What Is a Kiln Room?

Room Size

• Follow the building and fire codes for your area to determine the required clearances for the kiln in the room. Ideally there should be about 18 inches between the kiln and any flammable walls. That allows heat to disperse more easily without being reflected right back at the kiln and it gives potters room to slip past a firing kiln without brushing up against it.

Storage

• You need two storage in a kiln room for fired and unfired work and for supplies. Pots and ceramics waiting to be fired are fragile and should be lined up on shelves with enough room so the pieces aren't crowded. They need to be far enough away from the kiln to avoid its powerful heat -- you don't want half-melted glaze to spoil a piece before it can be properly fired. Already-fired pieces need convenient shelves to hold them once removed from the kiln and while awaiting pick-up by students, customers or artists who fire in your facility. Leave space so fired pieces can be easily seen and not touch each other. You may want to use the room for supplies like glazes, brushes and raw clay or the kiln may be located in your studio. For environmental safety, a kiln room should be closed off from a work area so no one is breathing fumes during firings.

Power

• Kilns draw tremendous power, and you should have an electrician test the power in the building before you set up a firing studio. You'll need adequate voltage to run the kiln, a ventilation system, lighting and any other electrical equipment you will use in the room. You may need a professional to install an outlet for the kiln power cord and plug. If the room is in a building with an HVAC system, check to see how much heat your kiln sends into common air conditioning ducts or heating systems. Each kiln will have specifications that you may need to clear with building management in a condo or public space.

Ventilation

• Be sure to plan for venting the fumes from the kiln. Glazes are not nontoxic paints. They can contain metals and chemicals that are unhealthy to breathe. Those chemicals are released during firing and enter the air in the room. A special kiln ventilation system removes the fumes directly from the kiln and sends them outside. Check to see where they go and if the venting is safe. You won't want to be venting fumes into the neighbor's window, a neighboring business's air conditioner or a children's play area.

Safety and Security

• Kilns are dangerous. They fire at incredibly hot temperatures for long periods of time and there can be some fumes in the space, even if it is properly ventilated. Occasionally a piece explodes, although this is generally contained inside the kiln and is only a problem for other work in the kiln -- and a clean-up mess for the potter. A kiln room needs a good locking system so that it is secure when it isn't monitored and no one can get in and be seriously hurt. To prevent fires, a kiln room floor is best made of concrete. Heat buildup or hot glaze leaking from the kiln will not ignite concrete.