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Skutt Envirovent


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I am using a skutt enviro vent system, I have had surprising results. I bought it to help vent, and hoped it would help balance the firing in my Skutt 1027, I have a dual Skutt pyrometer set up. Before the vent system I would have between 50 and 80 degrees from top to bottom after installing the vent it was 10 to 15 degrees. I was surprised I wasn't expecting much and I was measuring top to bottom, if I had measured from the middle to the bottom the difference wouldn't be so drastic. I'm not sure I would buy it just for balancing the temp since I do that manually towards the end of the firing. Denice

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I am wondering about how it would effect colors. I have a friend with the same kiln I have, using the same firing cycle, firing the same glaze, dipped out of the same bucket. His fires the color the glaze should be, mine, no matter how I test it, thick, thin, on different clays, on different shelves in kiln, NEVER achieves the desired color. The only difference is he has the vent, I don't. I get cones as even as he does, everything else I can think of is the same but the results.

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I am wondering about how it would effect colors. I have a friend with the same kiln I have, using the same firing cycle, firing the same glaze, dipped out of the same bucket. His fires the color the glaze should be, mine, no matter how I test it, thick, thin, on different clays, on different shelves in kiln, NEVER achieves the desired color. The only difference is he has the vent, I don't. I get cones as even as he does, everything else I can think of is the same but the results.

 

 

How interesting. Do you have your tiles and the pyrometric cone at the same place (shelf)?

Sounds kind of a dumb question, but how else would you explain that you cannot achieve the same affect as (s)he does?

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I am wondering about how it would effect colors. I have a friend with the same kiln I have, using the same firing cycle, firing the same glaze, dipped out of the same bucket. His fires the color the glaze should be, mine, no matter how I test it, thick, thin, on different clays, on different shelves in kiln, NEVER achieves the desired color. The only difference is he has the vent, I don't. I get cones as even as he does, everything else I can think of is the same but the results.

 

 

How interesting. Do you have your tiles and the pyrometric cone at the same place (shelf)?

Sounds kind of a dumb question, but how else would you explain that you cannot achieve the same affect as (s)he does?

 

 

 

 

 

I have tried this glaze on every clay in every spot in my kiln at every thickness. I have NO idea. It's a great glaze, it really is bugging me that this new potter, firing his kiln for the first few times, can get this and I can't. All my other glazes get fabulous color, depth and complexity. It is a ^6 red, if that has anything to do with it. And I am not using any other reds to compare results with.

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it really is bugging me that this new potter, firing his kiln for the first few times, can get this and I can't. All my other glazes get fabulous color, depth and complexity. It is a ^6 red, if that has anything to do with it. And I am not using any other reds to compare results with.

 

 

 

Does he have a new kiln too? Maybe his is not calibrated and he is firing it higher or lower, and that is the key to the success with this particular glaze.

Try ^6+ or ^5+ and see if it makes a difference.

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I am using a skutt enviro vent system, I have had surprising results. I bought it to help vent, and hoped it would help balance the firing in my Skutt 1027, I have a dual Skutt pyrometer set up. Before the vent system I would have between 50 and 80 degrees from top to bottom after installing the vent it was 10 to 15 degrees. I was surprised I wasn't expecting much and I was measuring top to bottom, if I had measured from the middle to the bottom the difference wouldn't be so drastic. I'm not sure I would buy it just for balancing the temp since I do that manually towards the end of the firing. Denice

 

 

 

How many and what size holes to you drill in the bottom of your kiln when you attach the entire event?

 

I went through my junk pile and I think I can make myself one for about five dollars of stuff from the hardware store.

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I am using a skutt enviro vent system, I have had surprising results. I bought it to help vent, and hoped it would help balance the firing in my Skutt 1027, I have a dual Skutt pyrometer set up. Before the vent system I would have between 50 and 80 degrees from top to bottom after installing the vent it was 10 to 15 degrees. I was surprised I wasn't expecting much and I was measuring top to bottom, if I had measured from the middle to the bottom the difference wouldn't be so drastic. I'm not sure I would buy it just for balancing the temp since I do that manually towards the end of the firing. Denice

 

 

 

How many and what size holes to you drill in the bottom of your kiln when you attach the entire event?

 

I went through my junk pile and I think I can make myself one for about five dollars of stuff from the hardware store.

 

 

Mine came already with the holes and the vent, and there were 2 holes each about 5 mm in diameter, so I assume this is how it supposed to be.

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How many and what size holes to you drill in the bottom of your kiln when you attach the entire event?

I went through my junk pile and I think I can make myself one for about five dollars of stuff from the hardware store.

 

I was contemplating on making a vent myself. The number, location and size of the kiln holes can be found in the instructions booklets of the commercial vents.

 

The most interesting part is the size and number of the holes in the vent cup itself and their relationship to the CFM produced by your fan. The holes are made to drastically decrease temperature of the exhaust air and limit the air flow through the kiln chamber to minimally acceptable. One way is to copy the design (EnviroVent2 used 140 CFM fan and 3" duct, but I don't know the number and exact size of the cup holes). Another way is to make the holes size adjustable and use a fan you have on hand.

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I am using a skutt enviro vent system, I have had surprising results. I bought it to help vent, and hoped it would help balance the firing in my Skutt 1027, I have a dual Skutt pyrometer set up. Before the vent system I would have between 50 and 80 degrees from top to bottom after installing the vent it was 10 to 15 degrees. I was surprised I wasn't expecting much and I was measuring top to bottom, if I had measured from the middle to the bottom the difference wouldn't be so drastic. I'm not sure I would buy it just for balancing the temp since I do that manually towards the end of the firing. Denice

 

 

 

How many and what size holes to you drill in the bottom of your kiln when you attach the entire event?

 

I went through my junk pile and I think I can make myself one for about five dollars of stuff from the hardware store.

 

 

Would love to see your vent when you get it made. I have been procrastinating over one for a while now, they have always seemed vastly overpriced for what they are. I have a 10 cubic foot front loading kiln, the temp is fairly even throughout the kiln but I have wondered if the glazes would somehow be better if fired with a vent.

 

 

Min

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How many and what size holes to you drill in the bottom of your kiln when you attach the entire event?

I went through my junk pile and I think I can make myself one for about five dollars of stuff from the hardware store.

 

I was contemplating on making a vent myself. The number, location and size of the kiln holes can be found in the instructions booklets of the commercial vents.

 

The most interesting part is the size and number of the holes in the vent cup itself and their relationship to the CFM produced by your fan. The holes are made to drastically decrease temperature of the exhaust air and limit the air flow through the kiln chamber to minimally acceptable. One way is to copy the design (EnviroVent2 used 140 CFM fan and 3" duct, but I don't know the number and exact size of the cup holes). Another way is to make the holes size adjustable and use a fan you have on hand.

 

 

There is a vent hole chart that corresponds to a variety of differently sized kilns contained in the envirovent manual here

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  • 1 month later...

holes in the plenum cup?  pretty sure it's just a single large hole against the kiln floor with a few other holes to keep from drawing too much air through kiln - basically a fancy 90* elbow with a spring-loaded foot to keep it snug.  i'm not 100% on this, but that's what I see in the pics.  all my envirovents are the old-style that has the blower directly under the kiln - bad design!

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The vent is designed to pull just enough air from the kiln to vent it, and pull a much larger volume of air from the room to cool the air from the kiln. With this combination the air going through the ductwork remains under 150 degrees, making it safe to vent out through single wall flexible ductwork. The holes in the plenum cup are where it pulls in room air.

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To Claylover about the red. In my experience, it is the cooling cycle and the crystallization that occurs then that brings out the red. In my studio, I run a cool down program to do this. I have noticed in some studios where the kiln is in a small room, or multiple kilns are firing, the reds come out great with out a cool down program. I am theorizing that the insulation slows the cooling down.  Aside from firing conditions, Claypple is probably on to something in calibration differences.

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My plenum cup is about 4" wide and 4"tall.  Three 1" holes drilled at  90 degrees, 180 d, and 270 d from 2" output for the hose to the exhaust fan.  Adjustable bolt  holds it to the underside of the kiln floor.  Wish I could draw this.  Air coming out of the fan is not hot just warm.  Drawing air through 2 5/16" kiln holes and 3 1" cup holes. 

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