PURPOSE: To simplify construction and to facilitate maintenance and service by pivotally supporting a movable chute having a snout at the bottom end to a pivot supported atop the lower part of a down chute body.

CONSTITUTION: The cylindrical down chute 4 extending diagonally downward from an outlet section 1 of a continuous annealing furnace is formed of a body 5 and a movable chute 6. An electric heater 9 coated with a heat insulating material 10 is mounted over the entire surface on the outer side of an inside surface coating plate 8 of the body 5 and a bearing 11 is provided in the lower part of the body 5 to horizontally support the pivot 12. A bearing 16 receiving the pivot 16 is provided atop the top end edge of the movable chute 6 provided integrally with the snout 15 made of a heat resisting steel at the bottom end and the movable chute 6 is pivotally supported to the pivot 12. Piston rods 19 of a pair of air cylinders 17 provided on both side faces in the lower part of the body 5 are elongated and contracted to luff the pivot 12 upward and downward as shown by broken lines and solid lines, respectively, by which the snout 15 is emitted from or submerged into the molten zinc surface of a molten zinc pot 31.