: neilestrick - Viewing Profile

A 23x27 inch kiln with 3 inch brick will put out about 14,000 BTU's per hour of heat into the room at cone 6. That's like leaving two average size stove burners on full blast. At cone 04, about 11,000 BTU/Hr.

This may sound like a stupid question, but is the portable A/C unit vented to the outside? It needs to be if it's not, otherwise you're just blowing more hot air into the room and getting little to no cooling effect.

Kilns put out a lot of heat, whether the lid is cracked or not. The downdraft vent has nothing to to with it, even if it's not centered under the holes in the kiln, and even if the hose between the vent an the kiln is cracked (assuming you have the type with the cup under the kiln and the vent fan NOT under the kiln). The vent pulls air from the kiln to the fan, then pushes air out from the fan to the exterior. If the cup is not under the holes in the kiln floor, then it's only pulling room air, not hot kiln air. If the hose between the kiln and fan is cracked, then it's pulling in room air through the cracks and spoiling the draft at the kiln, and not pulling kiln air. Only if there is a hose between the fan and the exterior that is cracked will it be blowing hot air into the room, or if that hose is blocked. But you would probably smell it if it was blocked up.

Small gaps in the lid are normal. It would have to be a very large gap to cause a sudden problem in the heat of the room. What model kiln do you have?

I'd be looking at the building rather than the kiln. Did you trim some trees that normally shade the barn or anything like that?

If you need to put the kiln in a shed, make sure it is weather tight. If it has a wood floor, put down two layers of cement tile backer board under the kiln that extends about a foot beyond the kiln. You need about 18" clearance from all flammable materials, like the walls of the shed. A shed is a very small space for a kiln. You'll need good ventilation of both fumes and heat. That may mean leaving the door open on nice days, but with bad weather that means vent fans in the wall or roof. I could see it getting up to 150 degrees inside with the shed closed up without venting. If the circuit board on the kiln controller gets too hot, it will shut down.

If you have any questions about L&L Kilns, feel free to contact me.

JBaymore, on 13 May 2013 - 06:40 PM, said:

PMC is one brand. Art Clay Silver is another. I have a good friend who is an Art Clay Silver instructor, and she says with small pieces, like quarter($) size or smaller, you can fire them with a torch, or even over a stove flame. Neither brand is cheap, though.

First you need to determine how many BTU's/Hr you'll need for the size and materials of your kiln. Then look at an orifice size chart. The size of the burner orifice will be determined by the type of gas (propane or natural) and pressure available. You have to make sure the pipe size and pressure combination can deliver enough BTU's.