mel jacobson on wed 18 aug 10
i agree with bill, you have a blockage regulator.
it is meant for one amount of gas...sort of like what they
install for a cook stove.
you should have full gas pressure to the regulator, then
an adjustable high pressure regulator that will give you minimum to max
amounts of gas. you will also find a regulator at your meter, and that
is often set very low. (if that is changed, you need to re/set your
pilots in the house. and the plumber does that. )
then you can find an ideal pressure for your system.
once that is established you should not have to mess with
it much...unless you have bad weather etc..and need a bit
more gas.
mel
at the farm. i always invite the gas man to come and have
a beer with us, lunch...and then they look at three kilns firing
to cone 11.
their education is complete...and they always say the same thing.
"holy sh*&, is that hot...i had no idea."
most plumbers have never seen a kiln firing in their life.
`they have no idea.`
and, in most cases they are really good guys, know their stuff,
but this is way beyond the normal gas furnace.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com
John Post on wed 18 aug 10
> at the farm. i always invite the gas man to come and have
> a beer with us, lunch...and then they look at three kilns firing
> to cone 11.
> their education is complete...and they always say the same thing.
> "holy sh*&, is that hot...i had no idea."
> most plumbers have never seen a kiln firing in their life.
> `they have no idea.`
> and, in most cases they are really good guys, know their stuff,
> but this is way beyond the normal gas furnace.
The same thing goes for electricians in schools. Every time I have
seen one change the elements in a kiln, they beat the hell out of the
firebrick. Most are great at getting you the right breaker,
receptacle and the proper gauge wiring for the length of the run but
they have no idea how the internals of an electric kiln work. Right
after they set their 500 pound tool box on the lid of your kiln you
know you have some explaining to do. (I change all of my own elements
when no one is around, it's easier on the kilns.)
The maintenance department in my school district installed fire
extinguishers in all of the kiln rooms. When the fire marshall walked
through, I showed him my small kiln room (8' x 8') and told him if
there was a fire, there was no way I was going to open the door and
then go inside to get the extinguisher.
I suggested we install them outside the kiln room next to the door.
He thought that was a great idea and so the maintenance guys had to
come back through and reinstall them at 40 or so buildings. Of
course, when I suggested this to the maintenance guys on their first
go round installing them, they told me they couldn't because those
weren't their orders.
The administration, electricians and maintenance workers have no
concrete idea how hot kilns get. One time when a faulty heat detector
went off in my kiln room at 3 AM, they called my principal and told
him that the kiln room felt really hot. Let's see, an 8' x 8' cinder
block room with two kilns cooling in it.... I wonder why it's hot?
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
http://www.johnpost.us
steve graber on wed 18 aug 10
the concept of insulation=3DA0never really hit home with me until i stood n=
ex=3D
t to a =3D0Akiln at 2200=3DB0F and pulled the peep hole plug out bare hande=
d to=3D
check the =3D0Acones.=3DA0 =3D0A=3D0A=3D0ATHAT's=3DA0insulation!=3DA0 =3D0=
A=3D0Aand yeah.=3DA0=3D
my insurance guy feels real good that i have TWO 2 gallon bottle=3DA0fire =
=3D
=3D0Aextinguishers next to the 70 cubic foot kiln.=3DA0 as if that is going=
to =3D
have any =3D0Aimpact on an accidental fire!=3DA0 =3D0A=3D0A=3DA0Steve Grabe=
r, Graber'=3D
s Pottery, Inc=3D0AClaremont, California USA=3D0AThe Steve Tool - for aweso=
me t=3D
exture on pots! =3D0Awww.graberspottery.com steve@graberspottery.com =3D0A=
=3D0A=3D
=3D0AOn Laguna Clay's website=3D0Ahttp://www.lagunaclay.com/blogs/ =3D0A=3D=
0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D
> The same thing goes for electricians in schools.=3DA0 Every time I have=
=3D0A>=3D
seen one change the elements in a kiln, they beat the hell out of the=3D0A=
> =3D
firebrick.=3DA0 Most are great at getting you the right breaker,=3D0A> rece=
ptac=3D
le and the proper gauge wiring for the length of the run but=3D0A> they hav=
e =3D
no idea how the internals of an electric kiln work.=3DA0 Right=3D0A> after =
they=3D
set their 500 pound tool box on the lid of your kiln you=3D0A> know you ha=
ve=3D
some explaining to do.=3DA0 (I change all of my own elements=3D0A> when no=
one=3D
is around, it's easier on the kilns.)=3D0A=3D0A> =3D0A> =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
L TURNER on wed 18 aug 10
I used to run workshops on maintenance planning for chemical plants
and refinerys and I heard these same stories from the operational
department managers.
When I asked them how much time their department spent on training the
maintenance staff on their equipment, the anwser from the complainers
was always the same: none! When I ask how much time they spent on
training their operators, the answer was never less than 10 pct. My
response was "So you need to train your people to wear things out but
not to fix things, right?"
The good managers got the message, and on my next visit to their
plant, it was obvious that maintenance was included in the all the
training exercises. The cost of business went down also.
My point. You have specialized equipment. You are the ONLY one who
knows how it works - until you expend effort to teach and train others
how it works.
Regards,
L Turner
The Woodlands, TX
Vince Pitelka on wed 18 aug 10
Steve Graber wrote"
"And yeah.=3DA0 My insurance guy feels real good that i have TWO 2 gallon
bottle=3DA0fire=3D20
extinguishers next to the 70 cubic foot kiln.=3DA0 As if that is going to =
=3D
have
any=3D20
impact on an accidental fire!"=3DA0=3D20
Hi Steve. Hopefully you do not really mean directly next to the kiln,
because that is the worst place to put fire extinguishers in a situation =
=3D
of
potential danger. At the Craft Center we have one large fire =3D
extinguisher
mounted inside the kiln-room door, and one mounted outside the kiln room
door. If the fire were inside and we couldn't get to the extinguisher in
there, we could grab the one outside, and inversely. =3D20
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
steve graber on fri 20 aug 10
no=3DA0i keep them about 15 feet away, one over one side, one over another =
ju=3D
st in =3D0Acase i am here or there when trouble starts.=3DA0 i also have a =
gard=3D
en hose i pull =3D0Aout and have hang around just in case.=3DA0 =3D0A=3D0A=
=3D0Amy poi=3D
nt is the insurance people, like the city inspector who bought off my kiln =
=3D
=3D0Aproject, have no idea of the intensity of the firing kiln.=3DA0 the ci=
ty i=3D
nspector =3D0Aactually had no questions or concerns at all about the firing=
c=3D
apability of the =3D0Akiln, potential leaks, construction details, etc.=3DA=
0 hi=3D
s focus was the gas line =3D0Aand their 15-15 pressure time rule.=3DA0 =3D0=
A=3D0A=3D
=3DA0Steve Graber, Graber's Pottery, Inc=3D0AClaremont, California USA=3D0A=
The St=3D
eve Tool - for awesome texture on pots! =3D0Awww.graberspottery.com steve@g=
ra=3D
berspottery.com =3D0A=3D0A=3D0AOn Laguna Clay's website=3D0Ahttp://www.lagu=
naclay.c=3D
om/blogs/ =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A----- Original Message ----=3D0A> From: Vince=
Pitelka <=3D
vpitelka@DTCCOM.NET>=3D0A> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=3D0A> Sent: Wed, Au=
gust=3D
18, 2010 8:19:40 PM=3D0A> Subject: Re: kiln regulators=3D0A> =3D0A> Steve =
Graber=3D
wrote"=3D0A> "And yeah.=3DA0 My insurance guy feels real good that i have =
TWO =3D
2 gallon=3D0A> bottle=3DA0fire =3D0A> extinguishers next to the 70 cubic fo=
ot kil=3D
n.=3DA0 As if that is going to have=3D0A> any =3D0A> impact on an accidenta=
l fire=3D
!"=3DA0 =3D0A> =3D0A> Hi Steve. Hopefully you do not really mean directly n=
ext to=3D
the kiln,=3D0A> because that is the worst place to put fire extinguishers =
in=3D
a situation of=3D0A> potential danger.=3DA0 At the Craft Center we have on=
e la=3D
rge fire extinguisher=3D0A> mounted inside the kiln-room door, and one moun=
te=3D
d outside the kiln room=3D0A> door. If the fire were inside and we couldn't=
g=3D
et to the extinguisher in=3D0A> there, we could grab the one outside, and i=
nv=3D
ersely.=3DA0 =3D0A> - Vince=3D0A> =3D0A> Vince Pitelka=3D0A> Appalachian Ce=
nter for C=3D
raft=3D0A> Tennessee Tech University=3D0A> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tn=
tech=3D
.edu=3D0A> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka=3D0A> =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
| |
|
