DIY Food Dehydrator: ₹30,000 ka Ghar Mein Bana Hua System for Fruits, Garlic & More Free Learning

 

DIY Food Dehydrator: ₹30,000 ka Ghar Mein Bana Hua System for Fruits, Garlic & More

Introduction

Is hands-on video mein, Pakistan ka aik passionate maker humein dikhata hai ke kaise usne under ₹30,000 ek custom food dehydrator ghar par banaya. Ye koi commercial machine nahi hai — ye experiment, trial-and-error aur clever repurposing ka natija hai. Ye machine chhoti chhoti cheezon se bani hai, jaise pet store heaters aur silicone mats.

Creator sirf ye nahi batata ke kaise banai, balke ye bhi batata hai har choice kyun li gayi: airflow, temperature control, tray design, aur seasonal energy optimization. Agar aap small-scale food preservation, DIY engineering ya sustainable business explore kar rahe hain, ye project bohot insights deta hai.

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Background

Food dehydration ek purana aur energy-efficient method hai food preserve karne ka. Ye un areas mein zaruri hai jahan cold-chain infrastructure limited ho, humidity high ho, ya seasonal price fluctuations ho.
Example: Bananas ki price ₹7–70 per dozen ho sakti hai cold storage mein.

Pakistan mein commercially available dehydrators ka price ₹12,000 se start hota hai locally aur imported units ₹1.5 lakh se zyada. Problems:

• Limited capacity (10 trays)

• Poor thermal efficiency

• No customization for local produce (kinu, garlic, mango)

Is gap ko dekhte hue, creator ne summer months mein prototyping start ki, aur high-moisture items, aromatic crops, aur delicate fruits se stress test kiya.

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Core Design Philosophy: Cost, Control & Circulation

• Base: Modified 140L PET crate, ₹14,000 mein local market se li. Strong, stackable, drill karne mein easy.

• Ventilation: 68 holes, 6mm each, har side par, insect proof.

• Gaps seal karne ke liye: Aluminum foil tape

• Modular design: Trays add/remove ho sakte hain, heaters/fans upgrade ho sakte hain, insulation adjust ho sakti hai.

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Precision Airflow & Dual-Fan Thermal Management

• 2 DC fans opposite sides pe mounted:

  • Bottom fan warm air push karta hai

  • Top fan air pull karta hai

• Vertical convection loop banata hai → uniform drying across all trays

• 20 trays comfortably fit kar sakte hain

• Fans powered via DC-DC converters (safe 12V operation)

• Spatial intelligence: Moisture-rich items bottom, slow-drying items top

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Smart Temperature Control

• Dual-stage thermal system:

  1. Ceramic heaters (rapid response, uniform heat, long-lasting)

  2. 250–300W pet-shop bulbs (fine-tuning)

• Temperature controller ₹700, set at 50–60°C

• Prevents case-hardening, preserves nutrients

• Timer: Fully autonomous operation (e.g., 12 hours auto-off)

• Seasonal efficiency: Winter less energy, Summer solar gain helps → up to 4× more efficient than commercial units

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Tray Engineering

• Short trays: 28 × 38 × 2.5 cm → quick-dry items

• Larger trays: Bulk items

• Material: Food-grade stainless steel mesh → 360° airflow, easy cleaning

• Tray protocol:

  • Moisture-rich (bananas) → bottom

  • Medium (kinu, oranges) → middle

  • Aromatic/slow-dry (garlic, lemons) → top

• Spacing calibrated for airflow & space efficiency → ~60–70% usable surface area

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Conclusion

Ye DIY dehydrator sirf machine nahi, ek engineering masterclass hai:

• Intelligent moisture management → successful drying

• Built for ₹30,000, replaces ₹1.2 lakh units

• 2× capacity, 4× lower electricity

• Local value chains enhance → bananas → snacks, garlic → powder, peels → animal feed/compost

• DIY learning & curiosity → “I am an engineer. I built it. I use it. I show you.”