Nica
New member
This started out as just 4 stainless shelves that I had. I made the uprights from some 3/4" alum tubing with 1/4" bolts thru the leg, spaced to hold the shelves at an even distance from each other. I had 4 casters all the same size and they fit up inside the alum tubing. It was now rollable.
This worked pretty well with no power and just using the heat generated on the sun porch. We don't use our sun porch much in the summer, so I closed some of the windows to get it even hotter, and put the rack in there.
I used cheesecloth on the shelves to keep slices from falling thru, and a layer on top for flies. OK, so now I know I can dehydrate with just heat, and that is what I really wanted to know in case we loose our power.
I decided to speed up the drying time with a fan. I cut some smaller dia alum tubing and stuck them in side the uprights, on top. Then I bent some 5/16" round, 3" at a 90 on each end and stuck the 3" ends in the top of the alum extentions to make 'rails' on both sides of the top. This raised it several inches so I didn't have to use the top shelf to hold the fan. I used some old refrigerator shelves that I placed on top of the rails, one at each end, with a void in the center to hold the fan. I placed a small 3 speed fan on top, centered between the refrig shelves.
Next came the black plastic. I save the protective covers that come on a pallet of wood pellets. I took one of these and put it on top of the rack, cut a hole in it to go around the fan, and hastily duck taped it in place.
Next I made some smaller shelves to actually put the slices of vegetable on. Now I can load them in the kitchen and place them on one of the 4 shelves. Now I don't have to load or unload the dehydrater out in the heat.
This works pretty good. Not pretty, but I will refine it next spring. And take better pictures.
All suggestions for improvement are welcome
