Pugaboo Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 This might get long as I try and describe my options and thought process on placement. I've attached a picture of how I would like to install the new smaller test kiln. The power cord on this one isn't as long as my larger kiln so am a bit limited as to placement. I also need to use my Orton vent for both since all I have to do is install the duplex piping to be able to do so. Meaning the black thing on the floor with the tubing needs to stay in between the 2 kilns. The large kiln to the right is 30 inches from the wall behind it, 40 inches from the door off to the right and not seen in the picture. You can see the electric panel and subpanel on the wall along with the shut off box for the large kiln with its metal electrical conduit for the wires. The vent goes out the door to the outside on the right. The new kiln with its shorter cord will only be about 24 inches from the wall which is okay according to the manual. I don't know if the 30 inches between the two kilns if enough though. I do NOT plan to run these at the same time BUT .... The smaller kiln control box is hanging on the side between the 2 kilns, do I need to worry about the temperature from the larger kiln when it's firing hurting the control box on the smaller one that is not running? I can't easily rotate the smaller kiln because of the short cord on the plug. If I rotated the small kiln basically backwards to the wall the controller would be away from the other kiln but I would have to slide inbetween the kiln and the wall to check the controller while firing, which is not a good scenario safety-wise. Nor would I be able to monitor it remotely with the camera I have dedicated to this purpose since the controller would be facing the wall. If I rotate it the other way the cord would have to run under the stand and back towards the wall. The stand is only 8 inches tall and I'm thinking will get too warm for the cord under there and I also need to be able to hook up the vent under there as well. On the other side you can see a steel shelf unit that I use to store my kiln shelves, posts and such. It's an old gym stand made of very heavyweight steel that used to hold gym weights but I've repurposed it to hold my kiln stuff since its steel and not wood. It will only be about 12 inches from its corner to the corner of the kiln stand in a diagonal direction. I keep the boxes with the cones on this as well but at the far end of the unit. This is a steel shelf so any flammable stuff will be at least 3 feet away from this new kiln. The wiring for the new kiln will come down from the same subpanel as the other kiln and then down to the floor and about to where you see the kiln plug laying on the concrete. This would be directly under the main electrical panel, is this going to be a problem? Looking at the picture and reading my oh so detailed descriptions (lol), in your opinion am I allowing enough for safety? What have I not taken into consideration? I'm waiting for the electrician next week so have some of time to fiddle before plug placement has to be finalized. Thanks for your input. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Just replace the cord with a longer one. Just make sure it is the same gauge or thicker of wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 your new little one looks smaller than mine test kiln. Mine are in a kiln shed with exhaust fans. They are closer than yours. I think about 24" apart. You should be fine. Nice little test kiln. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 what worry is the most troubling? are you concerned about fire? walking around the kilns? burning up the electronics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 30 inches between kilns is more than enough. If you replace the cord it may void the warranty, and isn't necessary anyway. You've got plenty of space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Marcia - good to know. Yes it's just big enough to fit a couple dinner plates or 3 mugs. Oldlady - you should know by now for me it's WORRY ABOUT ALL OF IT! Thanks Neil! I didn't want to replace the cord just needed reassurance that I had enough distance between them. I will go with how they are set up. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the electrician. Haven't had the best of luck with them in the past so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Nice setup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 If you are worried about the heat from the larger kiln affecting the smaller kiln controller, stand a half-shelf in front of the small kiln control box to shield it. But, I really don't think you need to worry about your set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 MMMM lets see 20 inches between a kiln for a controller or 4"-5" away from the kiln you are firing when it is on. Should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewV Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 I would have them much closer to the wall and each other :-) My kiln said a minimum clearance of 12" (18" in California) was needed to combustible surfaces. I have wooden shelves 12.5" inches from it and complete peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Your setbacks (Spacing) are more than you need for both kilns. It will not hurt anything but it does waste space. I would raise the test kiln to a hieght that is easier to load a well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 I would have them much closer to the wall and each other :-) My kiln said a minimum clearance of 12" (18" in California) was needed to combustible surfaces. I have wooden shelves 12.5" inches from it and complete peace of mind. I wouldn't put wood shelves that close. 16" minimum for my peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Thank you everyone. A few things... I realize the controller sits on the kiln and the kiln gets super hot but I am assuming the control box is insulated to protect it from the back not the front and this is the worry I had concerning it hanging facing the larger kiln. At the moment I have plenty of room so keeping everything separate and away from the walls an extra amount makes me feel more comfortable. This is especially so because as you can see in the picture all the electrical to the house comes in right there and keeping as much heat away from that wall and the power boxes makes me more comfortable. I thought about raising the kiln but would need to buy that fireplace fiber board and build a strong platform to raise it up, not sure I want to go to that much trouble. I also thought about adding wheels to that if I did build something but again not sure if I want to do that. It's still on the table as a possibly to do though. The kiln will only hold a couple of plates and 3-4 mugs so it's not like I am going to be crouching down and loading a lot of stuff in there so all that might be overkill. From what I have come to understand from more experienced kiln people the danger of wood closer than 18 inches is the repeated heating and drying of the wood that can cause an eventual combustible reaction not the one time heating up. If this is a mistaken conclusion from the information gathered you all can correct me. Lots of great input and it's all got me looking and considering different options. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 raising the kiln does not require more than some concrete blocks. not even the big, solid, heavy ones, the lightweight ones work fine. just put them on end so your kiln stand fits well and is not wobbly. that raises the entire thing 16 inches higher than it is now. if you want 8 inches more, add blocks on their flat sides. you may have more special orders than you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 you are correct that repeated heating is the problem when wood is too close to the kiln. when i had a woodstove in my old house, i solved the problem by hanging a heat shield about 8 inches away from the wall. it was suspended from the ceiling by 3 chains about a foot long. the stove was about 3 feet wide, the heat shield was 8 feet wide by 6 feet tall. until i got used to the idea, i would feel the wall behind the shield often. it was always cool even when the stove was cranking out heat on very cold days. the heat shield sent the warmth into the room but did not allow it to get to the wall behind. a slight curve at the top kept the ceiling cool, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 You're right about the controller. If it's very close to another kiln, and both kilns are firing, it can overheat the controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Posted Yesterday, 03:14 PM Your setbacks (Spacing) are more than you need for both kilns. It will not hurt anything but it does waste space. I would raise the test kiln to a hieght that is easier to load a well +1 for Mark C's post above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Oldlady- YOU ARE BRILLIANT! I'm off to buy some concrete block. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Concrete block bought and test kiln is on is new throne! Cost me around $20 to get it raised to a comfy level and about 30 minutes to get positioned where I wanted them. Still waiting to hear back from the electrician.... Grrrr T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 looks like a ww2 bunker. good job. (send an airline ticket to neil for the installation.) do you think you have enough posts? i haven't seen that many at a huge multi-user shared studio! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Lol oldlady, that many posts means I can fit a dinnerware service for 4 in my little 18x23 kiln. There is never even an inch of wasted space when I fire. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Is there any reason you couldn't add a short extension cord with a larger gauge wire and rotate the kiln 2 flats clockwise? How many amps will your new kiln draw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Kilns should not be fired on extension cords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Electrician came out yesterday and installed everything. It looks NICE, I am pleased. I decided to wait until I installed the vent before doing a test fire and hope to get that done later today or tomorrow morning. Have a festival this weekend so have been scrambling to get caught up and have been firing the larger kiln to test out the new TC I put in. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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