Top-Loading Kilns

Cost and weight, mostly. A lid is simpler and lighter than an insulated door with hinges and a latch that has to seal against 2350F for years, and a top loader needs no structure to carry a door.

It also packs efficiently. Shelves stack on posts up a round chamber with very little wasted space, which is why the format has survived unchanged for decades.

That depends on you, not on the kiln. The chambers here run from 4.5 inches to 29, and a 29 inch chamber sitting on a stand puts the floor of the kiln a long way down.

A rough test: stand next to something the same height as the kiln plus its stand and reach to the bottom with a shelf in your hands. If that is unpleasant empty, it will be worse hot and loaded.

One built in rings that separate. Olympic's HE range works this way, which is how a ten cubic foot kiln gets through a normal doorway and why two people can move one rather than needing a crane.

It also helps years later, because a damaged ring can be replaced without replacing the kiln. Evenheat's RM II range is one-piece, which is simpler but less forgiving about access.

A well set up top loader fires very evenly, but the two formats have different weaknesses. In a top loader the heat wants to rise, so the top of a deep chamber can run hotter than the bottom unless the kiln has zone control or you adjust your stacking.

Witness cones on the top and bottom shelves will tell you what your particular kiln does. Most digital controllers can be set up to compensate once you know.

On anything much past a couple of cubic feet it is worth pricing. Kiln lids are heavy and insulated, and raising one repeatedly while leaning over a hot chamber is how people hurt their shoulders and backs.

A spring-assisted lifter also holds the lid steady while you load, which makes the whole job safer. Ask us what fits the kiln you are considering.

It scales with size. Bench-top top loaders run on an ordinary 120V circuit with a 20 amp breaker. An Olympic 1414HE at 1.4 cubic feet draws 15 amps on 240V and wants a 20 amp breaker.

A 2.63 cubic foot 1818HE wants 30 amps, a 3.95 cubic foot 1827HE wants 40, a 7 cubic foot 2327HE wants 60, and a 10 cubic foot 2827HE wants 70. See the 240V range sorted by breaker.

Most full-size kilns come on a stand, and raising the kiln is what makes loading bearable. Castors are offered on some models and are worth having if you ever need to move the kiln to sweep behind it or to get at the control box.

What a stand does not change is chamber depth. Raising the kiln brings the rim up, which makes the bottom of the chamber further from the floor, not closer to your hands.

More than the kiln's footprint. You need clearance around it for air and for safety, room to stand and lean over the open chamber, and somewhere nearby to set shelves down while you load.

Check the manufacturer's stated clearances for your specific model and treat them as a minimum rather than a target. Call us if you are working in a tight space and we will tell you what fits.

Bench-top kilns often ship by parcel carrier. Full-size ones move by freight: an Evenheat RM II 2929 is 320 pounds. Deliveries include curbside delivery, appointment scheduling, tracking and liftgate service where required.

This is where sectional construction earns its keep, because the rings come apart and go through a doorway one at a time. Shipping is calculated at checkout before you buy. See our shipping page.

Performing the manufacturer's recommended initial test firing will not by itself void a return, as long as the other conditions in our policy are met.

Read the full terms, including timeframes and condition requirements, on our returns page.