A solar dehydrator is a great tool to place on your off-grid farm or garden. When you harvest a bumper crop, this tool will give you a good option for long-term storage. It is simple to build and very useful. This is how I built one.

You can certainly buy all the new materials, but this is a great project to use recycled materials. The first thing you need to find is a large piece of glass. A used sliding patio or shower door works great. Once you have the dimensions of the glass, you can start building.

To maximize solar gain on your dehydrator, build the body of your dehydrator facing south. A cabinet must be built spacious enough to contain several shelves and to hold the glass. The glass should then be placed at an angle of about the degree of latitude where you live.

Now that it’s catching a lot of sun, the idea is to keep some heat in and create airflow for a warm, dry breeze to pass through. To conserve some of the solar heat I recommend insulating the walls with rigid foam or any insulating material; even wadded up newspaper will do. Once your insulation is secure, it’s best to paint all interior walls with matte black paint.

Now let’s find that breeze. As the air inside the dehydrator heats up, it will want to rise. Allow him to do this by making sure there is a small air vent at the bottom and also at the top of the dehydrator in a path that draws air past your trays. The bottom vent is easy to make, but the top one will need to be designed so that hot, dry air can get out but rain can’t get in. Install a piece of metal flashing to accomplish this goal.

Now just put in some wire racks or any air-permeable shelves and build the back of the cabinet with doors wide enough for easy access to your shelves.

Happy dehydration!