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Another newbie question.... do you recommend notifying your homeowners' insurance that you have a kiln? Has anyone been dropped/seen their premiums go up as a result? Is there a risk that the insurance company wouldn't cover an event (like a fire) if you don't notify them?

Thanks in advance!

I did notify my home insurance carrier years ago when I got my first kiln (I now have 4). They came and looked at the set-up, took pictures and I never heard another word about it after that. I think it best to keep no secrets form them in this regard to protect your coverage.

Read the exclusions on your homeowner policy. If is has nothing that can be construed as anti-kiln (and most don't), you are under no obligation to notify them. In fact you probably should not notify them. Once they know, they can arbitrarily decide to ask you to remove them.

Lack of disclosure could cause a claim to be denied... I don't think Barry's advice is wise!! full disclosure will put your mind at rest.

I believe that most communities have a requirement that kilns, just like wood stoves, must pass inspections based on local codes.
I have heard that 110 volt kiln installations may not need to be inspected - your local electrical, building or fire inspector will know for sure. The certificate you get should satisfy your insurance company, too, as well as give you peace of mind.

as long as it is a commercially produced piece of equipment and the service, either gas or electric is done to code and by a licensed individual it should not be problem just as plugging in a 220V stove or gas stove. Risks of fire are not much different although the kiln does get a little hotter on the inside. Self cleaning ovens can reach temps that are equal to normal annealing temps. If you are using it as "business", most insurance companies will want to know, no matter what the business is, it being anything from printing greeting cards to running a cleaning service. Your personal property liability is what is at stake more than the structure of your house. I just switched companies and one of the lines on the application was, do you run a business from your home?