Kiln setup on the balcony?

[Hulk]

Looking for feedback on my idea to setup new kiln on the balcony instead of in the Studio.
Is the location protected enough from weather?

The kiln would go near the niche on the right - note the gas line and electric outlet, as near the wall as the specs allow, a seven cubic foot electric.
I'd pull the 220 to a box on the adjacent wall. Of course, the patio furniture would have to be moved a bit.

It's about eight feet from the corner by the outlet to the far railing (behind the post), twelve feet from the backset wall to the near railing.
There's a wall behind the camera's point of view, like the one in the background.
The drop from the floor to the ground on the left is just over fifteen feet.
So, the location is well inset, sheltered on three sides and overhead. I'd cover the kiln when not being used with a customized oiled canvas tarp that hangs almost but not quite to the ground.

So, is the location protected from the weather enough?
When it's not raining or foggy here (Sacramento River valley, East side, at about 460 feet above sea level), the weather on the dry side, not as humid as near the ocean, certainly not as humid as where my brother lives, near Chattanooga, Tennessee!

Upsides, shorter wire run, more room in the Studio, no heat and fumes in the Studio.

Downsides, moving pots from the Studio to the balcony and back. I have a wheeled cart picked out!

 

[Bill Kielb]

Looks pretty spiffy to me. Radiant heat on ceiling not likely an issue. A small fan just in case there is a waft of fumes. I like it, I think any challenges, if any, you would solve. Only obscure thought - Maybe cover it after FULLY cooled to minimize trapping warm humid air inside to condense on cold parts later.

[Pres]

@Hulk, you might be able to build a hinged and pinned box that could be used to protect the kiln when not in use. I'm thinking of non weather events like insects, bird dropping and other creatures of the day or night. At the same time with the way weather has changed of late, a layer of weather protection couldn't hurt.

 

best,

Pres

[neilestrick]

My opinion is that the kiln should be in a space that makes it as enjoyable to use as possible. For me that means right there in the studio so I don't have to carry pots through the house. Wheeled carts are sketchy, it only takes a very small bump to knock everything over. As for space in the studio, make a rolling table that fits over the kiln so you can use that space when not in use. I want to be able to fire whenever I need to, but on the balcony you'll need a 48 hour window of good weather for firing and cooling. So that could be an issue if you're ever on a time crunch getting ready for a show. It's a really nice space, why clutter it up with a kiln and a pile of shelves and posts if you don't have to?

A downdraft vent will greatly reduce corrosion of the kiln, so even if you put it on the balcony you should use the vent. There are shops online that make custom grill covers to any dimensions, so that's an option for a cover.

[Mark C.]

That location looks fine to me except the wheeling the pots back and forth that is a huge drawback.

The valley weather and that overhang look fine.

 

[Min]

I think you must be a lot tidier than me Tom. I've always got kiln shelves, bisque ware, posts, duster, a small table for loading pots from and other stuff with my kilns. I did have the kilns in an enclosed deck space for many years, carrying pots back and forth from my workroom, one trip to bisque then carried to glazing area then back again to glaze fire then back to finishing and storage area. It was a royal pain. Also if you have neighbours that are a bit fussy having it in plain sight can also cause problems.

[Rae Reich]

Know which way the wind blows!

I like a spacious area with flat surfaces to stage pots for loading and for making glazing decisions. Your patio looks perfect - absent gusty , rainy winds.
I’ve always used boards to carry pots from making to drying to loading to glazing to loading to display/packing. What does your dream cart look like and do?

[neilestrick]

Also remember that it's going to be 15" from the wall, so the front edge of the kiln will be 44" from the wall.

[Mark C.]

Lets face it the whole patio is a summer pots shop-may as well just put that patio stuff away and build the shelves now and a nice 4x8 glazing table. Patio potshop season May-Ocober 15th . Don't fight it emprace the chaos

[Hulk]

Thanks for the feedback!

I'll mull it over for a while yet.

Local hardware has an injection molded three level cart that I liked, will post a pic when.
It does get hot here in the Summer.

[Mark C.]

Tom thats an understatement (It does get hot here in the Summer.)

its gets cooking-I was in Sac a few weeks ago and it was 91 and that was before summer .Seen Redding hit 115 before and its getting worse these days

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I pack my pots from my basement to my outdoor kiln. It’s not my favourite pastime, but I feel better about having my kiln outside than in my basement. It’s in a tin garden shed with no door, and the only things I keep in that shed are a folding table for loading, and a shelf for my kiln furniture and a lantern for loading in the dark. Going on 6 years, and so far, so good. My area is dry and cold, not humid at all. In the summer I wind up glazing outside, and that saves a LOT of work!

I find wind is an issue. Even in a sheltered area, leaves, dirt and debris collect under the kiln. You have to clean the area around the outlet pretty regularly if you don’t want to create fire hazards.

I would check into code about kiln sized outlets on external walls. I believe hot tubs that require a 240v service and a 40-60 amp breaker will have similar requirements. Or at least that’s what we went by.

If any of those windows are transoms that swing out, you’ll probably want to make sure the gasket seals aren’t letting any fumes back into the house. And keep an eye on them, because I can confirm what Neil says about the corrosion. I don’t have a vent fan, and the area around the peeps are getting a little rusty. 

If you have concerns about neighbours sight lines, a metal privacy screen could be a good option.

[Roberta12]

Yes, I was thinking about corrosion as well.  You have lovely windows right there and the fumes could cause discoloration and corrosion.  I remember a post a few years ago about someone whose kiln was in the garage and there was a corrosion problem.  But I also know how desperate we can get trying to set up our own studio workspace.  And yes, I carry all my pots from the basement up the stairs, out through the garage, across the driveway to the workshop.  We simply do what we have to, to make things work! 

Roberta 

[Pres]

Old time shoulder bags work well when carrying heavy loads to navigate stairs and doorways as hands can be freed up.

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

Kiln shed out back may work ??

[Hulk]

It's a steep lot; the "crawl space" is big enough to build an apartment in!
Someday we might cut a door in, put in a raised floor, wall, et cetera - even so, getting to it would be by a switchback path from the front side, same as a shed.
We're in an HOA, which has some benefit, and there's also costs and rules - any shed would have to look like the house.
Building in the crawl space would be less expensive, even so, where a deck and party space, or a deck, slider, and in-law apartment space might see some return on investment, there's still getting  to and from it, which looks like a staired pathway, or switchback pathway...

[Bill Kielb]

3 hours ago, Hulk said:

where a deck and party space,

Looks like a great space! I could definitely picture sitting enjoying the scenery while waiting for a kiln firing.

[Mark C.]

On. plus note you can toss the rejects off into space unless the HOA is uptight on flying ceramics 

[Hulk]

Aye!
Best launch for paper airplanes since our third-floor apartment in Vercelli, Italy (oh dear, almost sixty years ago), where we were kitty corner to a large plaza/roundabout!
The warming air maybe provides some lift, and it's all downhill to the fairway...

...oh, well, we were a half block or so away.

When one's paper plane got out around the corner on a warm still day, it could make it all the way to school - the two story in the background there.
I'd had almost a year of school in England, then, when we returned to the States, "they" said I was too young for 1st grade, to kindergarten with 'ya; well, Mom was having none of that. I stayed home, then we moved to Bella Italia, where I entered 1st grade mid-term.

A bit off topic, but a balcony is involved.

[bny]

Take care with the total mass that you are adding, the support structure and condition of the balcony, and seismic risk.  Recall incidents where party guest loads have collapsed balconies. 

Ordinarily a kiln is not a comparable dynamic load, but a quake can change that in an instant. 

I read a journal paper some years ago where someone used bulldozer tread marks to show that one of the Ferndale quakes made a bulldozer hop on the ground, with what I recall as an estimated 2G acceleration.  I believe that I also recall reading that an estimate of acceleration in the '94 Northridge quake at a location in Encino on susceptible chalk ground, also developed around 2G.

[Hulk]

Good points!
The entire home is raised foundation (crawl space underneath) on a steep lot.
The garage and veranda/patio are the most reinforced areas - cement slabs.