Rick Bonomo on sat 13 aug 05
David and Bill,
Thanks for the input.
I live next to a huge coal strip mine with some of the largest heavy =
equipment on the planet.
I will trust that they can hoist a mere 2300 lbs with one of their giant =
front loaders/forklifts
And I will place it before laying all the bricks
I'm also considering using coal to fire pots one of these years but =
haven't researched it yet
I get 6 foot high snow drifts in the winter, so an enclosed building is =
a must
The building walls will be 9" of brick/two bricks thick with no =
interior framing - just wood windows and doors
See: http://www.ricks-bricks.com/framed.htm
Under the trusses I plan install 5/8" fireproof cement board
I'll trust Paul Geil to advise me on how far away to keep the wood =
trusses from the vent system that will come with this kiln.
Then a steel roof over it all with an exhaust fan out the attic space =
connected to a thermostat so it will kick on automatically.
I have no intention of letting my little building go up in smoke.
Next up:=20
in summer I can open all the doors and windows to get air in and out =
(Four windows, four doors)
in winter I could of course open a few windows but:
I'm planning on leaving a few "trick bricks" loose on the ground level =
in order to be able to hose the building out
Also to let the heavy propane out in case of a leak.
And I was thinking I could leave larger spaces at ground level to let =
air in in the winter to provide air for the kiln and a woodburner that =
I'll use as heat source. (Can I connect a small propane heater to the =
same tank/line as I'll use for the kiln?)
The question is: how big should these holes be? I need a engineer to =
calculate the volume of air that the kiln will require, then add a few =
square inches so I'll have something to breathe in there :)
Any air flow engineers in the audience?
Rick Bonomo
http://www.ricks-bricks.com/kilnlog.htm
...Don't forget to put the kiln in place on the slab before the building
starts. Hire a rigging company to place the kiln (their liability if =
kiln is
damaged).
William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
...I would surely recommend that you build with
non-combustible materials such as steel and brick. I would be especially
hesitant about installing wood trusses above a kiln.
Here in Texas it would be obscene to put a kiln in such a fully enclosed
building. Even where you are, I think the option to keep it enclosed in
winter but being able to open up a whole wall or two in summer would
be beneficial.
Call me over-cautious, but once you've caught a kiln shed on fire you
think twice about building a wooden structure around a kiln.
David Hendley
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