Spot on.

100W is ample. I've used a 40W compact bulb as I didn't want to melt the (small) bucket, which obviously means the drying takes a bit longer, up to 2 days for three layers of gauze and fairly wet material.

I attached the fan to a plywood plinth with a circular cut-out on the bottom of the bucket. This makes attachment of the legs a more robust affair. There was a bit of a trick to attaching the light bulb holder in the centre of the fan. Stout, insulated, single-strand copper wire sorted it out.

The fan and the bulb were wired in parallel and the flex has a switch in it. Basically like a lamp, which is what it is.

P.S. On occasion I lined the bucket with cake tin rings when using a more powerful bulb but the missus bakes really good cakes so I relented and gave them back!

I built it a rectangular-horizontal version of it
I will probably use something more convenient to hold the shrooms that's just the first idea i had and realised i could do much better.. i will modify it probably into 4 drawers for shrooms
I let it run for half an hour and the plastic is thick it didn't seem to heat enough to melt..
The bulb is 1 cm away from the center of the fan hopefully it won't be overheated that way and break

Now the only problem is that even though i am using a 100W bulb the temp on the shelf close to the bulb is only getting up to 32 C, it's probably not a big problem and better than using just a fan but i want to raise it above 40 C all the way to the end of the shelf, i could use a 200W bulb but i prefer not to. I am thinking of covering the inner surface from lamp and back with foil to reflect heat, or i can make a bunch of holes in the lid and close it but i don't want to damage the fan with too much back pressure..

What do you think downwardsfromzero?

Edit: opening holes (around 1/8 surface of lid) temp raised to 36 C near bulb and 32 C at the end, fan sounds fine
Update: the shrooms are drying well at these temps and i just added the foil, the temp close to lamp raised to 48 C and at the end to 38 C also this way the plastic is heating less, i'm quite satisfied like this

You know bro... why try to reinvent the wheel?

Well i bet it wouldn't be easy to find a dehydrator and it wouldn't be cheap in my country since people don't use it(or know it), we dry our local foods in large quantities either in open air or sunlight, i never even knew there was such a thing as a dehydrator until recently... Anyway if i can make it in 6$ then why not? It was fun too. worst case i don't use it, i dry in some other way since my shrooms are almost ready and look for and get a dehydrator once i can.

It's kind of like buying a scale. If you only intend to grow mushies once or twice...

But I'm just some foreign dude. I know you already know whats happening your side

Haha, i intend to grow all kinda of shrooms for as long as i live, i'm sure i will get a dehydrator at some point

Looks good enough, although mine is arranged vertically. Maybe some of the heat passes over the top of the racks in your arrangement. That said, I was never that bothered about - indeed, I never even measured - the temperature of the device. I just know it dried even large, wet mushrooms satisfactorily within a reasonable timespan.


I had all the parts anyhow and I like making stuff out of spare parts. Plus it was definitely cheaper than buying a dehydrator. It only took an afternoon - were I earning more in a time-averaged afternoon than the cost of a good dehydrator my decision might have been different.

I didn't use that shelf here's how i stacked them and it worked well, cracker dry in 24 hrs, with proper drawers i think i can fit 500g in there
I just want to thank you again, i'm glad i went this way instead of fan and dessicant

It's been a real pleasure to help! My kids were also pleased to hear of this as well - "Wow! You helped somebody. Cool!" Very sweet

Plus, the dimmer switch has been located so there'll be a pictorial coming along soon(ish).

DF0, I love the makeshift dehydrator idea! I already own a halfway decent dehydrator but this would be a fun project to try out next time I grow some fungi!