Top 4 things to evaluate when your wood kiln is not getting to temperature.

Help! My wood kiln is not getting to temperature.

1. Dry Wood Supply

• The need for a good and dry wood supply can make or break the success of a firing.
• Do you have good wood storage to keep wood dry?
• Is your wood green? Have you allowed enough time for the wood to dry after a tree has been cut down?
• Is the wood to old? When that wood is rotting it has less value meaning it has fewer btu’s.

 
2. Properly Stacked Kiln Load

• What an ideal kiln load should be comes with trial and error experimentation. For example cross draft kilns quite often better success with tightly stacked bottoms versus down draft kilns do better with loosely stacked bottoms.
• In general, try to avoid a lot of kiln posts heights being shorter than 6inches when possible. The flame is searching for the easiest path, and might skip areas with shorter heights.
• Have you staggered the heights of the kiln shelves?
• Are you taking notes and pictures of your stacked kiln?

 
3. Good Stoking Patterns

• You have to learn to read your kiln.
• When does the kiln need more fuel? Looking for the flame disappearing from a spy, hearing the coal bed quiet down, or some other sign that indicates its time to add wood again.
• How much wood and how often do I put wood in? Know that there are usually different stoking patterns at various phases of the firing. For instance your going to burn fuel faster the hotter the kiln gets and will either put in bigger stokes of wood, or add wood more frequently.
• Do other parts of the kiln need to be adjusted with your stoking pattern such as an adjustment to primary air or damper settings?
• Are you keeping a kiln log?

 
4. Revisit Your Kiln Design

• If you have really problem solved the 3 earlier points you might need to revisit Frederick Olsen’s “The Kiln Book” to double check your kiln design. Do you have a big enough firebox? Do you need grates in your firebox? Do you have enough primary air? Is your kiln too tall? Do you need more side stokes if your kiln is too long? Is your damper tall enough?
• Even if all your math adds up correctly for the kiln design…maybe try a taller chimney or more or less primary air anyways. Be flexible and willing to adjust your kiln.

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Ps. I read your emails. This article was written in response to one of my readers who is problem solving getting their wood kiln to temperature. If there are topics that you would like to learn about contact me.