Keen Attention to Every Detail.
We learned a long time ago that you can really improve performance by paying close attention to details. For example, we carry our return conveyor a good 18 inches out of the tunnel to prevent heat buildup within the rollers, which might cause fruit damage. We also use variable speed drives so that you can increase or decrease your retention time depending on what kind of fruit you're running, or what kind of humidity you're dealing with.

Exterior and Interior Thermostats.
Each heating unit also has a thermostat mounted inside the duct work to monitor internal temperatures, as well as exterior thermostats for visual checks. We're cost conscious, too. If all of your heating units don't need to be on to handle a particular run, they're wired to shut down automatically. Why pay to produce more heat than you need?

Dual Stacks Preheat Incoming Air.
We use a combination intake and exhaust system which is really a stack within a stack. The idea is to let the warm exhaust air help pre-heat the incoming fresh air.

Recycled Air is Easier to Heat.
We also gain a lot by recycling most of the pre-heated air back through the furnaces and down into the drying chambers. It's a lot easier and cheaper to heat warm air. The trick is to re-use as much heat as you can, get rid of as much moisture as you can, and pre-heat the incoming fresh air to maintain the desired temperature. Every little bit helps when it comes to energy efficiency. And we can all use a little help when it comes to keeping those fuel bills down.