Outside Kiln

[AmyA]

Hi!

I'm an art teacher in Pine, AZ. I've gotten approval to put a kiln outside my art room on a cement pad. There is limited space, so I was looking at purchasing a small metal shed to house it in. (5x6ft with 6ft ceiling). I've called Skutt and they said their only concern would be it getting too hot and shutting down. I was going to install 2 roof turbine vents at the top and  fire with the doors open. Also, I'll be doing the majority of my firing during winter (which here is more in the 40-50 degree weather). It would be a Skutt KS1027 Kiln, a shorter/wider model.

Does anyone have any experience with this?  What would you suggest? and Thankyou!

[hitchmss]

With those vents and the doors open it should be no issues. My 1027 is located in the same room as our gas kiln is; Ive never had any issues firing the electric when the gas kiln is firing, even in the middle of summer when its 100* outside, and inside the kiln room is closer to 120.

[neilestrick]

It will probably be okay. If not, you can always add more ventilation. Something as simple as a box fan blowing outside air toward the kiln will probably do the trick. Just make sure they run a standard 120 volt outlet in the shed in addition to whatever the kiln needs, so you have a place to plug in.

[hitchmss]

With as much sun as you have in AZ, you might look into solar powered vent fans. They require minimal energy to operate, thus there is little need to store the solar power/have batteries. The upfront cost might be more though; not entirely sure on that though. If you are already running electric, like neil said, having an extra plug is great, but also, put in a light or two. Inside that metal shed, your amount of daylight may be minimal, and no fun to load kilns in the dark.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I would suggest a 10' shed if you can get it. I have the same setup you describe with a much more analog kiln, and you'll want the space to move in when you load and unload. I've not had any trouble firing at the outdoor temperatures you're describing.

[Motor]

It will be tight with posts and shelves, are you purchasing a vent system /w the kiln? This would help a bit. I believe its the electronic board that can't get too hot. I fire an L &L about the same size and in a small shed similar to what you describe except one wall is really a big door I can just open up. Even so I needed a small fan (angled slightly away from the kiln, but still hitting the panel to keep the panel at under 125.