Picassowhat Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 Hi everyone. I am purchasing a new kiln and one of the add-ons is an option for automatic control of the Orton vent (rather than having to turn the vent on / off manually). My limited understanding is that this is done by installing an auxiliary outlet plug onto the kiln itself (rather than plugging the vent unit into a separate plug outlet). Anyone have any experience with this / thoughts on whether this is a helpful option to have on one's kiln? The upgrade isn't particularly expensive and I see some benefits (not worrying about forgetting to turn on vent system, fewer plugs needed etc.) but do wonder about certain things (e.g. are there any concerns re: attaching an electrical outlet to a massively hot kiln). Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 You haven't identified the kiln brand that has this feature so I can't look up the electrical diagram or other manufacturer's data, but Skutt has such a device (EnviroLink) and I have DIY-built one for my kilns. The Bartlett family of kiln controllers (i.e., their own native brands, and Skutt and L&L branded controllers) all have a 4th low voltage tab on the board that can trigger another low voltage device whenever it is actively firing. In this implementation, there is a wire from the controller that triggers a standard relay in a separate electrical box to energize a single 120V receptacle in that same box. This electrical box is separate from the kiln and has its own power cord to a standard wall outlet, so there is no issue with the hot kiln body. The vent system plugs into the receptacle in this box. When the receptacle is live because the controller has started a firing schedule, the vent fan runs, and when the controller finishes the firing schedule, the vent fan turns off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 Personally I don't think it's needed. It's not difficult to remember to turn on the vent. However if it's in the budget it certainly won't hurt to have it. As Dick said, the vent control plugs into the wall, and the vent plugs into the vent control. The vent control is connected to the kiln via a small wire that connects to the controller. That could be different depending on what brand you're looking at, but all the systems I've used are done that way. What brand of kiln are you getting? https://hotkilns.com/kiln-parts/vent-control-vent-sure-dynatrol-genesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picassowhat Posted July 26 Author Report Share Posted July 26 Pardon me - should have provided that info! We are very likely going with a Cone Art 2318D (or, possibly, a Cone Art 2322D), along with an Orton vent master system. These kilns come standard with a V6-CF Bartlett controller, which can be upgraded to a Bartlett Genesis controller. You can see from the links that the upgrade to automatic vent shutoff costs $150 CND, which is currently $110 or thereabouts. Interesting - so there is nothing physically attaching the kiln to the separate vent control box, to which the actual vent motor is connected. Had no idea this was how it worked (assuming that I am understanding correctly). Likely a stupid question (from someone who has never owned a kiln) but does the vent need to run for the entirety of a firing session, or only for certain points? The automatic mechanism would be great in the latter situation, so that one doesn't need to monitor the kiln and turn the vent on / off at particular points. Though, even if the vent stays on during the entire firing process, perhaps the automatic shut off option is still helpful in situations where, for instance, a firing session ends when one is asleep so that the vent doesn't continue to (needlessly) run until one wakes up and manually turns it off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenryBurlingame Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Picassowhat said: Interesting - so there is nothing physically attaching the kiln to the separate vent control box, to which the actual vent motor is connected. Had no idea this was how it worked (assuming that I am understanding correctly). On my L&L The vent control is attached to the kiln via a control wire that is attached to Output 4 on the kiln controller. That is how it controls the on/off of the vent. Then vent power plugs into vent controller and vent controller power plugs into wall. Edited July 26 by HenryBurlingame neilestrick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 Get the Genesis upgrade. No sense putting old technology on a new kiln. Plus there are numerous benefits to the Genesis that are well worth the added cost. The Bartlett controllers have three 12V outputs that are used to control the relays that send power to the elements, thus controlling the rate of climb, etc. There is also an Output 4 which can be used to control a vent or other items (schools often wire in their overhead venting systems to this). Output 4 can be programmed 3 different ways, depending on when you want the vent to turn on or off. Typically you would have it come on at the beginning of the firing, and stay on until the kiln has cooled. The kiln controllers also have a Safety output, which turns on at the start of a firing and off at the end of a firing, It is used when you have a backup safety relay, or to control one leg of power with solid state relays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 There doesn't seem to be a picture on the ConeArt site showing their version of the product, and the L&L link Neil shared above shows only the device, not its installation. The Skutt version, pictured in this link - https://skutt.com/ceramic-kilns/kiln-accessories/envirolink/ - shows it in action. The vent control box is on the wall visible to the left of the kiln and underneath the vent fan motor. The black wire coming out of the left end of the vent control box is the vent fan power cord. The black wire coming out of the right side of the box and running along the corner of the floor behind the kiln is vent controller's own power cord plugged into a regular outlet somewhere out of sight behind the kiln. There is a small wire coming out the top of the vent control box that loops over to a small hole in the far side of the kiln control column, where it goes in to connect to tab 4 of the control board. The ConeArt version will be something like these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picassowhat Posted July 26 Author Report Share Posted July 26 Thanks! This is all super helpful re: the vent set up. Very interesting. I guess that, if I go with the automatic controller, I will need to figure out how long the control wire is, from the kiln controller to the vent control box, to figure out if I can use an existing plug outlet for the vent control box or if I need to install another one (closer to where the kiln will go) for this purpose. And, yes, was planning on upgrading to the Genesis controller. I have heard from a number of folks (including folks at our current studio) that this could prove pretty handy. Hope you are all enjoying your Friday! HenryBurlingame 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 A kiln should never be on an extension cord, they just aren't made to handle that much current for the duration of a firing (you already knew that). But the power going through the vent controller is just for the fan motor. Use a good extension cord (and install it safely) if the nearest regular outlet is not close enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picassowhat Posted July 26 Author Report Share Posted July 26 The Cone Art kilns must actually be hard wired to the electrical panel or disconnect switch (no plug). Our electrician was here recently to discuss kiln installation and confirm that we have enough power on our existing 100 amp panel (he thinks that we do without issue) and indicated that we may want a new outlet for the vent system so we could install one no problem (without too much additional expense), which would preclude the need for an extension cord (which, I assume, is always a better / safer bet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 Here's a view of it being installed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picassowhat Posted July 27 Author Report Share Posted July 27 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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