Kristin on mon 2 dec 02
Hi all -
Many, many thanks to those who have answered my
questions re: wiring, mixing glazes, etc. I'm well on
my way, having finally gotten my garage and both kilns
wired. Watching the cones fall in the baby kiln, Roo,
this weekend brought tears to my eyes.
So did the fumes in the garage. And outside the garage
(all doors were open).
Granted, this kiln hadn't been fired in 10 years or
more, so there was a lot of leftover stuff that needed
to be burned away. But, yeeks, even with my respirator
on . . .
I've been thinking about making my own kiln vent.
Fashion a hood of sheet metal, connect it to maybe a
flexible dryer hose, shoot it out the side of the
garage with a wood stove pipe. Pulley system to raise
and lower it above the kiln lid, also a swing arm to
go from one kiln to the other.
I know nothing about kiln vents, except what I've seen
in various catalogs. It looks like most of them vent
from beneath, but there is an above-the-kiln option,
as well?
Question #1: Is this sort of plan a silly idea, in
general?
Question #2: If not, what sort of fan motor would I
need to put inside that tube? An inline fan intended
for commercial use in HVAC systems has been suggested.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice for this
beginner. - Kristin
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J. B. Clauson on mon 2 dec 02
I made a kiln vent for a gas kiln in a wooden roofed outdoor yard. Made a
square box out of sheet metal to go over the top of the kiln. Cut a hole in
the center and bought double walled flu piping to go through the wooden
roof. Heat rises, so fan is not an absolute must. Fire department
inspected and pronounced it sound after one of our neighbors reported a fire
in our yard (The belching of a particularly heavy reduction phase). Vent
was still working fine afte three years. Shed roof never scorched.
Note: The industrially produced , motorized vent that we originally had
melted and fell apart. We fired this kiln to cone 10.
Our electric kilns were in an outdoor shed up against the back of the
building and did not require venting as long as the shed door was open.
Check your local building codes to see what is required in the way of
building permits and flu piping to vent to the outside of your garage.
Jan C.
P.S. I am a 65 year old retired female (ex-office worker/couch potato) with
multiple health problems including arthritis, so it's not all that hard to
do!
-----Original Message-----
From: No title defined [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of
Kristin
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 9:03 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Make your own Kiln Vent?
Hi all -
Many, many thanks to those who have answered my
questions re: wiring, mixing glazes, etc. I'm well on
my way, having finally gotten my garage and both kilns
wired. Watching the cones fall in the baby kiln, Roo,
this weekend brought tears to my eyes.
So did the fumes in the garage. And outside the garage
(all doors were open).
Granted, this kiln hadn't been fired in 10 years or
more, so there was a lot of leftover stuff that needed
to be burned away. But, yeeks, even with my respirator
on . . .
I've been thinking about making my own kiln vent.
Fashion a hood of sheet metal, connect it to maybe a
flexible dryer hose, shoot it out the side of the
garage with a wood stove pipe. Pulley system to raise
and lower it above the kiln lid, also a swing arm to
go from one kiln to the other.
I know nothing about kiln vents, except what I've seen
in various catalogs. It looks like most of them vent
from beneath, but there is an above-the-kiln option,
as well?
Question #1: Is this sort of plan a silly idea, in
general?
Question #2: If not, what sort of fan motor would I
need to put inside that tube? An inline fan intended
for commercial use in HVAC systems has been suggested.
Thanks so much in advance for any advice for this
beginner. - Kristin
__________________________________________________
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Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
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Kara Rennert on mon 2 dec 02
I am just about to set up my own electric kiln and have also been trying to figure
out the venting options. What I haven't yet been able to find is enough information
on the difference between venting from the bottom and venting from the top? I
assume it has to make a difference. But what difference and how much of a
difference? Also, is it necessary to buy a vent/fan specific for kilns, or can a
homemade option be just as good?
thanks,
kara
Saultman on mon 2 dec 02
Kristin,
Some years back I had my big electric kiln on the
other side of my bedroom with no full wall to
confine the fumes!! One firing ran me out of there in the middle of the
night. So I became seriously motivated.
I had a sheet metal guy build me a large hood that
looked like a funnel. I suspended it with steel cable
and the cable reached to the ceiling where I used
an old sliding door track so that I could slide it out of the way
when I opened the lid-door of the kiln. I used a squirel cage blower
which kept the motor out of harms way. Flexible 4 inch metal accordian type
tubing fed the fumes out of a window and allowed the hood to slide
horizontally. I replaced the widow pane with a particle board
filler with a hole for the tubing. I used it for years. It was quiet and I
could lower the hood to within a few inches of the kiln lid. We called it
"the tin man".
If you need a sketch let me know.
Dan Saultman
Snowing in Detroit like crazy!!
what sort of fan motor would I
need to put inside that tube? An inline fan intended
for commercial use in HVAC systems has been suggested.
Dave Finkelnburg on mon 2 dec 02
Kristin,
It is excellent that you want to remove the fumes from your firing area!
While a vent hood will be much better than no vent at all, for an
electric kiln a vent that pulls air directly from the kiln, and thus keeps
the kiln under negative pressure, will do a better job of keeping your kiln
area fume-free.
Think of a fume hood over a kitchen stove. If something burns, usually
on the burner, at least some of the smoke escapes into the room because the
hood doesn't pull air with enough velocity to catch it all. You have the
same situation with an electric kiln...unless, of course, you put in a
really big fan, and that uses a lot of electricity when a very small fan
will do.
Take a look at the Orton, Skutt or Bailey vents. They use little power
and do a good job. I personally prefer the Bailey because the fan is
wall-mounted, and any vibration from it is well away from the kiln.
Good potting,
Dave Finkelnburg on an unseasonably warm day in Idaho
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kristin"
> I've been thinking about making my own kiln vent.
> Fashion a hood of sheet metal, connect it to maybe a
> flexible dryer hose, shoot it out the side of the
> garage with a wood stove pipe. Pulley system to raise
> and lower it above the kiln lid, also a swing arm to
> go from one kiln to the other.
>
> I know nothing about kiln vents, except what I've seen
> in various catalogs. It looks like most of them vent
> from beneath, but there is an above-the-kiln option,
> as well?
>
> Question #1: Is this sort of plan a silly idea, in
> general?
>
> Question #2: If not, what sort of fan motor would I
> need to put inside that tube? An inline fan intended
> for commercial use in HVAC systems has been suggested.
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