Vince Pitelka on thu 4 dec 03
> So, does anyone preheat a kiln overnight?
> Low temp...long...slow heat rise...color in the morning
> and then go....
> Or does everyone rise early and go for it full blast?
Karen -
There are lots of different approaches here. Like Mel, I always preheat my
gas kilns overnight with the pilot burners on, or with one main burner
turned on low. It gently heats the kiln, furniture, and wares. When you
get to know a gas kiln, you can leave the main burners on low overnight, and
have the kiln at low red heat when you get there in the morning. Makes for
a very easy firing, with time to fire down if you want to.
I hope this doesn't sound cocky, but I trust the gas kilns I build, and I
trust the way I stack the set. So I do not hesitate to leave my kilns
unattended overnight or at any other time when I do not need to make any
adjustments for a period of time. As I said in an earlier message, in 35
years of firing gas kilns, I have never had any sort of problem as a result
of leaving a gas kiln unattended.
For anyone who is questioning whether they can leave a gas kiln unattended,
I recommend the following. Build your kiln with the highest quality
materials and craftsmanship, and don't cut any corners. Make absolutely
sure that your Baso safety system is properly installed and properly
working. Make sure that your chimney or exhaust hood is unobstructed and
working properly. Make sure that your kiln is in good shape. Make sure
that you stack the set carefully and securely so that nothing is going to
shift during the firing. Check all of these things frequently. If you do
that, then your kiln will be as safe and reliable as your gas heater or hot
water tank.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Office - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 x111, FAX 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Jennifer Boyer on sat 6 dec 03
I used to preheat my gas kiln(I bisk first), but after a Clayart
discussion years ago I tried starting the kiln in the morning and it
works fine. I turn on just the pilots for an hour then turn up burners
hourly til 1200 F, then let 'er rip. My heat rise is about 300-400
degrees an hour til 1200. I get to 2300 in about 10 hours and then soak
and fire down for about an hour. I see no reason to preheat. My kiln
and shelves are no worse for wear. My burners aren't very good at low
pressure. My pressure sags a bit and I can't get the burners to stay on
a certain pressure til about 2 lbs. I just seemed to me that leaving
the pilots on overnight was a waste of gas......mho. We all have our
systems!
Jennifer
On Thursday, December 4, 2003, at 09:29 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
>> So, does anyone preheat a kiln overnight?
>> Low temp...long...slow heat rise...color in the morning
>> and then go....
>> Or does everyone rise early and go for it full blast?
>
> Karen -
> There are lots of different approaches here. Like Mel, I always
> preheat my
> gas kilns overnight with the pilot burners on, or with one main burner
> turned on low. It gently heats the kiln, furniture, and wares. When
> you
> get to know a gas kiln, you can leave the main burners on low
> overnight, and
> have the kiln at low red heat when you get there in the morning.
> Makes for
> a very easy firing, with time to fire down if you want to.
>
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Jennifer Boyer - Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT 05602
http://thistlehillpottery.com
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