Brick Kiln Operation

To ensure a good burn, the following steps are necessary:

• Fill both brick kilns with fresh bricks.
• Choose the kiln that will work as a filter and the one that will burn
• Open the damper that allows the combustion gasses to flow from the
kiln that will burn the bricks to the one that will work as a filter, and
close the other damper.
• Close the chimney of the kiln that will burn and open the chimney
of the kiln that will work as a filter
• Seal the combustion zone opening of the kiln that will work as filter
and the brick loading entrance of both kilns
• Install the thermocouples
• Start burning
Burning Conditions

1. Regulate the air entrance through

the entrance to the combustion zone
by increasing or reducing its size.
This will let you reach higher
temperatures in shorter period of
time.
2. Control the temperature with the
thermocouples, the temperature
shall rise 45 to 55 degrees celsius
per hour.
3. Control the fire progress, the fire
shall be control by not letting the
fire to go down, this will affect the
burning time and the brick’s quality
Consider the following issues during the burning

1. Feed fuel into the kiln continuously until the temperature

is obtained.
2. Control the fire. The fire shall start at the combustion
zone opening and move to the back, from the first arch
to the last one, when the fire goes down, these shall be
distributed through the combustion zone floor.
3. To know if the right temperature has been reached,
either one of the following methods can be used:

• By the color of the arches.

• By the melting of the aluminum cans.
• When the burn has been completed it is important to turn
off the fire, open the kiln and wait until the kiln cools
down.

• Do not enter the kiln immediately, or you can suffer

serious burns.

• When the kiln has cooled down, remove the bricks and fill
the kiln with fresh bricks, this kiln will work as a filter
while the other burns.
 How am I going to maintain the kiln?

To keep the brick kiln in good operating conditions for a

longer period of time, it is important to take care of the
following issues:
• Seal the cracks that continuously appear inside and
outside the brick kiln
• Reinforce the arches
• Lubricate the dampers in the underground tunnels and
the chimneys for an easier operation
• Paint the dampers to protect them from corrosion
• Do not paint or hang objects from the brick kiln walls
• Do not use the brick kiln for any use other than to make
bricks
 Guide for a quick solution to problems

What should I do if the kiln temperature does not raise

evenly?

The most common causes for this problem is that the fuel is
not properly distributed

Start burning the combustion zone from the outside to the

inside, going slowly to the kiln interior

With the help of a rake with a long handle, distribute the

ashes through the hole combustion zone floor
Another reason that can cause an uneven fire inside the kiln
is the bricks arrangement, for this check:

• The brick are arranged in the correct form.

• The bricks have been distributed evenly through the
arches.
• The separation between the arches is the same.
• The arches are properly built and leveled.
Foreign materials can also cause problems

• Check if there is any foreign material inside the kiln

• The combustion zone, the chimneys and the underground

tunnels should be unobstructed so the combustion gasses
flows freely

• The brick kiln that operates as a filter shall not have any
kind of material that obstructs the combustion exhaust gas
flow
How do I know when I have reached the right temperature for
the burn?

• Thermocouples:
Install thermocouples in the kiln that is burning, check
the temperature around it and make sure that is the
same throughout.

• Color of the arches

Once you have started heating the kiln, look how the
arches change color as the temperature increases, when
the last arch turn red, it means that the kiln has reached
the right temperature.
How should I change the kiln that I will use for burning

• Open the damper from the tunnel that goes to the filter kiln
and close the damper from the tunnel of the kiln that
already burned
• Open the chimney’s damper of the brick kiln that already
burned, and close the chimney’s damper of the other kiln
• Fill the brick kiln that already burned with fresh bricks and
seal the main door, this kiln will work as a filter
• Close the combustion zone opening of the kiln that already
burned, so the gases do not escape
What should I never do with the brick kiln

• Do not modify the doors (neither bigger nor smaller).

• Do not open the dome.
• Do not open the chimney’s damper form the kiln that is
burning.
• Do not burn without the filter bricks.
• Do not fill the kiln above the dome’s base.
• Do not modify the doors, chimneys, and/or underground
tunnels.
• Do not burn materials other than saw dust.
• Do not burn with different quantities than the filter bricks.