Skutt EnviroVent 2 Ventilation System

Downdraft Ventilation System

VENT 2 KILNS with 1 MOTOR
Now you can vent 2 Kilns with one vent. The new 140 CFM Motor allows you to vent 2 kilns up to 12 Cubic Feet each, or one kiln between 12 and 24 Cubic Feet, with one Envirovent 2 Motor.

WALL MOUNTED MEANS NO HEAT AND NO VIBRATION
The new design is wall mounted. This moves the vent motor away from under the kiln so the motor is no longer exposed to the heat and can no longer transfer any vibration into the kiln.

SPRING LOADED PLENUM CUP RETAINS SEAL THROUGHOUT FIRING
As your kiln heats up the brick expands. When it expands the hot face of the kiln floor, the inside, expands more than the cold face or underside. This causes the slab to cup, or become slightly concave on the bottom. The result is that the center of the kiln floor moves upward at higher temperatures. The spring loaded cup follows the floor ensuring at tight seal throughout the firing process.

NEGATIVE PRESSURE MEANS NO LEAKING
Since the vent is wall mounted it pulls the air through the duct work instead of pushing it. This means if you were to ever form a leak in your duct work the fumes would not be pushed into the room.

ABILITY TO CONTROL WITH KILNMASTER OR GLASS MASTER CONTROLLER
Now with the purchase of the new Skutt EnviroLink you can control exactly when the Envirovent 2 turns on and off during a firing on a GlassMaster or KilnMaster kiln. 
SAME QUALITY VENTING
The EnviroVent 2 is a Downdraft Ventilation System designed to extract fumes from your electric kiln and vent
them outdoors before they have a chance to enter the room. Because it is a DownDraft Ventilation System the
EnviroVent 2 also improves the fi ring atmosphere in the kiln while it is protecting you from the odorous fumes
that can be emitted from certain clay bodies and glazes when they are fired.

Here's How It Works
A designated number of holes are drilled in the lid and floor of the kiln either in the factory or on location. A spring loaded plenum cup (see diagram) is placed under the kiln and tensioned between the floor of the kiln and the floor under the kiln. The holes in the floor of the kiln are drilled in a tight pattern so the plenum cup can cover them all. The other end of the cup is connected by 3" ducting to a fan which is generally mounted on the wall. On the opposite end of the fan the air is ducted through the wall to the outside air.   The plenum cup has 3 additional holes from which it draws room temperature air to mix with the heated air from the kiln. This serves 2 purposes. Since the kiln air is mixed with cooler room air the air coming out of the end of the vent is never hotter than an average hair dryer. Secondly, the holes in the plenum cup are sized to reduce the vacuum on the kiln chamber so only a small amount of air is moving through the kiln. This ensures the firing time is not affected and the ware is not at risk.
Better Heat Uniformity
Most people are aware of the fact that heat rises. The EnviroVent 2 helps compensate for this rising heat by creating a flow of air moving back down the kiln chamber. As the air moves in a downward direction it is also deflected by ware and shelves causing turbulence. This turbulence helps move heat to cooler areas of the kiln like the center.  
Better Kiln Atmosphere
When you are firing in an electric kiln you are firing in an Oxidation atmosphere. The EnviroVent 2 helps bring in more oxygen and flush out fumes which can form a reduction atmosphere. A reduction atmosphere can be desirable in a gas or wood fired kiln however it only causes problems in an electric kiln. Your elements will last longer, your glazes will be clearer and brighter and you will help prevent glazes migrating between pieces.
 
Better Working Environment
Prior to the introduction of venting systems it was still necessary to vent the kiln. This was done by propping the lid open with a wedge of brick until the kiln reached 1000°F (538 °C). Not only was this inconvenient, it also radiated the fumes right into the room.
A Better Vent
A new benefit of the EnviroVent 2 is that it is now a Negative Pressure System. This means that since the motor is pulling the air instead of pushing the air, if there is ever a hole in the ducting the fumes will not escape into the room. Also since the motor is now mounted away
Certified safe
The Envirovent 2 is the only vent UL and c-UL listed to be used with Skutt Kilns.
Download "The facts about kiln ventilation"

Orton VentMaster

In 1989, Orton received a patent for inventing downdraft venting of electric kilns. Since that time, Downdraft venting has become the standard method used to vent fumes from electric kilns. With downdraft venting, gases are pulled out of the kiln near the bottom of the kiln and then mixed with room air and exhausted to the outside through a duct.

Downdraft venting systems are considered better than hoods because they improve firing conditions in the kiln while removing essentially all fumes from the kiln room.


VentMaster is capable of venting two kilns at once1 and is easy to install!

The motor / blower is built from a non-corrosive, lightweight plastic that allows you keep it on the floor, or mount VentMaster to the wall!
VentMaster Brochure
VentMaster Manual

Why Vent My Kiln?
All products fired in electric kilns contain organic materials that make carbon monoxide and other fumes when they are burned. Fumes released may contain sulfur oxides, hydrogen fluoride and metal vapors, depending on the products fired. Carbon monoxide and other fumes can affect the color and properties of the fired product if they are not removed from the kiln earlier in the firing. Red, green, gold and similar products are particularly affected by carbon monoxide at temperatures where the color develops.

Removing released fumes from your work environment is very important, since these are unhealthy to breathe on a regular basis. Carbon monoxide can cause headaches and nausea and other potentially serious health problems.

Why VentMaster?

During operation, the KilnVent system keeps the kiln under a slight negative pressure. This pulls the fumes out of the kiln and pulls in a small amount of fresh air. Firing times are essentially the same. The fumes are exhausted directly into a duct system and removed from the kiln room. Improved air flow in the kiln results in more uniform temperatures, reducing hot and cold spots.

Temperature Uniformity

During several test firings without VentMaster, total temperature variances of 77° were produced due to the lack of air circulation. While firing with VentMaster, the temperature variance is reduced to 30°, over 38% more uniform.

without VentMaster

with VentMaster

With the use of VentMaster, the hot air typically at the top of the kiln, is pulled to the bottom. The variance can be seen above for both scenarios. The firing cones (circled) can be visually compared to determine the approximate variance from top to bottom.

Health and Safety Issues

OSHA has set standards for carbon monoxide exposure of 35 ppm (parts per million) for long-term exposure and 200 PPM for short-term exposure. Independent testing has shown that fumes near the kiln can exceed 200 PPM near the kiln during the firing of greenware. This can cause headaches, fatigue, sore throats and nausea. When properly installed and operated, a downdraft vent removes ALL harmful fumes and provides a safer working environment.

Regulations

Most states and localities have set venting requirements for firing kilns in public places. Your local and state health board should have this information. The Uniform Mechanical Code lists accepted venting methods. The downdraft system made by Orton is listed in the 1992 approved Code. Orton downdraft vents have been certified by ETL (Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc.), an Internationally Recognized Testing Laboratory)

VentMaster has earned the right to bear the ETL mark in the US, CETL in Canada and CE in European Markets.

Vent-A-Kiln - The First Solution 

Vent-A-Kiln captures and removes unpleasant fumes, odors, and heat from kilns. It is a close-capture fume system designed for low cubic-feet per minute (CFM) and static pressure applications. Standard and custom models are available for use in schools and in other educational or commercial facilities by professionals and hobbyists alike.

Kiln Emissions

Electric kilns use large quantities of high-current electricity to generate enough heat to "fire" artwork properly. In some instances, internal temperatures can exceed 2200º F (1204°C).

During the firing process, the clay medium undergoes a metamorphosis. Several chemical reactions take place within clays and glazes, causing various organic and inorganic chemicals and minerals to expel toxic fumes at high temperatures.

Toxic and odorous fumes can exit the kiln and accumulate to create an unhealthy and unsafe working environment. Electric kilns also produce significant levels of heat, which can create unpleasantly warm conditions in the surrounding area.

Vent-A-Kiln - The First Solution 

In 1983, Vent-A-Kiln Corp. recognized these potentially hazardous problems and developed a solution by creating the world's first commercially manufactured ventilation system specifically for use with electric kilns.

Taking advantage of the natural tendency of heat to rise, Vent-A-Kiln exhausts fumes and heat away from the work area, allowing teachers, artisans, or others to create new work while ready pieces are firing.

The design incorporates a hood that is lowered close to the top of the kiln via an overhead pulley and counterweight system. The hood extends past the exterior dimension of the kiln to ensure effective coverage on top of and around the source of fumes.

A blower mounted on top of the hood creates a draw on top of the kiln where heated fumes are already traveling upward. The blower ensures that the fumes are collected and vented properly. The flexible hose carries the exhaust to an externally mounted louvered exit plate.