Kilns reach temperatures of 1500 degrees Fahrenheit or more.
A kiln incinerator (known simply as a kiln) is a thermally insulated device that has been used for ages to dry, harden and burn materials like ceramic, brick or glass. Old style kilns used fire or coal as the heat source and were constructed from common building materials like mud and brick. New high-tech kilns are powered by electricity or gas and are constructed from insulated metals and composites. No matter their design, all new kilns will need to be tested in order to burn off any residual moisture and condition the elements.
Instructions
1. Fire the kiln with the kiln completely empty. The exact heat the kiln will be brought to will differ with each kiln, but the goal is to bring it up to a normal operating condition within a 10-hour range. For most kilns, it will take 2 to 3 hrs to reach max heat (1000 to 2000 Fahrenheit or more) and will take 6 to 7 hours to finish its cooling cycle.
Once this "pre-fire" is complete, you'll be able to do a "loaded" test.
2. Insert a batch of test material, such as glass, ceramic or brick into the kiln.
3. Run the kiln through its heating and cooling cycle, first bringing the kiln up to peak heat and then allowing it cool from 6 to 7 hours.
4. Note the time it takes for the kiln to reach max heat, what that max heat is and how long it takes to cool. While this data will fluctuate depending on the type of materials you're firing, it will be useful to understand the proper operating ranges of your specific kiln in the event that you need to troubleshoot a problem in the future.
