I know of people that have a kiln in their garage, one friend has hers in a basement. What I do not know is the insurance issue... venting is important though! Linda Starr may be able to answer this, I think her kiln is in her garage.....
what kind of kiln? I have 2 electric kilns inside, in what would otherwise be a bedroom, correctly wired and with heat pads under, and have since 1997 :)
I have my kiln in a 1 car garage. Garage is under house so is cement block. A hole for venting had to be cut though the block. My work space is in the basement next to garage, separated by wall and door. If my work space shared room with kiln I think I would want to wall off the kiln, at least in my case, as my venting does not work perfectly. The option of opening garage door and a window for some cross ventilation helps with this, weather permitting.
As long as you have nothing flammable stored in the garage and give the space as much ventilation as possible you should be fine. You might want to consider putting some cement board on the walls nearest the kiln and keep the kiln at least 18" away from that wall (per the instructions I have for where to install a kiln).
My Skutt kiln is in the garage and is installed eighteen inches from the block wall in both directions. The floor of the gargage is concrete. the ceiling is sheetrock but is quite a distance from the kiln. I have a fan on the top shelf of the garage to flow heat out since hot air rises. At the time I bought the kiln I did not purchase a vent, but I wish I had. I would have had to cut a hole in the block wall and wasn't sure about doing that. I open the garage door and the back door to the garage when I fire and I do not work in there when it is firing. We have lots of other stuff stored in the garage that would be considered flammable. My skutt manual recommended keeping a fan aimed at the automatic controller turned on during firing so I do this I also have two other big fans in the garage I keep going when I am firing just to disappate the heat in the summer. Even in winter I keep the fan on aimed at the controller. My slab roller is eighteen inches from the kiln and I have a wood bookcase same distance from the kiln. It really doesn't get hot any distance from the kiln at all, they are so well insulated that the heat stays within the kiln. Since I don't have a vent the top peep stays out during firing. I keep the lid propped on lowest notch up to 1000 F which my skutt manual says to do. I stay out of the garage when I am firing except to briefly check the kiln or when I close the lid at 1000F. I work in the house so that's no problem for me. Since I hand build it takes me a while to fill my kiln after loading I'm ready to take a break for a day anyway. I usually fire at night anyway so no problem. When I am glaze firing if I go in the garage to check the temperature I can smell the outgassing from the kiln but I only stay in there for a brief minute. Hope this helps. Oh check out this studio post on my blog and you can see where my kiln is located in my garage and all the stuff I have around it:
If you have any questions, just email me or call me Amy I'd be glad to help.
I got my skutt from Bennet's Potter on Ocoee near Orlando and they had the best price. I think Michael Mahan got his from them too because he said he could get the best price from them. The kiln comes on a pallet and the guy who delivers it has a pallet jack to unload it and bring it in the garage. Oh my garage is an attached garage. Lots of folks have kilns in basements, houses and garages.
When you get ready to have your garage wired by an electrician for your kiln, ask around for an electrician who is familiar with what amperage and wiring and outlets are needed for your kiln. If you call a school nearby that has kilns they will probably know an electrician to refer you to. Don't wire your garage till you actually have your kiln in the garage and on it's stand and make sure the cord will reach the location for the outlet, mine just barely reaches. I keep my kiln unplugged when I am not using it in case of an electrical storm.
Oh I got those kiln shelfs that have the space in the middle and I am so glad I did, they are so light weight and each to carry. I think they were $50 each but well worth it. I got six half shelfs. They were shipped on a pallet from New Mexico pottery which had the best price I could find.
7 comments:
I know of people that have a kiln in their garage, one friend has hers in a basement. What I do not know is the insurance issue... venting is important though! Linda Starr may be able to answer this, I think her kiln is in her garage.....
what kind of kiln? I have 2 electric kilns inside, in what would otherwise be a bedroom, correctly wired and with heat pads under, and have since 1997 :)
Gary- a skutt 1227-- really, a garage being okay?
I have my kiln in a 1 car garage. Garage is under house so is cement block. A hole for venting had to be cut though the block. My work space is in the basement next to garage, separated by wall and door. If my work space shared room with kiln I think I would want to wall off the kiln, at least in my case, as my venting does not work perfectly. The option of opening garage door and a window for some cross ventilation helps with this, weather permitting.
As long as you have nothing flammable stored in the garage and give the space as much ventilation as possible you should be fine. You might want to consider putting some cement board on the walls nearest the kiln and keep the kiln at least 18" away from that wall (per the instructions I have for where to install a kiln).
Thanks everyone! So good to know all this... And of course, more comments are welcome!
My Skutt kiln is in the garage and is installed eighteen inches from the block wall in both directions. The floor of the gargage is concrete. the ceiling is sheetrock but is quite a distance from the kiln. I have a fan on the top shelf of the garage to flow heat out since hot air rises. At the time I bought the kiln I did not purchase a vent, but I wish I had. I would have had to cut a hole in the block wall and wasn't sure about doing that. I open the garage door and the back door to the garage when I fire and I do not work in there when it is firing. We have lots of other stuff stored in the garage that would be considered flammable. My skutt manual recommended keeping a fan aimed at the automatic controller turned on during firing so I do this I also have two other big fans in the garage I keep going when I am firing just to disappate the heat in the summer. Even in winter I keep the fan on aimed at the controller. My slab roller is eighteen inches from the kiln and I have a wood bookcase same distance from the kiln. It really doesn't get hot any distance from the kiln at all, they are so well insulated that the heat stays within the kiln. Since I don't have a vent the top peep stays out during firing. I keep the lid propped on lowest notch up to 1000 F which my skutt manual says to do. I stay out of the garage when I am firing except to briefly check the kiln or when I close the lid at 1000F. I work in the house so that's no problem for me. Since I hand build it takes me a while to fill my kiln after loading I'm ready to take a break for a day anyway. I usually fire at night anyway so no problem. When I am glaze firing if I go in the garage to check the temperature I can smell the outgassing from the kiln but I only stay in there for a brief minute. Hope this helps. Oh check out this studio post on my blog and you can see where my kiln is located in my garage and all the stuff I have around it:
http://bluestarrgallery.blogspot.com/2011/03/studio-tour-part-one.html
If you have any questions, just email me or call me Amy I'd be glad to help.
I got my skutt from Bennet's Potter on Ocoee near Orlando and they had the best price. I think Michael Mahan got his from them too because he said he could get the best price from them. The kiln comes on a pallet and the guy who delivers it has a pallet jack to unload it and bring it in the garage. Oh my garage is an attached garage. Lots of folks have kilns in basements, houses and garages.
When you get ready to have your garage wired by an electrician for your kiln, ask around for an electrician who is familiar with what amperage and wiring and outlets are needed for your kiln. If you call a school nearby that has kilns they will probably know an electrician to refer you to. Don't wire your garage till you actually have your kiln in the garage and on it's stand and make sure the cord will reach the location for the outlet, mine just barely reaches. I keep my kiln unplugged when I am not using it in case of an electrical storm.
Oh I got those kiln shelfs that have the space in the middle and I am so glad I did, they are so light weight and each to carry. I think they were $50 each but well worth it. I got six half shelfs. They were shipped on a pallet from New Mexico pottery which had the best price I could find.
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