milksnake12 Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Hello! I am considering putting a kiln into a basement room in my house. This room is just a normal bedroom with no ventilation to the outside. Does an electric kiln require ventilation? If so, would installing something like a bathroom fan above it be sufficient? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 You need to vent outdoors, a fart fan won't do anything for that. You need a kiln vent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milksnake12 Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 Thanks! I guess it's going to live in the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milksnake12 Posted January 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 What threw me off is I've been watching a lot of pottery videos online and see people opening kilns in attached garages and back rooms and I've never seen any kind of ventilation in place. Should ventilation be running the whole time a kiln is on? Bisque and glaze? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 My kiln is outdoors, I do not vent it for obvious reasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 23, 2020 Report Share Posted January 23, 2020 If you put the kiln in the garage, the fumes from the kiln will leave particles on everything in the garage, and can mess up the paint on your car. So at the very least you need to pull the car out, and you'll need to leave the garage door cracked and probably a fan moving air to get any sort of venting action. That can be limiting in the winter (if you have winter where you live). If you have a window in the garage, having a box fan in the window blowing out would help a lot, but you'd still need to crack the door to bring in fresh air. Even in the garage, and especially if it's an attached garage, I would use a downdraft vent, which will do a great job of removing fumes, improve the brightness of your glazes, and extend the life of your elements. If you decide to put the kiln in the house, I recommend a Vent-A-Kiln hood, which will pull out fumes and remove excess heat from the kiln. You'll still need a source of fresh air, which could be as simple as cracking a window on the other side of the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milksnake12 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Wow! I didn't realize the fumes were that bad. That can happen with food safe glazes and stoneware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Yes! A lot of our oxides are volatile at the temps we fire to. If a glaze, clay or slip has some fluorine in it, it will create hydrofluoric acid vapor that will etch glass even. The fumes from firing are pretty undeniably the most hazardous thing we will experience as potters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Many clay bodies contain sulfur, which will burn out during bisque and combine with water vapor to form sulfuric acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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