Sasho on wed 10 aug 05
I have recently aquired a well used Amaco kiln that I am setting up
(FREE!!). I am trying to figure out the best way to vent it, and I'm
looking for opinions/info. The model is HF97, and it looks to be >30 years
old (just a guess, either that or it was heavily used, which could be since
it came from a school). Strangely it doesn't appear to have any holes other
than peep holes that would have been used for venting. The vent Amaco
recommends is a suspended one below the kiln. I'll be running whatever vent
through a basement window, replacing the glass with some appropriate
material. Should that material be a metal or will wood work? Should I use
the recommended vent system, or is there one that may be better suited? How
difficult is it to install a vent system? Is it safe for me to check if the
kiln works before hooking up the vent? To test it do I just run an empty
kiln or should I put cones in there so I know how hot it got? As you can
probably tell, I am very new to the firing thing, none of the classes I've
taken have really gotten into how to fire.
Arnold Howard on wed 10 aug 05
It sounds like you are installing a downdraft vent. The most difficult part
of installing a vent is the ductwork, especially if you have to cut a 4"
hole through an exterior wall. Using a window as a vent outlet will simplify
the installation.
You can replace the glass with either wood or steel. The air temperature at
that point should be 100 - 155 degrees F.
Fire empty shelves, posts, and witness cones the first time you fire the
kiln. Some people have fired the kiln the first time with all the shelves
stacked together in the bottom. This can crack shelves. Instead, separate
the shelves with posts, as if you were firing a load of ware.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
From: "Sasho"
>I have recently aquired a well used Amaco kiln that I am setting up
> (FREE!!). I am trying to figure out the best way to vent it, and I'm
> looking for opinions/info. The model is HF97, and it looks to be >30
> years
> old (just a guess, either that or it was heavily used, which could be
> since
> it came from a school). Strangely it doesn't appear to have any holes
> other
> than peep holes that would have been used for venting. The vent Amaco
> recommends is a suspended one below the kiln. I'll be running whatever
> vent
> through a basement window, replacing the glass with some appropriate
> material. Should that material be a metal or will wood work? Should I
> use
> the recommended vent system, or is there one that may be better suited?
> How
> difficult is it to install a vent system? Is it safe for me to check if
> the
> kiln works before hooking up the vent? To test it do I just run an empty
> kiln or should I put cones in there so I know how hot it got? As you can
> probably tell, I am very new to the firing thing, none of the classes I've
> taken have really gotten into how to fire.
William & Susan Schran User on wed 10 aug 05
On 8/10/05 1:02 PM, "Sasho" wrote:
> I have recently aquired a well used Amaco kiln that I am setting up
> (FREE!!). I am trying to figure out the best way to vent it, and I'm
> looking for opinions/info.
The main thing to look for in a vent system is having the motor
separated/away from the kiln. This avoids any possible vibration issues and
over heating the motor.
I use and installed both Bailey and L&L systems. Both are similar using a
squirrel cage motor mounted away from the kiln. Bailey's mounts on the side
of the kiln and you drill a 3/8" hole through the wall. L&l mounts either on
the bottom or wall.
Having used Amaco HF 105's previously, I would imagine you would have a
difficult time getting at the bottom of your HF97 (HF stands for high fire),
so I'd suggest going for a wall application.
--
William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Gordon Ward on wed 10 aug 05
Sasho,
There have been quite a few posts on kiln venting which you can find in
the archives. I have used and recommend a direct vent. There are a
number of commercial units on the market. Orton has recently come out
with a new design that has allowed them to drop all their previous
models. It is called Vent Master. I think it looks great. It is an
easy installation using a leg tensioned between the floor and the
bottom of the kiln and most importantly, uses non corroding (possibly
silicone?) ducting between the kiln and blower. The blower has a
plastic (non-corroding) housing, but they unfortunately still have a
galvanized steel fan wheel that will eventually start to corrode some
years down the road. They almost did it perfectly, but I guess some
built in obsolescence is favorable from their point of view. Anyway I
think it looks like the best commercial unit at this point, mainly by
using the non-corroding duct from the kiln. They provide good
instructions for hooking up just about any sort of electric kiln. If
you are unsure, they have an engineer that is very helpful. The phone
number is on their website.
As far as metal or wood through the window, my experience tells me wood
should be O.K., but I would monitor the temp in your first firings. By
the time the venting is 6 or 8 feet from the kiln, you can hold your
hand on it without burning. This is because they are generally
designed to take in a lot of room air too.
You can turn on the elements without loading the kiln and without a
vent.
Good luck,
Gordon
On Aug 10, 2005, at 10:02 AM, Sasho wrote:
> I have recently aquired a well used Amaco kiln that I am setting up
> (FREE!!). I am trying to figure out the best way to vent it, and I'm
> looking for opinions/info. The model is HF97, and it looks to be >30
> years
> old (just a guess, either that or it was heavily used, which could be
> since
> it came from a school). Strangely it doesn't appear to have any holes
> other
> than peep holes that would have been used for venting. The vent Amaco
> recommends is a suspended one below the kiln. I'll be running
> whatever vent
> through a basement window, replacing the glass with some appropriate
> material. Should that material be a metal or will wood work? Should
> I use
> the recommended vent system, or is there one that may be better
> suited? How
> difficult is it to install a vent system? Is it safe for me to check
> if the
> kiln works before hooking up the vent? To test it do I just run an
> empty
> kiln or should I put cones in there so I know how hot it got? As you
> can
> probably tell, I am very new to the firing thing, none of the classes
> I've
> taken have really gotten into how to fire.
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
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> melpots@pclink.com.
>
Gordon Ward on wed 10 aug 05
P.S. Orton does not provide a timer on the Vent Master. You probably
can find something at the hardware store though. I have used a lamp
timer on a Bailey vent system after the timer gave out. GW
Snail Scott on wed 10 aug 05
At 01:02 PM 8/10/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>I have recently aquired a well used Amaco kiln...Strangely, it doesn't
appear to have any holes...that would have been used for venting...
Not too surprising. Direct venting is a relatively
new practice. Adding holes is easy, though, as is
installing the vent.
>...I'll be running whatever vent
>through a basement window, replacing the glass with some appropriate
>material. Should that material be a metal or will wood work?
Wood is fine - it won't get all that hot.
Should I use
>the recommended vent system, or is there one that may be better suited?
A bottom-mounted vent (as they recommended) is best.
Ideally, it will be the sort with the blower mounted
away from the kiln to pull the air through, not
underneath where it pushes the air through the system
instead. This sort creates negative pressure in the
ductwork, so if the ductwork develops a crack, it will
suck room air through instead of pushing kiln fumes
out into the studio.
Is it safe for me to check if the
>kiln works before hooking up the vent? To test it do I just run an empty
>kiln or should I put cones in there so I know how hot it got?
Sure, go ahead and test with cones. That way, you'll be
able to tell how each element is firing, without work in
the way. If it has a kiln sitter, you can check its
calibration, too, by comparing the witness cones to the
sitter cone after the firing is done.
Since there won't be anything fired but the bricks
(which have been fired before) and the cones (which are
tiny) it should be fairly safe to test-fire without
venting.
-Snail
Sasho on wed 10 aug 05
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I didn't expect to get so many
responses and so quickly too! Good to know about being able to use wood for
my window, that will be immensly easier than metal. Thanks also for the
opinions on the vent differences. I did go ahead and order the one Amaco
recommended after I talked to their kiln tech. It sounds like it will be
relatively easy to install. I don't plan on staying here for all that long,
and if it does rust out fairly quickly it was inexpensive enough that I
don't feel to bad replacing it a couple years down the line.
Thanks again!
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