Aqua Hub Kenya has cost-effective dryer solutions in Kenya for value addition and preservation of vegetables. We are the best vegetable dryer suppliers with a wide range of options that work best to provide optimum conditions for preservation.
Reasons You Need a Solar Dryer
- Vegetable leaves go bad easily as they have a lot of water.
- Once you harvest some vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, the chances of rotting are high due to low market demand.
- Some vegetables require drying before processing and value addition. For instance, pepper is dried to make chili.
- For future consumption needs
How to Build a Vegetable Solar Dryer
Before deciding to install a vegetable solar dryer, consider the size of your produce first so that you may not encounter challenges later.
- Check to find a good place to set up your dryer, a flat well-drained, and open area free from trees.
- Acquire materials first: Which type of solar dryer do you like? Get the choice of solar dryer by seeking consultation from our contacts. 0790719020
- Liaise for purchase and delivery of materials.
- Construction of your vegetable dryer takes place.
The completion period depends on the size, type, and extent of the project.
How to Select the Best Vegetable Dryer
While most dryers are up to the task, there is a need to go for efficiency in terms of performance, speed, and capacity of a dryer. Therefore, to get the best solar dryer that can work for you always consider.
- Drying Efficiency – Different solar dryers have different rates of extracting moisture from your vegetables. Hybrid dyers are the most effective since they operate on a 24-hour basis, unlike simple solar dryers.
- Energy Requirement – The energy needed in the dryer to remove moisture is another thing to consider. Some effective require additional energy sources such as electricity or battery cells.
- Drying Capacity – the amount of vegetables that a dryer can preserve on a unit time should also play in. Choose a dryer size that can accommodate your harvest.
10 Must-Have Features of an Effective Vegetable Dryer
For continuous food preservation and drying, a solar dryer must contain;
- Sufficient Ventilation – for air exchange, entry of fresh dry air and removal of moist warm air out of the dryer.
- Insulation material – a black material placed on the ground surface to prevent heat loss from the vegetable dryer.
- Racks or shelves – ideal to hold the vegetable leaves being dryed.
- Nets or mesh – placed on the shelve surface to prevent insects and allow hot air to circulate through the shelves for efficient drying.
- Fans – placed near air entry ventilation to direct air to the solar dryer
- Strong structure – to hold the polythene cover or insulation material together. Some dryers are made of wooden structures while others are steel metal structures.
- Polythene Covering material – The exterior of the vegetable dryer should consist of a heat-retaining material. A polythene cover works best in this case as it holds heat inside a structure.
- Solar panels – to trap energy and store the heat for use at night or on cloudy days.
- Backup Energy Sources – Battery cells are also ideal for storing solar energy and offer heat source during cold days.
- Heat furnaces for charcoal and firewood combustion – useful for offering additional energy sources to boost solar energy to enhance continuous and faster drying.
Materials Required for a Solar Dryer Construction
- Wooden poles or timber for wooden dryers
- Insect net for side netting
- Nails
- UV treated dam liner for surface Heat insulation
- Steel metal fabrication or structures for metallic dryers
- Tapping Screws
- Profiles and wires
How Vegetable Dryers work
The dryer ventilation lets air in and the air gets heated by the solar energy. Hot air circulates through the chambers and heats up food. The heated moisture in food evaporates and is carried outside the dryer as hot air is replaced by cold air.
How much is a Vegetable Solar Dryer in Kenya?
The cost of a Vegetable dryer spans from as low as KES 100,000 to 1,000,000 for common sizes in Kenya. Determinant factors are the size and materials of construction.
Want a Solar Dryer? Hurry up, the Harvesting period is here.
Call 0790719020
