Kiln Vents Kits, Necessary Or Not

[AndyL]

OK still considering the kiln to buy between L&L & Skutt. The next question is are KIln Vent Kits really necessary or is this just a gimmick to sell an add on? The kiln will be in an attached garage to the house if that's a consideration.

[SaltSpringPotter]

OK still considering the kiln to buy between L&L & Skutt. The next question is are KIln Vent Kits really necessary or is this just a gimmick to sell an add on? The kiln will be in an attached garage to the house if that's a consideration.

 

 

 

I think if your kiln room is attached to the house you must have a kiln vent to make sure no toxic fumes remain inside. I certainly would not risk it myself.

[Zygote]

Kiln vents, (aside from removing lots of nasty stuff from your kiln room,) are particularly useful for creating that oxidation atmosphere that is your electric kiln's strength. We always play to the strengths of our kiln.

For the cash... a kiln vent is totally worth the money.

[mompotter]

In a garage I would not feel it necessary for safety/health reasons as long as no one is sitting out there while it is firing.

 

I never used one before and I just purchased an electric kiln to put in my garage. I won't be using one this time either. Just can't afford it right now. I did remove our food storage from the garage though.

[MuddyMomma]

has anybody made their own kiln vent? we're in the process of putting my studio into one of the bays of our garage. there's no room for a separate kiln room and i was planning on putting in a kiln vent on my kiln anyway. but i'm wondering if i can make my own vent or would it be better to buy one? i'll be working out there when the kiln is firing, and it's possible my kids would be w/ me too.

 

 

[Diana@NatureGirlStudio.com]

You definitely need some way to vent the chemicals that burn out of the clay during firing. As a lab tech a few years ago, I tried to work in the same room while the bisque kiln was firing and quickly got nauseous. I have an Envirovent on my Skutt Kiln in my studio (garage). It works best when you crack a window open to allow fresh air to enter the room as the envirovent pushes it out. I also fire the kiln overnight and air out the room in the morning.

 

 

One of the most clever (and most expensive) set ups I saw was a small, separate kiln room (off the main studio) with its own garage door. They just opened the garage door while firing.

 

Good luck and definitely protect your health!

[Julie]

OK still considering the kiln to buy between L&L & Skutt. The next question is are KIln Vent Kits really necessary or is this just a gimmick to sell an add on? The kiln will be in an attached garage to the house if that's a consideration.

 

if there is another door, besides the large garage door that will be open it should give enough circulation out and use a fan. for how many yrs were we without the vents. I can see it needed in an enclosed room, yes.

[Julie]

You definitely need some way to vent the chemicals that burn out of the clay during firing. As a lab tech a few years ago, I tried to work in the same room while the bisque kiln was firing and quickly got nauseous. I have an Envirovent on my Skutt Kiln in my studio (garage). It works best when you crack a window open to allow fresh air to enter the room as the envirovent pushes it out. I also fire the kiln overnight and air out the room in the morning.

 

 

One of the most clever (and most expensive) set ups I saw was a small, separate kiln room (off the main studio) with its own garage door. They just opened the garage door while firing.

 

Good luck and definitely protect your health!

 

 

do you need to make a hole in the wall for this vent to attach to get air out?

[Bill R.]

has anybody made their own kiln vent? we're in the process of putting my studio into one of the bays of our garage. there's no room for a separate kiln room and i was planning on putting in a kiln vent on my kiln anyway. but i'm wondering if i can make my own vent or would it be better to buy one? i'll be working out there when the kiln is firing, and it's possible my kids would be w/ me too.

 

 

I made my own vent and it cost me $0.00. (But I am a scrounge extrordinaire.) It works great.

First you must study the ones available for sale and then use a bit of simple ingenuity.

 

First I managed to find an older Jennaire range and took the fan out of it. Very good fans.

The tricky part is building the extraction box that attaches to the bottom of the kiln. This must be metal for obvious reasons and in my case I used up one of my favors with a sheetmetal friend. My design I kept simple but you may have to figure one out for your kiln. Note that the extraction box must have an air inlet on the side which is somehow adjustable. Try just cutting about a 2 in hole but have a cover plate screwed on that can be adjusted. You must allow the fan to have air but adjust your opening so it gets enough out of the kiln to create a draw.

I attached the fan to an outside wall and used good dryer exhaust pipe to connect to the box on the bottom of the kiln. I simply use an extension chord to plug the fan in.

I drilled two 1/4" hole in the top of the kiln as inlet holes and three in the bottom as exhaust holes. I found lots of info on line that describes this in detail.

When everything is setup and the fan is running just adjust the cover plate until you have a draw through the kiln. You can do this by simply holding a match at one of the inlet holes and adjusting until the flame is being drawn into the hole. Simple.

Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Bill

[MuddyMomma]

has anybody made their own kiln vent? we're in the process of putting my studio into one of the bays of our garage. there's no room for a separate kiln room and i was planning on putting in a kiln vent on my kiln anyway. but i'm wondering if i can make my own vent or would it be better to buy one? i'll be working out there when the kiln is firing, and it's possible my kids would be w/ me too.

 

 

I made my own vent and it cost me $0.00. (But I am a scrounge extrordinaire.) It works great.

First you must study the ones available for sale and then use a bit of simple ingenuity.

 

First I managed to find an older Jennaire range and took the fan out of it. Very good fans.

The tricky part is building the extraction box that attaches to the bottom of the kiln. This must be metal for obvious reasons and in my case I used up one of my favors with a sheetmetal friend. My design I kept simple but you may have to figure one out for your kiln. Note that the extraction box must have an air inlet on the side which is somehow adjustable. Try just cutting about a 2 in hole but have a cover plate screwed on that can be adjusted. You must allow the fan to have air but adjust your opening so it gets enough out of the kiln to create a draw.

I attached the fan to an outside wall and used good dryer exhaust pipe to connect to the box on the bottom of the kiln. I simply use an extension chord to plug the fan in.

I drilled two 1/4" hole in the top of the kiln as inlet holes and three in the bottom as exhaust holes. I found lots of info on line that describes this in detail.

When everything is setup and the fan is running just adjust the cover plate until you have a draw through the kiln. You can do this by simply holding a match at one of the inlet holes and adjusting until the flame is being drawn into the hole. Simple.

Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Bill

 

 

 

thanks for this bill, i may just be in touch sometime! my husband is pretty handy, he's already planning on building me a kiln controller to save the $$ on buying a new one, now i have another project for him. we've been discussing different ideas on how to do it, my main concern being that the kids will be out there w/ me sometimes and i was worried about the fumes. but sounds like what you came up w/ isn't that different than the store bought ones so i'm thinking it should be ok so long as the joints are tight and there's no leakage. how do you keep the extraction box secured to the bottom of the kiln? the envirovent has a spring if i remember correctly. and i'm assuming the air inlet cools the exaust down a bit? i remember my husband being concerned about the heat coming out of there. thanks again for your help, kim

[Cindy in SD]

Where I work there's a small attic room for the kiln. At first (before I came) they tried firing the kiln with no ventilation. It set off the building's sprinkler system, which wasn't used to that much concentrated heat in one place, and all the walls had to be resurfaced throughout the whole place. (It's an old converted historical residence.) So they put in a huge fan--temperature controlled. It works better than my kiln vents at home. They didn't put it in to vent toxins--they didn't know about toxins--but I think it works well. At any rate, to smell anything when the kiln is firing I have to go into the kiln room--and then it's minimal. Loud, though.

[Bill R.]

has anybody made their own kiln vent? we're in the process of putting my studio into one of the bays of our garage. there's no room for a separate kiln room and i was planning on putting in a kiln vent on my kiln anyway. but i'm wondering if i can make my own vent or would it be better to buy one? i'll be working out there when the kiln is firing, and it's possible my kids would be w/ me too.

 

 

I made my own vent and it cost me $0.00. (But I am a scrounge extrordinaire.) It works great.

First you must study the ones available for sale and then use a bit of simple ingenuity.

 

First I managed to find an older Jennaire range and took the fan out of it. Very good fans.

The tricky part is building the extraction box that attaches to the bottom of the kiln. This must be metal for obvious reasons and in my case I used up one of my favors with a sheetmetal friend. My design I kept simple but you may have to figure one out for your kiln. Note that the extraction box must have an air inlet on the side which is somehow adjustable. Try just cutting about a 2 in hole but have a cover plate screwed on that can be adjusted. You must allow the fan to have air but adjust your opening so it gets enough out of the kiln to create a draw.

I attached the fan to an outside wall and used good dryer exhaust pipe to connect to the box on the bottom of the kiln. I simply use an extension chord to plug the fan in.

I drilled two 1/4" hole in the top of the kiln as inlet holes and three in the bottom as exhaust holes. I found lots of info on line that describes this in detail.

When everything is setup and the fan is running just adjust the cover plate until you have a draw through the kiln. You can do this by simply holding a match at one of the inlet holes and adjusting until the flame is being drawn into the hole. Simple.

Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Bill

 

 

 

thanks for this bill, i may just be in touch sometime! my husband is pretty handy, he's already planning on building me a kiln controller to save the $$ on buying a new one, now i have another project for him. we've been discussing different ideas on how to do it, my main concern being that the kids will be out there w/ me sometimes and i was worried about the fumes. but sounds like what you came up w/ isn't that different than the store bought ones so i'm thinking it should be ok so long as the joints are tight and there's no leakage. how do you keep the extraction box secured to the bottom of the kiln? the envirovent has a spring if i remember correctly. and i'm assuming the air inlet cools the exaust down a bit? i remember my husband being concerned about the heat coming out of there. thanks again for your help, kim

 

[Bill R.]

has anybody made their own kiln vent? we're in the process of putting my studio into one of the bays of our garage. there's no room for a separate kiln room and i was planning on putting in a kiln vent on my kiln anyway. but i'm wondering if i can make my own vent or would it be better to buy one? i'll be working out there when the kiln is firing, and it's possible my kids would be w/ me too.

 

 

I made my own vent and it cost me $0.00. (But I am a scrounge extrordinaire.) It works great.

First you must study the ones available for sale and then use a bit of simple ingenuity.

 

First I managed to find an older Jennaire range and took the fan out of it. Very good fans.

The tricky part is building the extraction box that attaches to the bottom of the kiln. This must be metal for obvious reasons and in my case I used up one of my favors with a sheetmetal friend. My design I kept simple but you may have to figure one out for your kiln. Note that the extraction box must have an air inlet on the side which is somehow adjustable. Try just cutting about a 2 in hole but have a cover plate screwed on that can be adjusted. You must allow the fan to have air but adjust your opening so it gets enough out of the kiln to create a draw.

I attached the fan to an outside wall and used good dryer exhaust pipe to connect to the box on the bottom of the kiln. I simply use an extension chord to plug the fan in.

I drilled two 1/4" hole in the top of the kiln as inlet holes and three in the bottom as exhaust holes. I found lots of info on line that describes this in detail.

When everything is setup and the fan is running just adjust the cover plate until you have a draw through the kiln. You can do this by simply holding a match at one of the inlet holes and adjusting until the flame is being drawn into the hole. Simple.

Good luck. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Bill

 

 

 

thanks for this bill, i may just be in touch sometime! my husband is pretty handy, he's already planning on building me a kiln controller to save the $$ on buying a new one, now i have another project for him. we've been discussing different ideas on how to do it, my main concern being that the kids will be out there w/ me sometimes and i was worried about the fumes. but sounds like what you came up w/ isn't that different than the store bought ones so i'm thinking it should be ok so long as the joints are tight and there's no leakage. how do you keep the extraction box secured to the bottom of the kiln? the envirovent has a spring if i remember correctly. and i'm assuming the air inlet cools the exaust down a bit? i remember my husband being concerned about the heat coming out of there. thanks again for your help, kim

 

[Bill R.]

I borrowed the spring system for my vent. It worked flawless. The air inlet does cool the exhaust but the more important purpose is to adjust the draw from the kiln. The fan will be looking for lots of air and it will not get enough from just the kiln through those small holes. So you supply some through the adjustable inlet and with a bit of experimenting you can adjust so the fan draws the perfect amount of air from the kiln.

I would like to point out that another benefit to venting the kiln will be prolonged element life.

I have also noticed some differences in some of my glaze results since I started using my vent. I am not sure if the venting is entirely the reason but I am liking what I see.

After you have been using your vent for a while have a look at what the inside of the fan looks like! You will understand why we should not be breathing this stuff.

 

Bill

[Guest JBaymore]

You should have a localized kiln vent of some sort.

 

Local pickup ventilation is always the first line of defense when it comes to dealing with toxic airborne stuff. The various types of direct connection kiln vents are of this type. Yoyu are far better off not letting stuff get into the general air of the living spaces and then try to control it. It takes far less air movement (read $ in capital and operating costs) to pick it up locally than to do general dilution ventilation. Less make up air heat and cooling load too.

 

The 2nd main reason for a kiln vent (and not far behind the toxic ventilation issue) is to provide a source of air (for the oxygen necessary for a number of firing reactions) within the generally sealed and static electric kiln chamber. Without one, you have much more potential to create firing defects due to a lack of the necessary oxygen. If you tend to stack tight bisque firings in electric kilns this is REALLY a potential issue. Carbonaceous material in raw clay in a stuffed bisque firing can create slight reducing conditions that cause problems that ony show up later in a glaze firing.

 

They can be built very easily.

 

best,

 

.......................john

[riverpotter]

I strongly recommend a kiln vent. It has been worth every penny we spent. Our studio is in our basement, and the fumes were unbearable before. Especially since we use wax on our pots. We had to drill a hole in the wall for the air to exit, and a couple of small holes in our kiln lid which was kinda scary, but the installation was pretty easy, and it works great!

[Icyone2]

Another side effect of not venting I've noticed is also rust. Not sure what causes it but metal items in our warehouse tend to get pretty rusty pretty fast

[AndyL]

Thanks everybody for the feedback. You've convinced me. The vent is something I'll add here.

[CeramicJim]

Here is the venting system that I use. I made it myself and it was MUCH cheaper than a whole system. It works for kiln fumes and also for silica dust. It's basically just a through wall kitchen fan but it moves 180 CFM and you can add whatever piping you want that works for your studio goals.

 

 

[liambesaw]

10 minutes ago, CeramicJim said:

Here is the venting system that I use. I made it myself and it was MUCH cheaper than a whole system. It works for kiln fumes and also for silica dust. It's basically just a through wall kitchen fan but it moves 180 CFM and you can add whatever piping you want that works for your studio goals.

 

 

I don't recommend any ducting with this type of fan (axial), you'll end up losing some significant CFM.  Probably still plenty to vent a kiln but not really gonna do much for dust.  Cool idea!  I have an 8 inch centrifugal fan in my studio that I turn on while cleaning, it's loud but it exchanges the entire volume of my studio every 50 seconds, love that thing!  Definitely not 20 bucks though! More like 60.

 

[CeramicJim]

Do you mean any longer amount of ducting? I still get pretty good suction with just eh elbow, even though I reduced it from 8 to 6.

[liambesaw]

9 minutes ago, CeramicJim said:

Do you mean any longer amount of ducting? I still get pretty good suction with just eh elbow, even though I reduced it from 8 to 6.

Yeah, especially flexible ducting slows the air down a lot, and an axial fan is high speed, low pressure so the longer the duct that is attached (and the more turns it has to make), the weaker it blows (sometimes to the point of stalling).  Centrifugal fans are high pressure, low speed and are built for moving air through a duct, so while they still lose power over distance, it's far less than an axial fan.  So for something like a dust collector (an actual one) or a vacuum, or anything where suction is the primary use, a centrifugal fan is the fan of choice.

You just having an open elbow on it is fine and dandy, but if you put a 10 foot section of flexible ducting on it and put it down to your kiln, your 180cfm fan may now only be operating at 50cfm

[Bill Kielb]

1 hour ago, CeramicJim said:

Do you mean any longer amount of ducting? I still get pretty good suction with just eh elbow, even though I reduced it from 8 to 6.

Longer duct, smaller diameter, and  rougher duct will all decrease the airflow. Good that you are doing something and the something is significant. When we design this stuff we use real numbers and real velocities to capture as many small particles as possible. Use your mask, I guarantee you are not capturing all your dust. However this is all positive and the only thing I would add is to ensure there is a source of makeup air from out doors. No use accidentally pulling furnace fumes back down the flue into your workspace because it’s your easiest source of makeup air.

All these things can be calculated and actually are quite simple really but most often too much for typical potters. Maybe I will create some decent tables for folks to work from.

Anything is better than nothing and you have put reasonable thought into this so all good. Would we consider it adequate for sanding without a mask, no we would not.

here is a quick video  of how we go about creating  a simplified designing. Some of this stuff you might find  interesting. Nice video BTW!