Solar Food Dehydrator (Dryer)

Dry your fruit, vegetables, and other goods with your own sun powered dehydrator. Electric Food Dehydrators can be expensive and consume unnecessary energy. This solar dehydrator was made entirely of recovered materials. It was constructed with scrap ply wood, 2x4s from an old ladder, a house window, and other items which could be considered trash. It was created as a project at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa. Why We Dry: Removal of moisture prevents bacteria from ruining your values fruits and vegetables. Drying is a form of preservation.

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step 1Learn the Design

Become familiar with the design to minimize mistakes... There are vents underneath in the front which are hidden in this picture. The darker section is a piece of hea…

step 2Find Materials

Thin Ply Wood (Body) 4 2.5' Long 2" x 4"s 10 feet of 2" x 2" wood (Braces and drying shelf support) A Window (20" x 23 1/8") or a suitable slab of clear plastic. Scree…

step 3Size Pieces

Here is a checklist for the plywood pieces. -1' x 23 1/4"' (Top) - TWO 20" x 12" x 26 1/8" x 14 1/8" (Sides) This has a diagonal cut. -26 1/8" x 23 1/16" (Bottom) …

step 4Assemble Frame

A. Cut 2" x 4" notches out on the bottom ply wood piece for legs. Cut out 2" x 4" slits for ventilation. B. Construct base first as pictured. C. Fasten side pieces of pl…

step 5Additional Components

A. Size and Insert heat absorbent shelf (Approximately 23" x 20") . This rests on the top of the legs. B. Construct drying screen by stretching and stapling material ove…

step 6Dehydration Tips

A. Dehydration will occur between 100 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Any lower and bacteria can grow, any higher and it will be cooking. In order to achieve this balance the r…