Fredrick Paget on wed 22 aug 07
Vince,
In response - yes I have a wall mounted controller,
It is a Bailey about 12 years old. I opted for it because I thought
I might want a bigger kiln in the future. Actually I still have the
original Bailey Cone Art and the controller is on its third
controller board now.
I have extensively modified the controller over the years, The
original relay for the kiln power was a 45 amp monster that sounded
like a drop forge when it was running. I replaced it with a new
mercury relay that is very quiet and wear free.
I replaced the original Bartlett controller board the first time
because they came out with one that would run with a platinum
thermocouple which I wanted. It was one of the first ones they made
and it was never quite right so I replaced it with their proven newer
model about a year ago and no more trouble. It actually has 3 zones
but I use only one since my kiln has infinite control switches and I
can balance it up just fine running it as a single zone. It is a
small kiln anyway and only has two zones.
I would have to put in a second mercury relay and another
thermocouple for two zones and that is too much trouble.
I have added a fused 120 volt socket to the controller so I can turn
off the cone art and plug in my small test kiln. I physically
transfer the thermocouple over to the test kiln and it then runs on
the controller.
I like having the kilns separate from the controller and I like the
double safety of having a kiln sitter since I fire at night to get
the off peak electric rate and the kiln is unattended. My kilns are
in a small detached shed so no danger of burning down my house or
studio.
Fred
--
Twin Dragon Studio
Mill Valley, CA, USA
William & Susan Schran User on thu 23 aug 07
On 8/23/07 12:31 AM, "Fredrick Paget" wrote:
> I like having the kilns separate from the controller
This is certainly one of the advantages of a controller that is not attache=
d
to the kiln.
Another consideration is ambient temperature at the kiln's location. The
manual for my L&L states the operating temperature between 23=B0F and 120=B0F.
My studio is a one car garage that I not a conditioned environment. When I
conduct firings during summer months I have garage door & back door open
supplemented with a commercial grade portable fan. One can read the
temperature at the controller by keying in proper buttons. I monitor the
controller temperature and when it reaches 100=B0F, I place a small portable
fan right next to the controller to keep that cooled down.
I would imagine if one needs to replace their controller, one cause may be
operating it at too high of a temperature.
--=20
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Maurice Weitman on sun 2 sep 07
At 09:05 -0400 on 8/23/07, William & Susan Schran User wrote:
>[...] The manual for my L&L states the operating=20
>temperature between 23=B0F and 120=B0F.
>[...] One can read the temperature at the=20
>controller by keying in proper buttons. I=20
>monitor the
>controller temperature and when it reaches 100=B0F, I place a small portabl=
e
>fan right next to the controller to keep that cooled down.
Hello, Bill,
As I'm pretty sure has been mentioned on clayart=20
before, maybe even by me, it's quite simple and=20
effective to add a small (~3") "muffin" fan to=20
the bottom of your controller/switch box on your=20
kiln.
These fans can be found at Radio Shacks, etc.,=20
and online. They're also called "boxer" fans. I=20
haven't bought one in twenty years. They're in=20
just about every PC (often in their power=20
supplys) you take to the dump. Some are noisy,=20
some nearly silent. They commonly run on either=20
120v ac or 12v dc.
It's a snap to mount it, powered from somewhere=20
inside the electronics box, or externally if need=20
be.
Using a mounted muffin (easy, now) fan instead of=20
a portable fan blowing on the kiln will reduce=20
the amount of blowing in the studio and put the=20
cooling where it's needed most. There's no=20
benefit to cooling the walls of your kiln.
Regards,
Maurice
ps Bill... I've been dyin' to ask for a long=20
time: what's the "User" in your name about?
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