greenjeans
Well-Known Member
You want to get rid of the excess water as quick as possible - this is sort of before the actual drying of the bud starts. This more for the wash water.
DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest
medmanmike
Well-Known Member
Uzagi, here's my two cents worth.
I have a dorm size min-fridge that is not frost-free. Depending on a lot of factors - bud size, density, how dry they are going in, etc., buds in paper bags take 14-21 days to get into the 60% range. If I fill it with 15-20 bags full of wet buds moisture will rise into the 70-80% range. The freezer will slowly develop ice, ,but the underside will drip. I have to watch this so the bags don't get soaked. A frost-free unit sounds better, but I couldn't find one in a "small" fridge. I like the idea of a wine - cooler or a commercial cooler with temp and humidity controls. Cost is the issue.
1. If stored in glass jars - with a humidity pack, ie Boveda, you shouldn't have to worry about humidity in the room. Temp could be an issue for you given your location. I'm fortunate my basement stays between 60-70ºF year round. In 10 years I haven't had any buds spoiled stored in glass with a Boveda, in a metal cabinet, in the basement.
2. Buds stored in glass longer than a few months get vacuumed packed using a standard food saver unit with a mason jar adaptor like this: Amazon.com
As I mentioned, I use Boveda 62% two-way humidity packs in my jars. I spoke with the folks at Boveda asking about vacuum packing with a humidity pack left in and they advised not to vacuum out all of the air. You want to leave some air in the jar so there is an exchange of moisture between the buds and the hum. pack. What I do is run the vacuum sealer for about 10 seconds and then stop it. This has worked we'll for me and I have bud over two years old in jars that is IMO still good. Matter of fact I vaped some the other day and was pleasantly surprised how well it was holding up.
3. IMO if the wine cooler is capable of maintaining temps and rH in the 40% range, that would be the way to go.
4. After I wash buds I hang them in the (flower) grow room with lights on, A/C and fans running for 4-6 hours to remove the excess moisture from the wash. So my temps are in the mid/upper 70s and rH is 50% or less. I know many hang them in a darkened room with air movement (oscillating fan). I'm of the opinion that being in the light continues photosynthesis and removes some of the chlorophyl.
Well, a little more than 2cents worth - hoped it helped!
PS. here's another nifty tool to have on hand. Hygrolid for Dried Goods. As my buds age in the jars I periodically check rH to make sure its where I want it.
Thanks for a detailed reply.
Done some research and most wine coolers dont seem to get as cool as a fridge. The best wine cooler ive seen within any sort of realistic budget offers 5-18c and 50-70% RH. Also costs $350!
Not sure this RH or temp is low enough after throw a lot of wet bud inside vs the fridge and might get mould when drying?
@InTheShed any thoughts on this wine cooler vs frost free fridge for an all in one drying, curing and storage long term? I dont mind spending $350 on the wine cooler if that is truly the best option for sure, im just scared to buy it then find really the lowest temp it can achieve is 6-8c and RH ends up worse off than a basic fridge.
Maybe a cheaper model wine cooler (with no RH control) for long term storage and a separate fridge to dry is the best option?
Probably not the type you want for efficient drying in a "slow and low dry". It looks like a typical manual style of defrost system.
What I feel is need is a type of fridge & freezer where the very cold air in the freezer area is blown into the fridge area to cool that area off. While this is happening any moisture in the air is evaporated and released into the air in the room. This allows the air in the fridge, and freezer, sides to be lower humidity and this low humidity is what allows the buds to slowly dry out.
Having the fans and evaporation coils and air channels between freezer & fridge side and all the other stuff we do not see is what makes the frost-free units cost more.
The unit you show in the picture is probably better than a dorm freezer but not by enough. The fridge area stays cool because the freezer and fridge are actually one area.
Maybe someone in the HVAC trade or who works in the appliance repair business can explain it better.
Irelandguerilla
Well-Known Member
Google ‘wine cooler conversion drying method’.
There’s a detailed thread on a uk forum all about it.
It isn’t ‘Low and Slow’ as such, but it would save you from purchasing a fridge. It can be done in the wine cooler
There’s a detailed thread on a uk forum all about it.
It isn’t ‘Low and Slow’ as such, but it would save you from purchasing a fridge. It can be done in the wine cooler
Ok from now on, im going to clearly look for a fridge which says "no frost" like the one below then we should be good @SmokingWings?
Without having the unit in front of me it looks like the freezer area heats up enough to melt off the frost. What I do not see is a way to remove the moist air from the inside.
You should be able to find a nice double door unit for a good price but it will cost a bit more.
Yes. I think you are on the right track.
Thanks very helpful. Does it have to be an automatic defrosting unit or is that part not important? Some of the "no frost" models don't have automatic defrosting but why would it need it if frost free?
Part of the answer is being on the same page as to what "automatic defrosting" and "no frost" would mean.
The optimum would be a unit that gets rid of the humidity. That way frost does not form and at the same time the buds that are in the fridge section can slowly dry out.
I used to get together with a guy for a beer or two on occasion who was an appliance repairman. One time when a problem started I called him and he explained the entire process of how the unit gets rid of moist air. I have a mental picture of how it works but I cannot come up with the right terms to explain it properly.
Has to be a way to get rid of humid air so that the buds continue to dry slowly. And, the important part is that it has to get rid of some, or all, of the humid air automatically every time the compressor cycles. If the air inside the fridge stays humid it keeps the buds from drying out slowly and evenly.
Thanks again! Do you have a model of fridge that does for sure work with this process? Then i can compare.
Actually no. The fridge in the kitchen is 9 years old so I doubt the model is still around. Plus, if I remember right the model # is about 15 digits long and really hard find.
Walk into an appliance store. Even Home Depot has appliances. Open the door to the fridge area and the door to the freezer side. There should be vents for the fans to move cold air. That should give you a basic idea of what I am trying to describe. Then call a salesman over to ask him or her how the vents work. You might have to put up with a sales pitch but you should be able to get the idea.
I have taken a better look at the picture and maybe it will work. It might not be strong enough to act as a dedicated unit with the temperature & humidity levels you are talking about unless you are only drying a small amount. Looks like it will get cold air from the freezer box and blow it onto the top shelf of the door. That shelf is where I would put my paper bags.
If there is a way to talk to people on one of the sub-forums about the wine coolers then those might be a better way to go. Those units might allow more room to dry more weed at a time and do it more efficiently and economically.
Decided to go with this "no frost" Samsung big boy model. Only concern is it has a deodorizer but im pretty sure the filter/catridge is removable/replacable. Going to check tomorrow and then pull the trigger! Thanks for your assistance!
I might have to buy my own drying fridge. My ball and chain has been getting shitty about me taking over his beer fridge.
Sorry to just get back here, but it looks like the good folks patrolling this thread have answered a lot of what you asked. Just in case:
Cool and dark, like a basement or interior closet. Not fridge temps by any means. Ambient RH doesn't matter when the jars are sealed.
Wine coolers don't get as cold as a fridge, and the cold is important to keep the mold at bay.
Out of the sun is pretty much all that matters unless you live in a tropical rain forest or a desert. Those 4 hours are just to let the wash moisture drip off.
RH is relative to temps, and fridge temps are usually a high of 37ºF. Whatever you get, if it's not actually removing the moisture as a frost-free fridge does you will need to open the door a couple of times a day to make sure there is air exchange with drier outside air.
I would not be surprised if this deodorizer cartridge or filter is filled with charcoal just like the filters that many of us use in our tents or grow rooms to control the smells of plants in flower.
There have been times when the smell from the drying harvest will flood the kitchen when I open the door.
If you are really happy with your drying fridge maybe suggest that he go out and buy the beer fridge of his dreams.
But if you can improve on the current drying fridge then let him keep what he has while you buy the fridge you did not even know you wanted until this discussion.
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