Dryer for vegetables and fruit with his own hands: advice, instructions

Personally dryer for vegetables and fruits, will be indispensable in the summer resident season harvesting and processing. The global network and experience of craftsmen offer a variety of projects, with a small part of them can be found here.

With the help of the dryer you can stock up on tasty and healthy winter blanks from meat, fish, mushrooms, herbs, vegetables and, of course, fruit.

Drying or drying of fresh foods is one of the oldest and still popular methods of preservation. Since people first started thinking about procurement of food for the future we have accumulated a lot of ways of drying.

The first and most early version of such a blank to use the sun's energy. Its main advantage is considered a minimum cost. It needs an inexpensive material for trays and periodic mixing, which does not allow the product to stick together.

But there is a disadvantage, which largely invalidates all the advantages of this method. Required smooth, sunny weatherBut these days there are so many in our conditions.

Later, but still the old method, the use of the Russian stove. Inside is placed a few bricks, which are installed pan with herbs, fruits, berries, fungi, other fruits. Alternatively the same products hang beams near the stove. However, in these conditions the furnace there is not in every home.

With the advent of gas stoves like conservation principle was used in city apartments. Baking tray or grille is installed in the oven, the process occurs at low heat with the door open. With all the advantages, you have to pay for gas, it is not too expensive, but still negative for the family budget.

A more effective embodiment homemade drier, collected from the available funds on one of the tested circuits. With this method observed a number of nuances, without which it is impossible to preserve the nutritional properties of any product. In this case:

  • provided optimum temperature, which removes moisture from fruit, meat or fish;
  • the conditions required for the circulation of air flows, which eliminate excess humidity inside the drying chamber;
  • there is a rational organization of its internal space, which makes it possible to correctly place the maximum number of products;
  • all that is inside the structure is reliably protected from insects, dust and other external factors that could adversely affect the contents.

Wherein It retains most of the vitamins and mineralsMinimized risk of botulism bacteria which multiply in the moist environment, reduces the risk of mold growth.

Especially drying equipment

To ensure the above conditions and the desired result, a homemade drying unit must meet certain technical requirements:

  • it should be maintained within the temperature not above 70 ° C, this will ensure maximum dewatering, but will not allow drying;
  • volume of the chamber should be calculated not only on the number of products intended for the workpiece, should be considered part of the space for the free circulation of air;
  • construction of the device should allow to adjust the drying time for self-assembly of this can be achieved by simply moving the trays close to a heat source or air streams.

If necessary, and possible, the device can be fitted and tenami thermostats the blower motor, other equipment, which will make its use more efficient and comfortable.

Types of dryers

Dryers, collected his own hands are classified as well as their factory counterparts. Using primarily, they should be divided into device solar energy and electric vehicles, fitted with fans and tenami. first differ

  • simple design;
  • They require a minimum of expertise in the assembly;
  • economical in terms of required for the assembly of materials and subsequent operation.

Despite the diversity of their design such devices in general, a sister. This cabinet of different sizes, usually made of wood, with vents, glass walls on the perimeter or on one side of the heat input. More sophisticated devices have their analogues using electricity. By the principle of action, they are divided into conventional convective Electric driers or infrared heating method and dehydrators, which provides the function of fine-tuning of temperature that leads to a complete dehydration product.

convective

In this embodiment, the drying occurs directed stream of heated air. The design provided spots, which may be located above, below or in a horizontal plane.

convective dryer

To make such a device easier to just enough to assemble the camera, set it in a heater and heater. However, the victim becomes constructive simplicity processing quality. The fruits are dried outside, keeping moisture in the core. They are not suitable for long-term storage as fast moldy, pose a risk of botulism poisoning. Minimize this disadvantage can be more drying duration, but it leads to the loss of a significant part of the useful properties and increases power consumption.

infrared

infrared drying chamber

These devices use infrared light, whose effects as close to the sun. The impact is more evenly better preserved vitamins and minerals. drying results are better suited for long storage periods.

A major plus point in favor of this species is a low power consumption. But here a higher risk of error, over-drying of foods and loss of useful properties.

Assemble such a device is difficult, it is necessary to choose the right radiator and choose the scheme of its proper placement.

Dehydrator

Translated into human language the installation of this type is called the dehydrator. It is at maximum moisture removal calculated design of these devices. Despite the fact that the same term is often referred to as conventional dryers, the difference between them is the presence of a thermostat that controls the temperature.

Dehydrator

Thanks to these design improvements drying takes place under optimum conditions in a short time is permissible. such a device better than others for withering beef, pork or fish. Result: The maximum moisture spared uniformly dried out, the consumer is able to maintain until the next harvest properties and longer. But not enough to build their own hands dehydrator means at hand, require additional equipment.

Necessary materials

Start making your own drying unit with necessary drawings and prepare the necessary tools. For the simplest of constructions sufficiently exemplary schemes require more complex detailed design of individual elements of the device. A set of tools also depends on the complexity of the project, but most likely will be a mandatory item list:

  • hacksaw and plane;
  • Different kinds of screwdrivers and a hammer;
  • drill and pliers;
  • soldering;
  • level;
  • brush for painting.

Materials also are selected on the basis of the project and the selected device type. For convective models will need:

  • for frame bars and plywood sheets for cladding;
  • the same materials suitable for the assembly of trays;
  • fine screen;
  • canopies for wings and screws for mounting;
  • electric fans with tenami or incandescent lamp 150 W;
  • cable with a plug to connect to the network.

For housing the infrared device suitable materials are the same, but instead of the resistors or lamps with fans need to purchase:

  • film which is used for heating floors;
  • terminals, and eyelets;
  • isolation bitumen or PVC embodiments.

Simple designs are collected from a minimum set of components. It's all the same wooden materials for housing, in addition to that required glass or polycarbonate.

Step by step construction of the oven

Because solar and electric varieties dryer enough structural nuances, consider the assembly sequence of each of them must be separately.

Solar

The simplest version of such structures consists of a plywood shell with glass doors and shelves inside. It is mounted on the sunny side obliquely, so that the heat affected the maximum internal chamber.

  1. First need to cut plywood sheets according to the desired dimensions. The sheets, which will be located at the top and bottom cut ventilation holes.
  2. Next, assemble the cabinet, fixing joints screws that twist into bars. Outside the side walls of the support frame, calculating the angle of inclination of the cabinet so that the sun inner cavity covered maximum at noon.
  3. Sutured back side metal sheet which will enhance the thermal effect. Ventilation holes at the top and bottom of the blind mosquito net.
  4. On the side walls, the inner side of a shelf support wind the screws. They must be fixed in advance under the calculated angle, in accordance with the position of the cabinet.
  5. When this phase of work is completed, the cabinet can be painted. The inner part is painted with black color is required, which accumulates heat. External white, which has high light reflectivity.
  6. While the paint dries, you can do the assembly of trays. Their skeleton collected from bars with binding cross bar in the middle, which will strengthen the structure. The bottom of each tray sutured mesh that will provide free flow of heated air.
  7. frame is made for the front side, the size of which must correspond to the perimeters of the cabinet. On top of it is fixed a sheet of polycarbonate or glass.
    When the outer frame is ready and fixed in the operating position dryer for fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, green ready.

Electrical

To assemble the electric version can not collect a wardrobe from scratch. Is fine old cabinet or a small cabinet of sufficient size. Some craftsmen adapted for this purpose old refrigerators. Consider the case of cabinets, as the easiest on labor costs.

  1. Depending on the location of the top or bottom of the fan plane tables need to provide holes, the more of such openings, the better circulation of air flows. If his fixation is provided on the back side, ventilation holes made in the door.
  2. In the next step obbivat wall material which will maintain the temperature regime.
  3. Then, the inside of the fasten rails on which the trays will be placed. The last pick of the strips and sewed up a mosquito net.
  4. The back side cut hole diameter under the heater or a pair of holes for incandescent lamps. If you plan an infrared heat source, a rear wall is sheathed with a film prepared in advance. Power cord for AC power outputting.
  5. To turned from an ordinary dryer dehydrator, we add to the circuit a thermostat and display controls outside.
  6. Close impromptu dryer door can be old, if it does not exist or it does not fit just going to frame and sheathe its plywood with many holes. Do not forget to set the latch or hook, so that the door could not be opened during operation.
  7. Thereafter, the chamber is placed inside the trays and collected apparatus can be considered ready for testing.

As you can see, in order to build the dryer with your hands do not need to exert much effort, but the benefits of this device are many. Make your own dryer can be from scrap materials, without spending large amounts of money. Use our tips and instructions, and enjoy the vitamins at any time of the year.