Saturday, January 16, 2010

Assembled, But Powerless

My kiln has been unpacked, located, and assembled. I had the Kiln Doctor come out and consult on where it should be located. My best options were the basement or the garage. There were positives to each, but taking all of the factors into account, he recommended putting it in the garage. I will move the two shelves that are along the wall behind the kiln, and put it in that corner. It's best to keep your kiln at least 18 inches from a wall. I will either set it in a permanent location at least 18 inches from both walls, or I will have the Kiln Doctor rig up a cart to put it on so that I can easily move it away from the wall for firing, and back into the corner for parking the car. The next step is to have an electrician come out and do his magic. There are some complicated factors, including making sure that we have enough capacity in the electrical box... The previous owners of the home have a lot of the capacity routed to baseboard heat in the basement. We had planned to take that out as we are refinishing the basement anyway, so I think that will free up enough power. If I can't free up enough voltage, the solution involves the power company and a lot of money. Cross your fingers for me.
The easy fire control panel, and the vent is on the floor on the right. Once the kiln is in place, the vent will be connected and mounted through the garage wall to vent the toxic fumes involved with firing.
I like the look of the bricks. Once the electrical work is complete, the Kiln Doctor will come back out and install the vent and walk me through some of the ins and outs of firing. Luckily, I have a large manual to read and refer to, and I will be asking a lot of questions at Manassas Clay, too. [I will leave you to determine whether the title is political commentary.]

3 comments:

Jill said...

Congratulations! I remember when my kiln (also an LL) was just delivered. It was like the joy of opening up a new ream of paper but on an enormous scale. The potential is infectious. Best of luck...enjoy it!

Jill said...

Wow, I love every item you have posted about. Thanks for including my Etsy printer's blogs.
Jill

Susan said...

I have a kiln too! Mine is also sitting in my garage, waiting to be hooked up. How exciting for you! So much potential sitting there, waiting for your creative touch!