Jada Ahern on sun 26 sep 99
Hi there... I have an electric kiln that took on lots of water durring a
storm... I VERY SLOWLY dried it out on the lowest setting.. took
approximately 5 days... Leave it open until you can't see any steam or
feel any moisture.. then close it, and do the same feeling at the plug holes
until your hand is completely dry when you check. You will have to install
a temporary outlet to test.. and while you are testing you can check the
elements.
Jada
----- Original Message -----
From: Judy Musicant
To:
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 1999 12:23 PM
Subject: Electric kiln flooded in hurricane
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi, Clayarters,
>
> A friend of mine had been gifted an old electric kiln. She'd not yet
> installed the wiring/plug (whatever) to use it. It was under water for 24
> hours during Hurricane Floyd. Is there a way to test it to see if it
still
> works without going to the expense of wiring the house, or do you think
it's
> a total loss? Thanks for any input.
>
> Judy Musicant
>
Ray Aldridge on sun 26 sep 99
At 03:23 PM 9/25/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi, Clayarters,
>
>A friend of mine had been gifted an old electric kiln. She'd not yet
>installed the wiring/plug (whatever) to use it. It was under water for 24
>hours during Hurricane Floyd. Is there a way to test it to see if it still
>works without going to the expense of wiring the house, or do you think it's
>a total loss? Thanks for any input.
>
I'm no expert, so take this for what it's worth. The kiln will take a
while to dry out, but if there is no electronic controller, just switches,
it's probably okay. Once the kiln drys out, if she can borrow a
multimeter, she can test resistance through the plug prongs. With the
switches all off, resistance should be infinite. If not, there may be
water inside the switches-- which can be dried out, or replaced, worst case.
Ray
Gavin Stairs on mon 27 sep 99
At 15:23 1999.09.25 , you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi, Clayarters,
>
>A friend of mine had been gifted an old electric kiln. She'd not yet
>installed the wiring/plug (whatever) to use it. It was under water for 24
>hours during Hurricane Floyd. Is there a way to test it to see if it still
>works without going to the expense of wiring the house, or do you think it's
>a total loss? Thanks for any input.
>
>Judy Musicant
Whatever your friend does, I think it is necessary to remove as much mud as
possible before firing. That mud will have a fluxing effect on the bricks,
and will reduce the life of the refractory liner. Just one more thing to
worry about.
That's the worst thing I can think of. Everything else can be repaired if
damaged, and most other things won't be severely damaged.
I would say remove as much mud and crud as possible as it is now, both
inside the kiln and in the electrical box. Then flood it again in clear
water: take a hose to it, with a brush. Be careful, but thorough with the
brush around the elements. If they're old and brittle, they may break. If
they do, no tragedy: just replace them. Do this in the electrical section,
too. Be a bit finicky about crevices in the electrical and electronics, if
there's a controller. Flush it out well. Then leave it for a time,
preferably in a sunny spot. Open the electronics box and dry it out with a
hair drier. While you're at it, check for any corrosion. If you find any,
scrape it away, or consider replacing that component. Then leave the whole
thing for a while to dry out.
After that, you want to check it out before putting in the new
service: As I said before, about everything but the refractory can be
replaced. If it is an old kiln, there may be repairs to be made
anyway. If your friend really wants this kiln, I'd say begin with the
refractory repairs: get some refractory cement, and start patching. At
the same time, replace any iffy components in the electrical system. Get
an ohm-meter, and check the elements by probing at the ends of the elements
themselves. If you have a owners handbook, look up the proper values
there. If not, ask someone like the manufacturer or Euclid's Elements for
the correct values. These people can also help you with any corroded or
missing items in the electrical system. You want to be within +10/-5% of
the book value (or manufacturer's recommendations). If you're on the high
side, you might consider replacing them. The higher the value, the slower
it will fire. If the resistance is infinite, you have a broken element
that needs to be replaced. If you have a value very much below the book
value, you have a short. Find it, and cure it. There may be a missing
insulator somewhere. Also measure the resistance to ground (e.g.: the
metal case of the kiln). That MUST be very high, order of megohms. If it
is not, there is an insulation fault somewhere that you MUST fix before
using any power on it.
If there is an electronic controller, you can try plugging that in
separately. It probably works off the 220V supply, so you'll have to rig a
220 plug to it, or find out how to rig it for 115V operation and do
that. Make sure the whole box is dry before plugging it in, especially the
power supply section. Check for shorts. Then plug it in and hope for the
best. After the refractory, this is the most expensive thing to
replace. If it doesn't come to life, you can get a new electronics board
for a few hundred dollars, or use a kiln sitter and switches instead.
The kiln sitter may be clogged up, but should be repairable. If it is old
and looks like it is worn or damaged, maybe it should be replaced.
The timer may not survive. It is replaceable.
The switches may need to be damaged. If they feel gritty when operated,
consider replacing them.
All of this may run to a few hundred bucks or so. If you're really lucky,
everything may be in working order. If so, look at it this way: now you
know all about the insides of your new kiln.
As for firing up, just do it slowly, over a couple of days at least. The
worst thing is to build up steam pressure in the bricks. Just let it bake
out at the lowest possible setting. If there's an electronic controller,
set a really slow ramp, sitting at 220F for a good long time. Then go up
to maybe 500F for a while, and then up again, a step at a time. If you've
made any refractory repairs, be sure to follow the recommendation of the
refractory manufacturer: i.e., no faster than what they recommend.
If your friend wants to plug into an under-rated service "just to test",
that can be done by attaching the right plug to the supply wire, but he/she
needs to make SURE that the rated service load is not exceeded. Do NOT
depend on the fuses. Depending on how this is done it can be very hard on
the house service. I do not recommend this unless you know what you're up to.
What else? Oh, yeah. The above advice is worth just what you paid for
it. No guarantees. Good luck.
Gavin
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