search  current discussion  categories  business - liability & insurance 

gas kiln in garage + insurance issue

updated wed 26 mar 03

 

claire toutant on sun 29 sep 02


Dear Bruce,
I have an electric kiln in my garage. I had an electrician put in the
appropriate wiring (right next to the garage door), but I fire it outside the
garage, as it is on metal support with wheels (by Paragon). I roll it back in
for storage after I empty it. Perhaps the rolling idea would work for you
with a gas hookup ?
Patricia Dailey
(e-mail comes from Claire Toutant)
On Sun, 29 Sep 2002 12:38:42 -0400 Bruce Freund
wrote:

> I am looking for advice on installing a gas
> kiln in my garage. The garage
> is very large(4 car). Walls are concrete and
> the roof is WOOD with concrete
> tiles on top. Ventilation inside the garage is
> more than adequate.
> My main questions and concerns are:
>
> 1. What is best way to exhaust the the
> air/gasses. Type of chimney thru
> roof. I was told to have clear air space
> between exhaust of kiln and
> beginning of chimney exhaust. Any place to buy
> exhaust/chimney parts.
>
> 2. Is there a difference between natural gas
> and propane in the firing .
>
> 3. What is the danger if any of having the
> kiln in garage.
>
> 4. Do major cities require any type of approval
> or permits to do this.
>
> 5. Will city gas connect gas to a kiln inside a
> garage.
>
> INSUANCE QUESTIONS
>
> 6. What about insurance on my house. Coverage?
>
> 7. Is there a perceived difference between gas
> and electric.
>
> 8. Does it make any difference if you sell or
> if it is a hobby
>
> After reading my post it seems that my main
> concerns are safety and proper
> installation. the insurance question is also a
> high priority.
> I do not want to open Pandoras box and them
> come to find out that an
> electric kiln is even a problem, but I do not
> want to be an Ostrich and
> when I take my head out of the sand I have a NO
> COVERAGE issue with an
> insurance company. A persons home is there
> single largest investment and
> under NO circumstance should it be put at
> risk,however minimal you want to
> place the risk factor.
>
> I think that anyone with a kiln on house
> premises should pay attention to
> this and that we as a group should try to
> figure out just what is up with
> this issue. Insurance companies will look for
> ANY reason not to pay a claim.
> It is a little absurd to think we are covered
> and to pay premiums when in
> fact we might NOT have coverage at all. To add
> to this, what happens to
> those of us who sell, are we even at greater
> risk.
>
> Please don't forget my garage issue although it
> seems to now take 2nd
> priority to the insurance/permit issue. Why the
> complications???????
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or
> change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may
> be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>

Bruce Freund on sun 29 sep 02


I am looking for advice on installing a gas kiln in my garage. The garage
is very large(4 car). Walls are concrete and the roof is WOOD with concrete
tiles on top. Ventilation inside the garage is more than adequate.
My main questions and concerns are:

1. What is best way to exhaust the the air/gasses. Type of chimney thru
roof. I was told to have clear air space between exhaust of kiln and
beginning of chimney exhaust. Any place to buy exhaust/chimney parts.

2. Is there a difference between natural gas and propane in the firing .

3. What is the danger if any of having the kiln in garage.

4. Do major cities require any type of approval or permits to do this.

5. Will city gas connect gas to a kiln inside a garage.

INSUANCE QUESTIONS

6. What about insurance on my house. Coverage?

7. Is there a perceived difference between gas and electric.

8. Does it make any difference if you sell or if it is a hobby

After reading my post it seems that my main concerns are safety and proper
installation. the insurance question is also a high priority.
I do not want to open Pandoras box and them come to find out that an
electric kiln is even a problem, but I do not want to be an Ostrich and
when I take my head out of the sand I have a NO COVERAGE issue with an
insurance company. A persons home is there single largest investment and
under NO circumstance should it be put at risk,however minimal you want to
place the risk factor.

I think that anyone with a kiln on house premises should pay attention to
this and that we as a group should try to figure out just what is up with
this issue. Insurance companies will look for ANY reason not to pay a claim.
It is a little absurd to think we are covered and to pay premiums when in
fact we might NOT have coverage at all. To add to this, what happens to
those of us who sell, are we even at greater risk.

Please don't forget my garage issue although it seems to now take 2nd
priority to the insurance/permit issue. Why the complications???????

John Baymore on mon 30 sep 02


Bruce,

You might want to see my last posting about the insurance in response to
another question. And again I suggest that you check the archives.......=

I'm pretty sure that ALL of your questions have been answered in great
depth and detail before here on CLAYART.


1. What is best way to exhaust the the air/gasses. Type of chimney thru
roof. I was told to have clear air space between exhaust of kiln and
beginning of chimney exhaust. Any place to buy exhaust/chimney parts.


The "best way" can be VERY site specific.... so it is hard to give blanke=
t
advice not seeing the conditions at the site and the specifics of the kil=
n.
=


A goodly portion of kiln fires seem to occurr at the penetration point th=
ru
the roof structure. Do it right. Don't "save money" on this crucial ite=
m.
If you don't know how to do this..... hire someone who DOES as a
consultant. Or buy materials from a manufacturer that will supply the
expertise as part of the sale. Home-type contractors (even those who do
wood stoves and home furnaces) typically do not have the knowledge to do
this properly.... it is outside their frame of reference. =




2. Is there a difference between natural gas and propane in the firing .


If what you mean is can you look at the finished pots and tell which were=

fired in propane and which in natural........ nope.



3. What is the danger if any of having the kiln in garage.

That you'll run into it when you are parking the car .



4. Do major cities require any type of approval or permits to do this.


I haven't put kilns in for clients in ALL the major cities in the world
....... but in every major CITY I have done this, yes there are scads =
of
regs, permits, and approvals. City's seem to have them for most ANYTHING=

you want to do .

Typically the more rural the less the "red tape"..... the more urban....
the more you run into.

A trip to the town offices and a look at the zoning and building codes
seems a good first step.



5. Will city gas connect gas to a kiln inside a garage.


City gas will connect to any legal installation...... they want to sell g=
as
. That is assuming that they have the capacity in the main line at th=
e
site. And even if they don;t ....... they'll upgrade the main if you pay=

for it ...... but that can be BIG bucks.

Ask them what they will require to hook it up.



6. What about insurance on my house. Coverage?


See the other postings over the past few days on this.



7. Is there a perceived difference between gas and electric.


Yes. Gas is "percieved" as being more hazardous by most people. =

Particualrly those in the positions of power in local governments. =

Electric kilns gain the "cachet" from the power company's marketing of
"safe, clean electric energy".



8. Does it make any difference if you sell or if it is a hobby


Boy does it ever. If you sell .... you are a commercial operation. Most=

localles regulate those kinds of activities. Most require some form of
permitting for "home businesses". Some prohibit them completely.

If you sell out of your house...... it is a retail business in addition t=
o
a "manufacturing" operation. NEVER let anyone in your town offices refer=

to your studio as a "manufacturing" situation...... the book of regs
they'll pull out will kill you. Ditto for never letting anyone there eve=
r
call your kiln an "industial oven".

You have two layers of issues to deal with....... the home business
issue........ and the kiln installation issues. They are
interrelated....... but are quite seperate.



Why the complications???????


This owes a lot to the NIMBY factor. Not In My Back Yard.

It also is well intentioned...... to protect people from poorly set up
hazardous activities.


I'll see if I can find some of the old stuff I have posted on this stuff
WAY in the past and re-send them.


Best,

..............................john

John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA

603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)

JohnBaymore.com

JBaymore@compuserve.com

Paula Kernachan on tue 25 mar 03


Dear Sir,

I agree, there are so many potters. There should be a simple way to set up
the whole studio sans kilns what ever their specs.

How can we go about it? Since you have suggested this... do you have any
information as to how we can standardize a system for home insurance and
take out the horrors of companies who claim you are covered then cancel you?

I do not have insurance yet... as a result my olympic kiln has been sitting
in my garage not wired for comming up on a year. We have not plugged it in
as we are in Marietta Georgia insured with USAA and sitting on that
insurance while i try and get a company to agreee to let me have my kiln.

I posted on this last week myself... at least on the part where I was
asking who has what ins so that I could use thier agents to find out how to
WRITE a policy...

(Everyone who responded thank you so much... you have been most helpful and
I am working on the information you sent me)

I would however like to find out someway that we can just call in and
say... I want the kiln studio policy underwritter add on please.... yes gas
no gas etc.....

I am afraid I dont know how to go about this.... so anyone with
suggestions... thank you in advance for your information.

IF you really want to discuss this issue... and or if you have any ideas on
how to make it happen you may feel free to phone me at 770-971-2569.

Same interest for insureds,
Paula ARG Kernachan