Steven Lederman on sun 22 may 11
Hi, all:
A year or so ago I purchased two large electric Skutt kilns from a mental h=
ealth
facility that was losing funding for its ceramics therapy program.
Both kilns were functioning well when they were disconnected from the
facility. Around the same time we decided to move house, and the kilns we=
nt in
our garage until the move was complete.
At the new house, there was no covered area to store the kilns, so I put th=
em up
on their stands and covered them in tarps and plastic. They were protecte=
d
from the elements, but not from the cold.
They are industrial Skutt kilns, http://www.enasco.com/product/Z08673 and =
to
have them hooked up here electrically will be an expensive job. I decided =
to
sell them, but found that process difficult as I can't guarantee that they =
will
still work after being exposed to the cold.
Has anyone had any experience converting electric kilns to gas, or to anoth=
er
type of kiln that would negate hooking these up to electricity? If I can s=
till
make use of them I'd like to do so. I guess my other option is to offer t=
hese
for sale at a low price that would allow the new owner to afford any sort o=
f
repairs that would need to be done.
Regards,
Steven
Snail Scott on sun 22 may 11
On May 22, 2011, at 3:19 PM, Steven Lederman wrote:
> ...At the new house, there was no covered area to store the kilns, so =3D
I put them up
> on their stands and covered them in tarps and plastic. They were =3D
protected
> from the elements, but not from the cold...They are industrial Skutt =3D
kilns,...and to have them hooked up here electrically will be an =3D
expensive job.
The cold won't hurt them a bit. Condensation can=3D20
corrode wiring and rust screws, but you can easily=3D20
check that visually. My old electric kiln is as old as=3D20
I am, and has never been indoors. (Good condition?=3D20
Definitely not. Still working fine? You bet.)
You could convert them to gas or propane in the=3D20
manner that Olympic builds their gas kiln: cut a burner=3D20
port in the bottom, stick a burner in, and cut a flue hole=3D20
in the top. (Detailed conversion instruction can be found=3D20
in the archives.) I wouldn't do that unless they are truly=3D20
kaput as electrics, though.
When you say they are 'industrial', does that mean=3D20
that they are wried for three-phase power? The web=3D20
link you listed describes the single-phase design, so=3D20
I'm not sure what difficulties you anticipate.
-Snail=3D
John Rodgers on sun 22 may 11
I don't know why cold would hurt a kiln, even extreme cold, if stored
so moisture would not get to any computer parts, switches, etc. But this
kiln you have listed is not that complicated. Not having a computer
controller simplifies storage considerably.
Not knowing what your physical layout situation is, I can tell you this
- if your house circuit breaker box, or your outside breaker box is
within 100 feet of where the kilns could be fired, there is a relatively
inexpensive way to pull power to your kilns. I do it all the time.
Certain precautions must be observed for safety purposes however, and
they must be strictly adhered to.
For my situation - I have my meter box on a pole outside my living
quarters. At the bottom of the meter box is mounted a circuit breaker
panel that supplies to the hous and to the barn on different breakers. I
had an electrician add a 60 amp weatherproof receptacle to the bottom of
the breaker box. I got a 100 ft piece of four strand all weather rubber
coated cable - #4 as i recall - but check with your electricial - and
put a 240 Volt male plug o one end and a 240 Volt female receptacle on
the other. When I need to fire - I unroll the cable, plug it all to
gether and fire away. When done, I disconnect and roll the cable up and
store it away. I turn off that 60 amp breaker, and snap the cover over
it until I need it again. This has worked for me for a very long time.
You might consider this approach and get good use from your kilns.
John
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
On 5/22/2011 3:19 PM, Steven Lederman wrote:
> Hi, all:
> A year or so ago I purchased two large electric Skutt kilns from a mental=
health
> facility that was losing funding for its ceramics therapy program.
> Both kilns were functioning well when they were disconnected from the
> facility. Around the same time we decided to move house, and the kilns =
went in
> our garage until the move was complete.
> At the new house, there was no covered area to store the kilns, so I put =
them up
> on their stands and covered them in tarps and plastic. They were protec=
ted
> from the elements, but not from the cold.
> They are industrial Skutt kilns, http://www.enasco.com/product/Z08673 an=
d to
> have them hooked up here electrically will be an expensive job. I decide=
d to
> sell them, but found that process difficult as I can't guarantee that the=
y will
> still work after being exposed to the cold.
> Has anyone had any experience converting electric kilns to gas, or to ano=
ther
> type of kiln that would negate hooking these up to electricity? If I can=
still
> make use of them I'd like to do so. I guess my other option is to offer=
these
> for sale at a low price that would allow the new owner to afford any sort=
of
> repairs that would need to be done.
> Regards,
> Steven
>
>
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