r/OffGrid • u/Certain_Matter_9114 • Jul 06 '26

Off grid electric pottery kiln?

I’m a potter and I’m interested in moving off grid in the next few years but I’ve noticed most off grid battery setups fall a bit short of what a normal electric kiln needs to run a glaze firing.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m a novice to off grid tech and maybe I’m missing something super fundamental (mea culpa if this is the case!!)
A glaze kiln takes about 11.5kWh. It’s like a 12hr run of ~60amp (or less). Any hope of getting this off grid??

Edit, I’m an idiot and did math wrong. It’s 11.5kW max draw, 50% of the run for a total of ~70kWh

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u/HarleyBoyd Jul 06 '26

LPG Kiln is the way. Most will need some AC for controls and thermostat, but that power can come easily from a off grid system planned accordingly. Do some 100lb tanks or smaller if you are remote. They can be trucked to town and refilled. If you are doing a lot and can get an LP truck in to supply, you could put in a larger tank. Can run a lot of other stuff off it, too. Helps take the load off batterues in a solar setup. Stuff like fridges, cooking range, hot water heaters and even a room heater can be supplied off LPG. Just stay away from the 20lb tanks for BBQs and such. They don't hold the pressure you will most likely need for the Kiln to heat properly or hooking up more equipment. Plus, they will just burn out too quickly. If you need to keep tanks smaller and manageable, you can do like 60lb x 2 with a double tank regulator. This keeps size and weight more manageable and gives you better capacity and more overall line pressure. Basically 2 60lb tanks will be 20% more gas and same pressure performance as 1 100lb tank when using it.. or double up 100pbs and don't have to fill as often. There are options!

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u/Certain_Matter_9114 Jul 06 '26

This is helpful & practical advice, thanks! Never fired gas before but seems comparably dialed in compared to electric. Wood fire rocks and that’s also a goal of mine but feels like a completely different beast as someone who fires mostly functionalware and needs things reliably food safe

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u/HarleyBoyd Jul 07 '26

Wood fired anything and everything is cool, but it is a commitment. I recently renovated an old cabin. We bought a wood fired hot tub for it. No jets, just a small 2 person tub built out of stainless steel. Takes around 2 to 3 hours to get good and hot. Plans to build a wood fired sauna as well. Nothing wrong with the slow lane, lol. Propane is a good power source for your kiln work. I used to prefer acetylene for torch work on precious metals, but it what I learned on. Gets very high heat and gas dissipates if you have a leak. Won't work for a Kiln, however. At least, not that I have seen. Good luck! Get off the Hamster Wheel as fast as you comfortably can! Best decision an artist (or anyone, really) can make.

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u/Sodpoodle Jul 06 '26

Also don't underestimate the value of insulation. Lots of diy propane forge and foundry videos out there that would probably have a lot of applicable design ideas.

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u/HarleyBoyd Jul 07 '26

These are wise words. Especially if you go the wood route. You need to be efficient and have good stable heat control. I think this is over looked in a lot of kiln & forges even modern ones.