяцев назад

Another great idea Dave and Amanda, and when your not using it to Dehydrating you could use the table as a outdoor harvest table.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks Mom! Come for thanksgiving and we'll eat at the harvest table! lol

@stacywilson3374 4 месяца назад

We have raccoons, skunks, squirrels, deer, ants, ground bees, german wasps…. How does your dehydrator stand up to these animals and insects?

@bloodlove93 6 дней назад

idk about skunks ants,try a fine mesh between fan and vent deer, wire fence around it. everything else should be solved by those or the already existing design.

@williammaxwell1919 10 месяцев назад

If you are using a fan to move the air through the dehydrater, consider adding a "pre-heat chamber" to "pre-heat" the air so that asthe air is drawn though the drying chamber, it is at a higher temperature so should speed up the dry-time... and then you showed the "black box", silly me :-)

@williammaxwell1919 10 месяцев назад

The pre-heat chamber be similar to the drying chamber (glass over box), but painted matt-black. Also adding ridged insulation to the outside of the box improves preformance. Another option is to add thermal mass (such as buildind the chambers out of brick and adding insulation to the outside) as this will provide heat after sun has gone down (unless you take the drying produce in each night.)

@unmeaninglessly143 Месяц назад

Just cut open any side to make the tray as a drawer. Add some rollers too. It might take a bit of effort but its worth it. No need to lift the heavy glass.

@carolkantner1770 10 месяцев назад

Nice job... you two are good engineers ,designers and builders

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks 👍!

@raincoast9010 10 месяцев назад

Very nice addition to the homestead.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

We think so too!

@Keelarr 2 месяца назад

I am planning on making one. My neighbor just gave me 2 shower doors and 2 double paned sliding glass doors! Yayyy. I am going to add a thermostat and 2 fans for cooler dehydrating. The main fan can run continuously for air flow, but when the temp goes above 125, and I want a cooler dehydration, the secondary fans will kick on. I think I will also add a battery

@homesteadaquarius 10 месяцев назад

That is some awesome off grid solution to saving the harvest and one more use for zucchini! Well done folks!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Yes indeed!

@psocretes8183 Месяц назад

Hi from England. That was great. I have just got a small dehydrator and have my first batch drying now. It's nice to see a traditional way of dehydrating. I use mine for prepping meals for camping. All the best.

@MTHomestead 4 месяца назад

What a smart idea, thanks for sharing with us and this is going to help lots of people.

@devashishmandal33 4 месяца назад

Ome improvement i would suggest. Instead of preheating air intake why not dehydrate cool air with reusable desiccant silicone pads. And add slope to glass sheet as the droplet will run down on its own and improve efficiency

@alfblack2 6 дней назад

fantastic! totally didnt think of that. awsome.

@LJones-uu4xy 3 месяца назад

A couple saw horses to set the heavy glass door on would save the back instead of having to bend way down when removing or replacing.

@LJones-uu4xy 3 месяца назад

Just discovered your channel. Good concise info.

@acdcacres 10 месяцев назад

Ooo, great idea to use up the old patio doors I have hiding behind the garage!

@21Swayzee 10 месяцев назад

We were just saying we need to get a dehydrator...but that solar one is brilliant!!!

@Legend0222 10 месяцев назад

Great idea!

@elliottmackay4650 10 месяцев назад

Awesome idea and thanks for the tip on dehydrating herbs. I didn't realize that the sun would bleach them,

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Glad it was helpful!

@homesteadaquarius 10 месяцев назад

This is AWESOME!

@volt8399 2 месяца назад

Thank you for making this

@northstarprepsteader 10 месяцев назад

Genius!! Love the mass production, too.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Much appreciated! It's definitely been a big help!

@GardeningWarrior 10 месяцев назад

WOW! You go! That is awesome.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks!

@lostcreekcabin2021 9 месяцев назад

Im experimenting with a somewhat similar set up but with the pop csn solar heater and a removable dark cover for light or dark drying , including mests .It is built as part of and an addition to my old and well used smoker .

@qaz120120 Месяц назад

Hi, to increase the effect of your hedydrator significantly, please try 2 things: Have some black colored cloth sitting in the bottom of the dehydrator to generate the heat and insulate it. Have a little chimney at the outflow end to improve circulation. Afterwards, you should not need the black barrel any more.

@daneking1209 7 дней назад

blackout window curtains could help you dehydrate the herbs. Block out the sun and just use the warm are from your barrel 🤔

@l0I0I0I0 10 месяцев назад

Great idea! Thank you. Zucchini flour sounds perfect!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

We have videos showing the process if needed 😉

@bonilsson3161 10 месяцев назад

Really nice project !! I am pretty sure I will copy this quite soon. Your brainstorming meetings (or however your process is) are really productive, lots of nice ideas from you. I really like how you thought of ventilation and temperature control. When I dehydrate my mushrooms I like to keep temperature to about 50 celsius, maximum 60 since they almost get cooked if temp is higher and thats not what I want.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Yes, the fan and the pre heater really help with maintaining whatever temperature you might want to run the unit at.

@varietasVeritas 21 день назад

A black cloth or tarp would keep the sunlight off of your herbs. Also, a few 4x8 sheets of plywood covered in mylar would increase the temperature for higher speeds and cooking/disinfecting.

@debrabrooks6138 9 месяцев назад

A new subscriber here going over your videos! I love this idea, I was thinking of a standup unit with about 6-8 racks with fans underneath it, but basically the same idea just set up differently! Great idea thanks for sharing! I would love to learn more about your zucchini flour! I have a Excalibur dehydrator too!

@Wilderstead 8 месяцев назад

We have videos on the zuccini flour process and uses in our recipes playlist. Thanks for joining us!

@JimDockrellWatertone 10 месяцев назад

That's brilliant!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks Jim!

@mynorthernfarm7324 10 месяцев назад

great idea ,I have been dehydrating 3 days a week my zucchini for the last 2 to 3 weeks and and a ways to go.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

This thing is pretty efficient too. Can't wait to use it for a full season next year!

@trollforge 10 месяцев назад

Sweet! I need one of those!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

This thing works awesome Tim! Lol - I just watched your cabelas fan fix up video. We have the same one and I'm sure we'll need to give it a tuneup soon enough. Cheers dude!

@MsCaterific 10 месяцев назад

You guys are so smart!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks!

@rodjendrysik3444 10 месяцев назад

Cool design

@lavendereyesgal1125 7 дней назад

I would line the inside with aluminum which will produce heat without adding all the other stuff and paint the outside black.

@LokiOdinssnn 6 месяцев назад

This is really great (: i had an idea if you have too much time on hand lol, is to have each 1/3 section of the floor(the food layer) into a "tray" that you can pull out(maybe even with "legs" that fall out so it can stand right there when pulled out).

@rodhobbs4855 6 месяцев назад

Great idea....but instead of a bucket to per heat the air,check out the sode can heater....those things crank out some pretty high temps.

@Wilderstead 6 месяцев назад

They sure can. We built one a few years back. There’s a video on our channel about it.

@az55544 2 месяца назад

Fiberglass screen is better for food processing. Check that your wire screen isn’t galvanized and leaching zinc into your food - especially the acidic tomatoes.

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

Its stainless steel screen.

@az55544 2 месяца назад

@@Wilderstead awesome. an expensive treat!

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

Not really. Found at the restore - 5$ for a 20 foot roll if I remember correctly.

@sandybroderick2932 10 месяцев назад

Great video!!! Thank you ❤

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for swinging by Sandy! Cheers!

@nanchesca3950 10 месяцев назад

How clever!👍🏻

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thanks!

@beardedgiantsmomplohr5535 10 месяцев назад

Excellent. Enjoyed the video a great deal.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Awesome, thank you! Say HI to the Beaded Giant for us please!

@beardedgiantsmomplohr5535 10 месяцев назад

@@Wilderstead will do. He is doing well.

@jasoncallaghan3084 3 месяца назад

Genius

@martinmenke604 11 дней назад

i'm think a bout a similiar concept only that. would suck in cold air. i will try burry a hose undeground for x meters to let the air cooldown so that the relative humidity is lower when you heat the air up. i guess this will speed-up the drying process

@trevor5290 10 месяцев назад

(this is Trevor's wife) My husband built a solar heater box which looks similar to your dehydrator to warm up the house and it works well for a few degrees up. This dehydrator will be another welcome addition to our place.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Yes! We are actually starting a build on another solar heater box very soon to keep our water in the barn and chicken coop thawed (hopefully!)

@trevor5290 10 месяцев назад

@@Wilderstead I'm wondering if it's enough heat to warm up the greenhouse in winter for cool weather crops like lettuce. We are in the Napanee area (or will be quite soon on acreage) and I can't wait for a greenhouse and chickens and maybe a goat lol

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

@@trevor5290 your greenhouse will heat up enough during the day that it won’t need a solar heater. Night is when you need heat and a solar heater box will not do anything when the sun isn’t shining. Have you seen our winter greenhouse videos? We’ve experimented with just about every heating possibility that you can imagine.

@trevor5290 10 месяцев назад

@@Wilderstead thanks - will look for them

@shep6123 9 месяцев назад

Very nice I like it

@sherylh4780 10 месяцев назад

Really nice idea.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Thank you! 😊

@vk081064 2 месяца назад

You can install a steel sheet on the inside of the tray and a black colour non-absorbent cloth or anything as it'll attract heat and the steel sheet will help in retaining it. The circulating fan would do rest of the job. I believe this would negate the chore of turning over the tomatoes. Hope this idea works. Just came across your phone informative channel. Take care

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

The tomatoes stick to the screen. They need to be flipped to make removal easier when they are finished.

@user-mw4jz2ef3j 6 месяцев назад

wow

@kjsensei 4 месяца назад

just a thought on the herbs bleaching, tinted glass, or blacked out? seems black might heat up even more, but no uv damage to the herbs

@jakesimon1908 Месяц назад

I like to know more how to make dehydrator

@talha425 10 месяцев назад

What is they net material ? Is fan exhaust from dehydrator or flowing in ? How much temperature required for lemon sliced Cause temperature out side usually 35 to 40 degrees minimum we have

@bjdaxom9555 5 месяцев назад

very smart 👌🏻...cheers from india 🙏🏻🤘🏻

@mikemosc3254 6 месяцев назад

adding a hydraulic lifting system, to the ends of this for lifting thr glass might not be a bad idea. also, ading a secondary screen to just have to flip the drying rack rather than flipping EVERY single tomato or dried fruit that needs to be flipped is another suggestion i would make. you also say herbs are better off dehydrating in a regular dehydrator, but why not just make a completely black plastic cover for the glass? protect the inside from the uv light and also probably raise the temperature.

@PWDlife 2 месяца назад

what kind of glass is that, also does the fan to remove air in the box or to add air in the box?

@offgridwanabe 10 месяцев назад

I love this idea and it is cheap to run lol.

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Very cheap. hahaha. Cheers bud!

@user-eo8tb5rq1p 7 месяцев назад

Good Idea 😅😅.

@guysanders4407 10 месяцев назад

what keeps ants and bugs out?

@harshrungta247 15 дней назад

Sun

@davechhakchhuak6150 3 месяца назад

It’s really informative But I don’t understand how the moisture goes between the pane of glass

@DineshMadushanka-zz9wm 2 месяца назад

wowwwww

@danielthompson3205 4 месяца назад

Sitting here watching vid.. Then saw you milling your own timber for the project. Yerp I'm jumping in to like and say, hell yes.

@glendalivingston6236 10 месяцев назад

Some very impressive tinkering to make this machine! I wonder if the evening air moisture or dew would re-enter the veggies when you have to run the system for many hours? Also, that's a lot of blueberry picking!!

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

The evening moisture doesn't seem to have much impact.

@bharatkukreti8449 6 месяцев назад

This can be tackled by maintaining the chamber airtight at slightly negative pressure.

@Larkz0717 10 месяцев назад

that is amazing!!! that was a door for the lid? and what mesh.. was it stainless? galvanized? or just screen window mesh?

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Stainless window screen

@heathermorrison6983 9 месяцев назад

What a fantastic idea!! Do you just leave them in the dehydrator overnight until the sun comes up again??

@Wilderstead 9 месяцев назад

Yes, as long as we are expecting good weather for dehydration we just leave them in the unit.

@joemiller8029 3 месяца назад

Thanks so much for your informative video! Curious about a few things. One, we have just started growing food, and grow very little. My thought is that if you have to buy store food to dehydrate, you probably aren't actually saving any money unless the store is practically giving it away? We live in an arid climate - hot and dry in the summer. Your video shows a lot of greenery in the background - what kind of climate are you in? Thanks again so much for your video!

@gardeninginthedesert 2 месяца назад

I live in West Africa, similar climate to you. I grow a lot in containers because it preserves water. I keep adding containers when I can. I felt like I started small but it also feels like it's growing fast. I'm now looking into making a dehydrator. Perfect for our hot and sunny weather.

@gardeninginthedesert 2 месяца назад

I've been looking at dehydrating eggs. Would it be possible to do it in this? Obviously it would have to be done on baking paper.

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

You could try but it would probably end up cooking them rather than dehydrating them. We have an egg dehydrating video if you haven’t seen that one yet. An electric dehydrator is going to be more accurate and easier to control temp and airflow than this.

@MeG-yp8ul 5 месяцев назад

If you put a net same as the one the food sits on over the top. You could turn the whole thing rather than flip each piece individually..

@Wilderstead 5 месяцев назад

Things tend to stick to the screen and need to be picked off.

@scott75046 10 месяцев назад

For herbs could you place a plastic sheet over the glass to stop the sun reaching them? Also does it even matter if they bleach apart from the appearance?

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

Maybe.

@wingnutbert9685 10 месяцев назад

Yeah, I was thinking that might work too. Black vapor barrier plastic or maybe ground/weed barrier cloth.

@StephanParry 9 месяцев назад

Hi, great build! How long does the zucchini 'flour' last for? How do you store it?

@Wilderstead 9 месяцев назад

We usually make enough to last a year. We store it in mason jars in the pantry. We have squash flour videos showing the whole process.

@spaideman7850 4 месяца назад

6:28 careful of plastic toxic gas released by the plastic bucket

@cidgeband 6 месяцев назад

Hi! have you tried a lettuce to make it chips? thanks

@Wilderstead 5 месяцев назад

Kale chips yes. Lettuce, no.

@Bennix 4 месяца назад

Can it get the moisture level to less than 12% ?

@Wilderstead 4 месяца назад

You could get anything as dry as you want

@TheCatFan21 6 месяцев назад

Have you all considered adding pneumatic hinges to the door frame? Would that help or do you all find that the setup works as-is? Regardless, we're definitely doing this on our homestead. Two videos in and you all are speaking my and my wife's language! As a side, do you all have sassafras trees up where you live? The leaves can be dehydrated and powdered into a seasoning called filé. It's a popular seasoning in Louisiana but could make a nice addition to your spice cabinet alongside bay leaves and other vegetal/bitter-ish/spicy things!

@Wilderstead 6 месяцев назад

Welcome to the Wilderstead! We considered hinges, but the old patio door is very heavy, and we worried about it crashing down and smashing, or possibly tipping the entire unit over if opened all the way. Also - having a hinged top that might not open all the way hinders your ability to easily access the entire inside of the unit when working with what you are dehydrating. We don't have any Sassafras trees growing here. Our climate is a little too cold in the winter for it to survive. It's a nice seasoning, though.

@parthiban517 6 месяцев назад

Good one❤... But don't go more than 70 deg celcius to avoid nutritional loss.

@Wilderstead 5 месяцев назад

What if we cook what we dehydrate later? 😵‍💫

@unmeaninglessly143 Месяц назад

Preferably for the ones that are eaten raw

@carolynmoody9460 10 месяцев назад

👏👏👏👏❤

@CC-nt4zi 2 месяца назад

What kind of mesh for the trays?

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

Stainless steel

@user-eb2di9is3e 4 месяца назад

Can you also put salted fish in it to drie?

@Wilderstead 4 месяца назад

I’d probably want a dedicated unit to dry fish in….

@Anu_Fathima 6 месяцев назад

Can we add extra layers.???

@Wilderstead 6 месяцев назад

You could do that

@426superbee4 4 месяца назад

Have to make it slant so the water runs down the glass sides and not drip down on the food

@Wilderstead 4 месяца назад

Inside the unit stays dry.

@426superbee4 4 месяца назад

@@Wilderstead glass always have moisture, so how can it stay dry?

@dement3djoker 4 месяца назад

@426superbee4 did you not watch the video? The moisture is in between the 2 panes of glass

@Wilderstead 4 месяца назад

The moisture in the unit is removed with airflow provided by the fan. Maybe you need to watch the video again to understand the concept of a dehydrator?

@426superbee4 4 месяца назад

@@Wilderstead i under stand > THAT YOU GOT WATER DRIPPING!

@joeaaronsen 5 месяцев назад

You do not need to run your dehydrator indoors when the weather is good and as long as the humidity isn't super high. The capacity of air to hold moisture increases exponentially with temperature, meaning the hotter source air, the more moisture you can remove for energy expended. You should run your electric dehydrators outdoor during the day, preferably in the sun. It will save you energy and keep the warm, humid air out of your house, which will save you again on AC.

@Wilderstead 5 месяцев назад

Humidity, bears, bees, etc prevent us from having that luxury lol

@KarlMiller 23 дня назад

@@Wildersteadif humidity and insects are an issue that prevents your indoor dehydrators from being used outdoors, then why aren't insects and humidity an issue with the solar dehydrator? How do you keep ants and bees out of the solar dehydrator?

@breezywilson760 8 дней назад

wire mesh? is it stainless?

@Wilderstead 8 дней назад

Yeah

@smoothtwh 10 месяцев назад

🤔 hmmm, wonder if you can use a wood kiln ..

@Wilderstead 10 месяцев назад

I suppose you could make something like that.

@smoothtwh 10 месяцев назад

@@Wilderstead I asked my daughter, since they have a eood kiln. She said too many bugs, too dusty and mouse poop n dander.

@dikongslutongbahay6732 8 месяцев назад

Is that a waterproof?

@Wilderstead 8 месяцев назад

It doesn't leak water inside if thats what you are asking.

@dikongslutongbahay6732 8 месяцев назад

@@Wilderstead i mean what about when its raining?

@Wilderstead 8 месяцев назад

@dikongslutongbahay6732 no, it doesn’t leak.

@mental8886 2 месяца назад

Rich people building useful things with brand new materials inspiring me to make the same stuff out of trash in my yard. Including the solar panel from a Wyze cam lol

@mental8886 2 месяца назад

I really did learn a lot. Not being mean. I’m just to poor to even buy dirt lol

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

You might realize how poor we are if you watch our barn build 😂. This dehydrator cost us 32$.

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

rich people 😮 😂

@mental8886 2 месяца назад

@@Wilderstead you seen the prices for lumber? It’s crazy. I got kids to pay for lol

@Wilderstead 2 месяца назад

@@mental8886 🙄