Questions about electric kiln installation - garage or basement?

[OliviaS]

Hello!  I recently bought my first kiln, a used Skutt KM-1218-3. It is in great shape but it is missing the power cord (the previous owner replaced the original cord with a very long cable, which they kept).  I plan to have an electrician install its own dedicated circuit, but I have some questions.  I apologize in advance if some of these questions have been asked before and I did not find their replies.

-Is it better to have the electrician install the proper outlet or have them hardwire it directly into the circuit?  In either scenario, should I buy the replacement power cable from Skutt or just a #6, 3 copper wire cable with the correct temperature rating?  The kiln takes 48 amps.

-If I keep the kiln in my garage, will cold weather or humidity be an issue?  I live in Maine, the garage is unfinished (it has insulation but currently no boards covering the insulation).  We will be putting up fire resistant panels in the corner where the kiln will hopefully live.  I have read in other forums that the cold is not an issue, one just has to heat up the control panel with a space heater for a little bit.

-Will it be exceptionally more expensive to install the kiln in the garage if it is the farthest point from our current circuit breaker panel (the location where my house connects to the grid)? 

The other option is to have the kiln installed in my basement (pros: concrete floors and walls, close to the grid access point - cons: short(6ft), exposed insulation ceiling, lack of good air flow, difficult to install the vent)

Thanks!
Olivia

[neilestrick]

If you have it hardwired, have them wire it into a fused disconnect box so you have a handy shutoff right at the kiln. If you get a cord, you'll need a 50 amp cord rated to 105C, and it would be easiest to just get it from Skutt. I'd probably go with hard wiring since you live in a humid environment and plug corrosion could be an issue.

If you put the kiln in the basement, you will have a lot less corrosion of the wiring connections, but venting will be more of an issue, because you'll need to vent heat as well as fumes. Vent-A-Kiln vent hoods work very well. For a kiln your size you'll need a 6 inch hole to the exterior for the vent. It will probably be cheaper to wire it up in the basement, because it's probably closer to the breaker box. You'll also be more likely to use the kiln during the cold months. Ease of use is a wonderful thing. And in the winter you can turn off the vent at the end of a firing and let the heat radiate into the house.

Get 3 quotes from certified electricians, and have them quote both locations. It'll be easier to make your decision once you have some numbers.

[Sorcery]

So far, indoors is winning for me. All Day.

Covering the ceiling insulation and installing the vent no matter how difficult, is still half as expensive as the wires needed to get to the garage alone. Just the wires.

Sorce

[OliviaS]

Thank you for the feedback. The basement had a  pretty bad flooding issue last year, but now we have a sump pump and it hasn’t flooded since. In scenario that we lose power and get a lot of rain, the basement would likely flood. I know that I can’t control every potential issue - but I could put a layer of concrete pavers  on the spot where the kiln will be to raise it up a few inches more (+ the height of the stand). 

If the basement is quite large but only has 3 tiny slit windows, what is the likelihood that the ambient temperature around the kiln gets too hot while firing and it auto-fails? Also, I was planning to buy the envirovent 2, unless the hood one would be better in your opinions! 

Once I talk to electricians and get the costs for each scenario, I’ll likely be swayed one way or the other  

 

Thanks,

Olivia

[Sorcery]

I wouldn't put it on stilts till the rain came, keep all the headroom you can.

I been watching for rain since firing outdoors, it gets routine, just don't start firing if you expect a deluge.

I won't get into my basement floor idea that involves styrofoam and floating, but you can take measures to make sure if it does flood, you get your kiln up to safety before it gets soaked.

Of the chiminizer. That's drunk talk for ventilation, I assumed you were already set on bottom venting. 

I put a passive hood over my electric that went into the chimney, it allows about the same airflow as a vent.

Don't try to put a powered blower into the chimney, it can mess up your draft.

The hardest part is finding a hood big enough. Quite easy to fabricate though.

I did forget to put it on a couple times. No worries.

If there isn't a limit on distance of exhaust tube for the bottom vents, you can run it up and out a door if you had to.

That "difficult" to install is going to remain cheaper than outdoors IMO.

Then again, I personally worry about shelves/kiln adsorbing water if outdoors, and the innefficiency of having to heat that water out. 

 

Sorce

[Denice]

Using a hood for ventilation can depend on how tall your ceilings are.    I had a professor offer to sell me one because he had moved recently and his basement ceiling was too  low,  I had the same problem with my basement ceiling.   My ceilings were only 6 ft. tall so there wasn't enough room to load and unload the kiln when the hood was raised to the ceiling.  I ended up ducting off of the metal dyer duct with a small exhaust fan.   I didn't work in my studio or do laundry on the days I fired,  I really didn't have any problems with fumes.     Denice

[neilestrick]

I'd use the hood if it's in the basement, because it will pull out heat as well as fumes. Without it you may overheat the controller, but you'll also have a ton of heat radiating into the floor above. If you have low ceilings, you can get the swinging wall arm that allows you to swing it to the side away from the kiln. I usually install them with that anyway, as it's easier.

What size are the slit windows? You may be able to vent out one of them if the total area is equal to or greater than the area of a 6" round duct, about 28 square inches. Not very big. I recently vented out a small slit window set into the center of glass blocks by making a plywood board that pushed up against the blocks, with a couple rows of weather stripping to create a good seal around the opening. Two 1 1/4" dowels (top and bottom) held it in place using closet pole brackets mounted to the window frame at the sides. It was a semi-permanent installation- it could be left in place but didn't require altering the window permanently besides the small holes for the brackets, which could always be filled later. The board was wedged tight using tapered shims between the dowels and board. I'll see if I can get a photo. Post a picture of the window and we can give you some suggestions.

Since your kiln is short, you can raise it up as much as you want. Just make sure you use something super stable and fireproof, like cement blocks, or even build a table with a cement board top.

[OliviaS]

True, the kiln is very short; raising it should not be an issue.

Attached is a photo of the basement windows (there's actually four but one is near the furnace).  The window opening is ~23"x11".  For reference, the basement is quite a large, empty space, about 35'x25', excluding the alcove where the furnace is.  In a space this large, would overheating still be an issue?  I plan to fire cone 10 until I use up the clay that I have, then switch to cone 5-6.

Neil - thanks for the advice on venting out the window, I'm glad that it can be done.  If you could get a photo, that would be great!

[Sorcery]

Assuming you're going with the under kiln ventilation, that window is perfect. I only wonder what is outside? 

Kids like to play by dryer exhausts, this would be one they can't play with!

I would reconsider "using up the clay you have", since firing to cone 10 just once is likely more costly then any savings for using up that clay. You'll probably have to change the elements shortly after.

I'd keep it on hand if you ever get invited to a woodfiring or something, and just get on with a cone 6 life!

Sorce

[neilestrick]

@OliviaS That window is an easy one to vent through with a temporary setup you can take out when not in use. I assume the window slides side to side? Like Sorc shows, cut a board big enough to hold the vent duct and just use the window to hold it in place. Often those windows have a deeper pocket at the top, so you can slide the board up into the top pocket, then drop it down into the bottom pocket. Attach an Air-Tite takeoff to the inside of the board for your vent connection. This method could be used for either vent type.