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heat exhaust systems for kiln rooms

updated sun 9 apr 06

 

Autumn Downey on thu 30 mar 06


Hi,

I've been looking through some postings about exhaust systems, but am
wondering if there's a formula that one can use to determine the size/speed
of fan that is needed an how best they are run - on thermostat?

This would not be primarily for fumes since we have kiln vents, but for
extra heat.

We might be firing 2 - 7 cu ft kilns at once - max temp cone 6.

There is air intake - not sure of capacity - and size of room also not
determined as we are moving into a new space and some flexibility is there.

So, just wondering if there was a way of playing with some of the variables
to come up with a solution.

Thanks. When in doubt, I always seem to ask the clayart people who have so
much collective experience.

Autumn Downey

Yellowknife

Ed Huml on thu 30 mar 06


When I was designing our new studio I talked to HVAC
guy who gave me a HVAC engineer to talk to. The
engineer calculated the various demands of the kiln
vents, ductwork to existing kitchen flue (our space
used to be an old school kitchen) and how big the
new roof fan would need to be to pull the fumes up
3 floors from the electric kilns. He also designed the
dust extraction hoods (as recommended by Monona
Rossol, she is fabulous) for our glaze mixing area.
We also have a fan in the wall above the door to the
kiln room which will get a thermal switch to turn the
fan on when it gets too hot in the kiln room. The computer
controls need a controled enviornment in order to work
accurately, just like the computer you are using now.
Manufacturer says not to go above 95 degree room temp.

So check what the manufacturer says the kilns need and what
temp you are comfortable working in and if you can't barter
some nice pottery at least go with the thermostat switch.

Good luck,
Ed Huml
BRUCA
Brooklyn, NY

Michael Wendt on thu 30 mar 06


Autumn,
The building official here recommended non-fan
ventilation as the primary means of exhausting
and cooling the kiln room.
A couple simple vertical 12" diameter galvanized
pipes passing through the roof via a flashings
and topped with wind turbines
can result in remarkable cooling for a very
small cost.
He also required a source of uninterruptible
cooling air via fixed area grilles in the kiln
room with at least the same cross section
as the vent pipes.
Tom Wirt wrote recently about the dangers
of pyrolysis that occurs in wood when heated
too hot repeatedly in a kiln room and how
this can lead to a fire at a much lower than
expected temperature, usually after years of
successful firings with no apparent danger.
After he wrote, I did a hot run check of
our kiln room and even on the hottest summer day,
the hottest surfaces in the kiln room were never
above 150 F set up as I describe.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
This would not be primarily for fumes since we have
kiln vents, but for
extra heat.

We might be firing 2 - 7 cu ft kilns at once - max temp
cone 6.

There is air intake - not sure of capacity - and size
of room also not
determined as we are moving into a new space and some
flexibility is there.

So, just wondering if there was a way of playing with
some of the variables
to come up with a solution.

Thanks. When in doubt, I always seem to ask the
clayart people who have so
much collective experience.

Autumn Downey

Yellowknife

Jennifer Boyer on fri 31 mar 06


How you "take the temperature" of a surface?
Jennifer

> After he wrote, I did a hot run check of
> our kiln room and even on the hottest summer day,
> the hottest surfaces in the kiln room were never
> above 150 F set up as I describe.
> Regards,
> Michael Wendt
> Wendt Pottery
> 2729 Clearwater Ave
> Lewiston, Idaho 83501
> USA
> wendtpot@lewiston.com
> www.wendtpottery.com

*****************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
*****************************

Michael Wendt on sat 1 apr 06


Jennifer,
There are now available at a low enough price
infrared pyrometers that "read" surface temperatures
of objects. I got mine at Costco for about $40.
Just point the laser beam indicator at a surface
and it gives you a reading.
I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to
bisque fire, to see if the clay is dry enough to
grind, to see if the pots in the kiln are cool
enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps
growing.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Jennifer asked:
How you "take the temperature" of a surface?
Jennifer

Jennifer Boyer on sat 1 apr 06


OOOOH! Sounds great! Another reason for a trip to Costco!
Jennifer, tool junky

On Apr 1, 2006, at 10:41 AM, Michael Wendt wrote:

> Jennifer,
> There are now available at a low enough price
> infrared pyrometers that "read" surface temperatures
> of objects. I got mine at Costco for about $40.
> Just point the laser beam indicator at a surface
> and it gives you a reading.
> I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to
> bisque fire, to see if the clay is dry enough to
> grind, to see if the pots in the kiln are cool
> enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps
> growing.
> Regards,
> Michael Wendt
> Wendt Pottery
> 2729 Clearwater Ave
> Lewiston, Idaho 83501
> USA
> wendtpot@lewiston.com
> www.wendtpottery.com
> Jennifer asked:
> How you "take the temperature" of a surface?
> Jennifer
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ________
> 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.

*****************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
*****************************

Richard White on sun 2 apr 06


Another consideration for one of these toys, er tools..., is check around on
eBay. Most of the ones in general circulation are intended for the air
conditioning or food service trade - just point it at the vent outlet or
tray of food and you have an instant reading. The temp range is up to around
400F. But the one I picked up on eBay has a temp range up to 1000C and I've
used it for checking temps inside the kiln - point it through the peep - and
for raku firing - point it down the exhaust hole.

dw

On Sat, 1 Apr 2006 17:05:53 -0500, Jennifer Boyer wrote:

>OOOOH! Sounds great! Another reason for a trip to Costco!
>Jennifer, tool junky
>
>On Apr 1, 2006, at 10:41 AM, Michael Wendt wrote:
>
>> Jennifer,
>> There are now available at a low enough price
>> infrared pyrometers that "read" surface temperatures
>> of objects. I got mine at Costco for about $40.
>> Just point the laser beam indicator at a surface
>> and it gives you a reading.
>> I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to
>> bisque fire, to see if the clay is dry enough to
>> grind, to see if the pots in the kiln are cool
>> enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps
>> growing.
>> Regards,
>> Michael Wendt
>> Wendt Pottery
>> 2729 Clearwater Ave
>> Lewiston, Idaho 83501
>> USA
>> wendtpot@lewiston.com
>> www.wendtpottery.com
>> Jennifer asked:
>> How you "take the temperature" of a surface?
>> Jennifer
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________________
>> ________
>> 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.
>
>*****************************
>Jennifer Boyer
>Thistle Hill Pottery
>Montpelier, VT
>http://thistlehillpottery.com
>*****************************
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.

Jennifer Boyer on mon 3 apr 06


I actually did find one on Ebay and am waiting for it to be shipped.
It's called a Raytec Raynger. Looks like they are used a lot for
automobile diagnostics. I'm really curious to see what the temp of my
rafters is in the kiln shed. It gets really hot in there in the
summer. I have venting and all has been well for 6 years, but better
safe than sorry!
Jennifer
On Apr 2, 2006, at 11:30 AM, Richard White wrote:

> Another consideration for one of these toys, er tools..., is check
> around on
> eBay. Most of the ones in general circulation are intended for the air
> conditioning or food service trade - just point it at the vent
> outlet or
> tray of food and you have an instant reading. The temp range is up
> to around
> 400F. But the one I picked up on eBay has a temp range up to 1000C
> and I've
> used it for checking temps inside the kiln - point it through the
> peep - and
> for raku firing - point it down the exhaust hole.
>
> dw
>
> On Sat, 1 Apr 2006 17:05:53 -0500, Jennifer Boyer
> wrote:
>
>> OOOOH! Sounds great! Another reason for a trip to Costco!
>> Jennifer, tool junky
>>
>> On Apr 1, 2006, at 10:41 AM, Michael Wendt wrote:
>>
>>> Jennifer,
>>> There are now available at a low enough price
>>> infrared pyrometers that "read" surface temperatures
>>> of objects. I got mine at Costco for about $40.
>>> Just point the laser beam indicator at a surface
>>> and it gives you a reading.
>>> I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to
>>> bisque fire, to see if the clay is dry enough to
>>> grind, to see if the pots in the kiln are cool
>>> enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps
>>> growing.
>>> Regards,
>>> Michael Wendt
>>> Wendt Pottery
>>> 2729 Clearwater Ave
>>> Lewiston, Idaho 83501
>>> USA
>>> wendtpot@lewiston.com
>>> www.wendtpottery.com
>>> Jennifer asked:
>>> How you "take the temperature" of a surface?
>>> Jennifer
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________________________________
>>> __
>>> ________
>>> 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.
>>
>> *****************************
>> Jennifer Boyer
>> Thistle Hill Pottery
>> Montpelier, VT
>> http://thistlehillpottery.com
>> *****************************
>>
>> _____________________________________________________________________
>> _________
>> 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.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ________
> 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.

*****************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
*****************************

Arnold Howard on mon 3 apr 06


The room temperature for electric kilns should never
exceed 110F when measured three feet from the kiln.
We have found that blowing a fan across the kiln's
switchbox into the louvers will quickly lower the
temperature.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Wendt"
> After he wrote, I did a hot run check of
> our kiln room and even on the hottest summer day,
> the hottest surfaces in the kiln room were never
> above 150 F set up as I describe.

Russel Fouts on mon 3 apr 06


Michael,

>> I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to bisque fire, to
see if the clay is dry enough to grind, to see if the pots in the
kiln are cool enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps growing <<

At first this made me laugh out loud, then I thought, way cool!

Thanks

Russel (Zap! Oh, coffee's cold, better get some more!)



Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
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Michael Wendt on tue 4 apr 06


Arnold mentions that the room temperature (110 F)
recommended for electric kilns is really quite low.
My gas kilns are in a kiln room essentially
without climate control of any kind.
Here in Lewiston, Idaho during the summer, air
temperatures in the shade are sometimes 110 F.
attic temperatures I checked in our house before
we installed our vent fan were in excess of 140 F.
Temperatures on the dash of my car in the sun
were over 160 F.
The main thing is: find out. Know if you are safe.
If you can't afford an infrared thermometer, do a
hand check with a regular thermometer wherever
you feel hot spots.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Arnold wrote:
The room temperature for electric kilns should never
exceed 110F when measured three feet from the kiln.
We have found that blowing a fan across the kiln's
switchbox into the louvers will quickly lower the
temperature.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com

Leland Hall on sun 9 apr 06


Oh yes, point and shoot pyrometers are wonderful!! Another great use of
them is to take readings at electrical connections, or of the wall where
kiln circuits run inside. Breaker boxes (load centers) all to look for hot
spots to make sure all wires connections and breakers are running cool. I
especially reccomend checking kiln plugs/outlets this way, and do it
often. I think if more people checked their kiln plugs/outlets with point
and shoot pyrometers, more potters would be switching to hardwired kilns.

Leland Hall
Before The Wheel Enterprises
La Pine, OR

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jennifer,
There are now available at a low enough price
infrared pyrometers that "read" surface temperatures
of objects. I got mine at Costco for about $40.
Just point the laser beam indicator at a surface
and it gives you a reading.
I now use mine to see if pots are dry enough to
bisque fire, to see if the clay is dry enough to
grind, to see if the pots in the kiln are cool
enough to not melt the gloves,... the list keeps
growing.
Regards,
Michael Wendt