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I’m nervous about
ordering my first kiln. Do you have any pointers that will
help me avoid mistakes?
Ordering a kiln can be
complicated. But it doesn’t have to be. Save or
print this list for reference.
1. Here at clay-king,
we have several potters, glass artists, and ceramicists who
are knowledgeable about all the kilns we sell. We are
available 9-5:30 EST, Monday thru Friday to answer your
questions. This can be as important as the price of
the kiln.
3. If comparison
shopping, have you asked about the cost of shipping? Are you
paying extra for options or are they included?
4. Do you have a
covered, well-ventilated location for the kiln, protected
from the weather? Is the area free of flammable materials?
If you are going to use the garage, plan on parking the car
in the driveway during firing.
5. Is the kiln room
large enough? You will need 12"-18" of additional
clearance on all sides of the kiln during operation. We do
not recommend small, enclosed rooms such as closets.
6. Will the kiln fit
through the doorway? Measure to be sure. I know of cases
where doorways had to be torn down to move the kiln into the
firing room.
7. Are you sure about
voltage and electrical phase? If the kiln is going to be
installed at your home, you almost certainly have 240v
1phase. 240 and 208 volt outlets cause confusion
because they look the same. Check with your power company if
in doubt. Ordering a kiln of the wrong voltage can be very
expensive!
8. Will you need
special wiring or adjustments to existing wiring? Figure
this into your budget before ordering the kiln.
9. Larger kilns: will
you need help unloading the kiln upon delivery? Package
handling companies will off-load for a fee. Otherwise
make sure you have enough people to help unload the kiln.
Unless you have a forklift, we highly recommend the liftgate
option.
--special
thanks to Arnold Howard at Paragon Industries for this
information.
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