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natural gas: how much quieter?

updated fri 31 jul 09

 

Kelly Savino on wed 29 jul 09


Thanks to all for advice on and off list about propane vs. natural gas. A q=
uick look at prices and some other practical details have made natural gas =
look like the better choice for the catenary arch soda kiln I'm giong to bu=
ild this summer.

Now Diana's mention of gas burners being quieter, and posted concerns about=
insurance coverage if I build too near my parents' cotttage, have got me w=
ondering in another direction.

There were two main reasons I didn't want to try to build the kiln on my ow=
n property: noxious soda fumes, and noisy burners (the propane burners at s=
chool sounded like an airplane engine when it was really cranking.) My neig=
hbors are pretty live-and-let-live, my yard is long and narrow, and so far =
the chickens and bee hives haven't been a problem. It would be awfully temp=
ting not to have to drive glazed pots an hour north to fire...

And gas burners are nice and quiet. I've only fired salt, not soda, so I'm =
wondering now if I could get away with a midnight soda infusion, without bo=
thering my neighbors, chickens, doves, garden or bees... too much to hope f=
or, right?

Yours
Kelly in Ohio

http://www.primalpotter.com

Dannon Rhudy on thu 30 jul 09


Hmmm. Well, Don Reitz always says that he fires
his soda/salt kilns so that the salts are added about
3:00 a.m., and there's been never a complaint. Probably
because no one is watching.....

On the other hand, an hour drive back/forth isn't all that
onerous. You could glaze after you get there, but since
most of the outsides of the pieces are likely to be unglazed
for soda/salt firings, and knocking bits off the INsides is
unlikely - maybe transport mightn't be a big problem.

Whatever you decide, it's great to have an extra firing
mode. Enjoy it.

regards

Dannon Rhudy


> Thanks to all for advice on and off list about propane vs. natural gas. A
quick look at prices and some other practical details have made natural gas
look like the better choice for the catenary arch soda kiln I'm giong to
build this summer.....

Hank Murrow on thu 30 jul 09


On Jul 29, 2009, at 8:31 PM, Kelly Savino wrote:

> Thanks to all for advice on and off list about propane vs. natural
> gas. A quick look at prices and some other practical details have
> made natural gas look like the better choice for the catenary arch
> soda kiln I'm giong to build this summer.
>
> Now Diana's mention of gas burners being quieter, and posted
> concerns about insurance coverage if I build too near my parents'
> cotttage, have got me wondering in another direction.
>
> There were two main reasons I didn't want to try to build the kiln
> on my own property: noxious soda fumes, and noisy burners (the
> propane burners at school sounded like an airplane engine when it
> was really cranking.) My neighbors are pretty live-and-let-live, my
> yard is long and narrow, and so far the chickens and bee hives
> haven't been a problem. It would be awfully tempting not to have to
> drive glazed pots an hour north to fire...
>
> And gas burners are nice and quiet. I've only fired salt, not soda,
> so I'm wondering now if I could get away with a midnight soda
> infusion, without bothering my neighbors, chickens, doves, garden
> or bees... too much to hope for, right?

Dear Kelly;

I fired the soda kiln at Vince's school and the fumes were completely
tolerable. No acrid stuff like that one expects from a salt firing. I
can vouch for the quietness of aspirated natural gas burners, as my
kiln uses them, though they are even quieter because much of the
remaining noise is absorbed by the fiber lining. Seriously, you
cannot hear the kiln at a distance of ten feet.

I vote for building at your studio and using natural gas.

Cheers, Hank

jonathan byler on thu 30 jul 09


I would build a tall chimney stack, too. helps make any poison gas go
away... you don't want to go killing your bees and chickens with the
fumes from any kiln.



On Jul 30, 2009, at 11:29 AM, Hank Murrow wrote:

> On Jul 29, 2009, at 8:31 PM, Kelly Savino wrote:
>
>> Thanks to all for advice on and off list about propane vs. natural
>> gas. A quick look at prices and some other practical details have
>> made natural gas look like the better choice for the catenary arch
>> soda kiln I'm giong to build this summer.
>>
>> Now Diana's mention of gas burners being quieter, and posted
>> concerns about insurance coverage if I build too near my parents'
>> cotttage, have got me wondering in another direction.
>>
>> There were two main reasons I didn't want to try to build the kiln
>> on my own property: noxious soda fumes, and noisy burners (the
>> propane burners at school sounded like an airplane engine when it
>> was really cranking.) My neighbors are pretty live-and-let-live, my
>> yard is long and narrow, and so far the chickens and bee hives
>> haven't been a problem. It would be awfully tempting not to have to
>> drive glazed pots an hour north to fire...
>>
>> And gas burners are nice and quiet. I've only fired salt, not soda,
>> so I'm wondering now if I could get away with a midnight soda
>> infusion, without bothering my neighbors, chickens, doves, garden
>> or bees... too much to hope for, right?
>
> Dear Kelly;
>
> I fired the soda kiln at Vince's school and the fumes were completely
> tolerable. No acrid stuff like that one expects from a salt firing. I
> can vouch for the quietness of aspirated natural gas burners, as my
> kiln uses them, though they are even quieter because much of the
> remaining noise is absorbed by the fiber lining. Seriously, you
> cannot hear the kiln at a distance of ten feet.
>
> I vote for building at your studio and using natural gas.
>
> Cheers, Hank