'Regular Guy' - importing from US to Canada

[kokosbeads]

Hi,

I live in Atlantic Canada. I want to order 'Regular Guy' kiln by Glasshive from USA. I was told by a local vendor that this brand does not have CSA (Canadian Standards Association) certification and therefore it is 'illegal(?) to import to Canada and might nullify my home insurance'.

Anybody from Canada using it? Any problems at the customs?:razz:

[Laura B]

Sometimes I have to read a post just 'cause the title is so intriguing.

Here I am wondering what king of guy thinks he's just regular and why is he moving from the U.S. to Canada.

D'oh!

[kokosbeads]

its about a kiln called 'regular guy'.... i am living Canada and want to buy it from usa...

[PittsGlass]

Bumping this thread because I really want to hear what our Canadians have for us on this issue.

[JoeDeM]

this is my understanding, you can import it for personal use, but you can't sell it without getting it approved by an inspector. As for insurance even if it was CSA approved they frown on having any kind of open flame in the house and would claim you are running a business and wouldn't cover you anyway. I imported a non-CSA approved CNC machine from California and I didn't have a problem, but I live in Ontario.

[GLASSFREEK]

this is my understanding, you can import it for personal use, but you can't sell it without getting it approved by an inspector. As for insurance even if it was CSA approved they frown on having any kind of open flame in the house and would claim you are running a business and wouldn't cover you anyway. I imported a non-CSA approved CNC machine from California and I didn't have a problem, but I live in Ontario.

Thats my exact understanding.

Mike

[TheSilicaForge]

We were told that any kiln not approved would cause issues at the border if they bothered to look and could cause issues with our building code, but we are in an industrial unit.

It would be great to find out how to get a regulation on the US made kilns because from what I've heard they are fantastic but if you are looking to get one now Pottery Supply house can custom build them

[FishBulb]

Yes, the regulations thing is a pain in the butt, and a bit misleading.

I was talking to the lady who owns the local glass supply shop about kilns and she said pretty much the same thing, that if anything should happen to your studio space and insurance found a non-CSA-approved item in the studio it would render your insurance void.

She also said that in order for a kiln builder to get this approval they have to submit 45 kilns (or so) for testing. These are not kilns they are getting paid for; these are submitted and used for testing then thrown in the trash. Who can afford to donate that amount of kilns? So, this is what I mean by misleading -- a non-CSA kiln isn't a lesser kiln or a more dangerous unit, it's just being built by a company who can't afford this sort of loss in order to get certification.

That said, she keeps a couple of non-CSA kilns in the shop herself. if you keep the kiln on a fireproof surface, away from anything flammable, then the chances of the kiln causing any problems are slim to none.

(please note this is not to be considered legal advice, lol)

[JoeDeM]

She also said that in order for a kiln builder to get this approval they have to submit 45 kilns (or so) for testing. These are not kilns they are getting paid for; these are submitted and used for testing then thrown in the trash. Who can afford to donate that amount of kilns? So, this is what I mean by misleading -- a non-CSA kiln isn't a lesser kiln or a more dangerous unit, it's just being built by a company who can't afford this sort of loss in order to get certification.



This is misleading, if you are applying for a blanket approval, on a design this is true, but you can build kilns one by one and have them approved in batches by inspectors, they charge you per piece and put the sticker on it. I went through this with custom lighting made with CSA approved parts i was selling, but they told me the way around it, is to sell it as a kit.

[skippystretch]

If the Kiln has a ULC approval, it is equal to CSA Approval, which is legal in Canada. If the Kiln guy has a ULC file # that is all you need to submit to your insurance. The file can be accessed with this number by your Insurance Company.. I have had to deal with this for 20 years in business with Ontario Hydro inspectors when my company's equipment was installed in buildings. The equipment came from our mother company ( and many other other Electrical Control Panel Builders) in the US with ULC approval only. And yes it is legal. So get the ULC approval file# which any vendor will supply.

[JoeDeM]

If the Kiln has a ULC approval, it is equal to CSA Approval, which is legal in Canada. If the Kiln guy has a ULC file # that is all you need to submit to your insurance. The file can be accessed with this number by your Insurance Company.. I have had to deal with this for 20 years in business with Ontario Hydro inspectors when my company's equipment was installed in buildings. The equipment came from our mother company ( and many other other Electrical Control Panel Builders) in the US with ULC approval only. And yes it is legal. So get the ULC approval file# which any vendor will supply.

I don't think they have ULC number since they are in the USA, and seem to be a mom & pop operation.

[skippystretch]

Do they build their own controler??

[ewdb]

Hey fellow Canadians!

I'd recommend buying your kiln from a Canadian company (they usually import from the US) and have them ensure that both your kiln and controller are CSA approved. it's not that big a deal - it took a couple extra weeks when i bought mine as the Ontario Hydro guy was on vacation at that time.

re insurance: mine had more of an issue with the kiln than the torch and the fact that i sold to the (apparently very litigious) US so i had to get separate commercial insurance even though i only lampwork for a hobby - this isn't the case for everyone though so check with your broker. i was completely honest with mine since i wanted to be sure i could claim in the event of any disasters (god forbid).

Check my Cdn lampwork suppliers page in my signature for some links. brokerage fees for big items coming acrss the border aren't pretty. :-)

[FishBulb]

I had to get a separate rider as well, and it costs almost as much as my home insurance in its entirety! Banditos.

My insurance company was also mildly appalled at my open flame and the fact that I had a kiln. They could only find one company who would even touch me with a ten foot pole. Honestly, they don't get this anxious over people with candles (which start all sorts of fires every year).

[TheSilicaForge]

Actually that is an interesting point about the controller. If that's all that needs the rating then that might make it easier ...