Tiggerbus on wed 26 mar 97
For those of us who fire kilns in their household basements, just exactly
how much CO is put off in the kiln? I have ordered an kiln vent to help
with the fumes.
Thanks
amer
Amy Gossett
tiggerbus@aol.com
Capuccino and Clayart mornings.........
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Reality is merely a crutch for those with a broken imagination..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Laura Freedman on thu 27 mar 97
Tiggerbus wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> For those of us who fire kilns in their household basements, just exactly
> how much CO is put off in the kiln? I have ordered an kiln vent to help
> with the fumes.
>
> Thanks
> amer
> Amy Gossett
> tiggerbus@aol.com
> Capuccino and Clayart mornings.........
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> "Reality is merely a crutch for those with a broken imagination..."
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
----------
I have a kiln in my basement. I also have a small fan in the window of
that small room to take out any fumes, gasses, etc. I also have a carbon
monoxide detector right outside the door of the room and it has never
gone off. I fire up to cone 6.
Gavin Stairs on thu 27 mar 97
Amy Gossett wrote:
>For those of us who fire kilns in their household basements, just exactly
>how much CO is put off in the kiln? I have ordered an kiln vent to help
>with the fumes.
Hi Amy,
You need to be careful with this. No combustion is perfect, so there's
always a little CO. In neutral and reduction firing, there can be a lot,
and how much depends on your kiln settings. There will be less in wide open
oxidation firing, but even then there may be a small amount produced.
Running a kiln is comparable to running a large, leaky, poorly set up
furnace at high for a long time.
Unless you have a well designed chimney and vent stack, you may find that
the amount of CO you experience will vary according to how the wind is
blowing that day. Closed houses can experience significant pressure
differences from wind, and you may get considerable vent and or chimney back
flow under some conditions. Until you know your own setup, be cautious.
CO is deadly, and every year people die from it, and are made ill. Make
sure your venting is adequate, and install a CO alarm if your kiln is in a
confined space, like a basement. And if you feel any symptoms, like
headache or dizziness, GET OUT IMMEDIATELY. CO is not to be trifled with.
It is odorless and colorless, and it is not true that you will smell it
before it gets you.
In the basement of a house, you should be aware that there is some danger of
CO leaking into the rest of the house, either through the ventilation
system, or via open (or even closed) doors. Some ventilation systems may
draw makeup air from the basement, or simply mix the basement ventilation
with that of the rest of the house. If that is the case, you need to ask
yourself about the risk of poisoning other members of the household.
Low level CO poisoning symptoms are indefinite. Poor coordination, lack of
concentration, dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, nausea. Mild or
even severe symptoms may easily be mistaken for ordinary discomforts,
especially since you aren't thinking very well while you are being poisoned.
Children may be especially sensitive. Pregnant women should not be exposed
to CO. So get a CO monitor and check it out yourself. If any of these
common situations are in your home, you might want to install a gas shutoff
controlled by the CO alarm for the rest of the house, or for the basement
itself. This isn't fail safe, but it is better than nothing. Then you can
also install a manual switch to turn the gas off without having to go into
the basement to do it.
Consult your local gas supplier about these and other problems. They should
be happy to advise you: you're going to be one of their best customers.
Gavin
http://isis.physics.utoronto.ca/
millie carpenter on thu 27 mar 97
Gavin and any one else with input
you are talking about gas firing. I have an 18 in 3 ring L & L in my
basement studio. I have an overhead venting system(the brand eludes me)
I realize that I may have a problem because, 0ne my kiln is about 10
feet away from my furnace which is a heat pumb, and two. the vent
empties out from the house about 2 feet away from the outdoors part of
the heat pump system. Before I panic...and start frantically moving
everything to the other side of the basement and go to the cost of
rewiring and knocking holes for the venting system, what kind of problem
do I have and what are some suggestions that I do to rememdy it before I
inadvertently poison my family and myself.
Millie in Maryland where the sun is shining, and I am being consumed
with envy of all the people who will be able to go to NCECA.
mcarpent@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
Gavin Stairs wrote:
> you might want to install a gas shutoff
> controlled by the CO alarm for the rest of the house, or for the basement
> itself. This isn't fail safe, but it is better than nothing. Then you can
> also install a manual switch to turn the gas off without having to go into
> the basement to do it.
>
>
> Gavin
> http://isis.physics.utoronto.ca/
| |
|
