Kiln Room Safety Guide

iln Room Safety Guide for Home Studios, School Classrooms, and Industrial Kiln Rooms

Kiln Room Temperature:

Always consult a certified HVAC technician before installing a new kiln in an enclosed area.
Kilns are hot
The Board Temperature is a very useful in determining if your kiln room is properly ventilated. It’s kind of hard to believe that the room temperature could have much impact on the temperature of the circuit board when it is sitting so close to a kiln chamber that is 2350F, but it does.

If the board temperature reaches 160F the kiln will shutoff to avoid damaging the controller. If the room air exceeds 100F while the kiln is firing you run the risk of getting an error and the kiln shutting off. Often times a fan blowing on the controller is enough to prevent this from occurring.
Overhead kiln vent hoods can also help remove excess waste heat that is radiating from the kiln.

Kiln Venting

Kiln venting is critically imperative for safe operation of your kiln. There are fumes that are created in the ceramic firing process that are harmful to your health.
There is carbon monoxide, sulfur, and other noxious fumes emitted from the combustion of impurities in the clay and glaze materials. This is especially prevalent during the bisque fire or in the glaze fire if you are single firing pottery.
Kiln venting also improves your element life and will improve your firings by facilitating more complete combustion. This extra oxygen can prevent firing problems such as bloating and I'm

There are 2 two main types of kiln venting. One is the powered downdraft kiln vent that comes off the bottom or the back of the kiln. The other is overhead, hood type kiln venting.
Either system is quite effective. The ultimate in safety is to have both a down-draft vent and an overhead hood vent as well. By having both any shortcoming of one system will be covered by the other.