I have a few hundred feet of cherry and walnut that I need to heat treat to kill powderpost beetles. I was figuring to build a foam box ca 4x4x12 ft that I could use to heat the wood to ~140 deg. I'm terrified, however of burning my barn down if I mess up. One solution is to make my mini-kiln outside, away from the barn, but then I'll need an even bigger heat source, as it is cold outside!
I have a temperature regulating electrical outlet with a thermoprobe I can bury in the woodpile and control the heating from outside the box, I have a couple of small fans that are rated for use in ambient temperatures up to 200 degrees, so they should be fine inside the box, the component I haven't been able to find is some sort of electric space heater rated for use over about 105 deg ambient. Most of them incorporate thermal cutoffs that turn them off when the ambient temp is too high, and none of the ones I've found for a reasonable price carry a rating for elevated ambient temp use. (I did find commercial kiln heaters rated to thousands of degrees for thousands of dollars, I was hoping for something under $100.
I've thought about 500 w halogen flood fixtures, but they too often have thermal links to turn them off when they get too warm and/or aren't rated for higher ambient temperatures. They also generate very high temps locally, increasing the chance of setting my wood pile or the foam/wood enclosure on fire
Are any of you aware of a small (1500 W) heater or electric baseboard that is safe to use at 140 deg ambient temps?
Thanks!