Russel Fouts on tue 4 dec 01
Ann,
>> Would you believe that a pot the size of an orange foams up and expands, then solidifies into a pile 6-8 inches across and 2 inches high? Naturally it ran onto adjacent pots- lots of them. The three culprits were not all sitting together, but were on separate shelves. On the lower shelf, about 8 inches of element are embedded in this foamy stuff. If anyone is curious about how this stuff looks- let me know and I'll take a digital photo and send a .jpg file. It is a horrible sight, believe me. And I've been at this for 20 years. I am really kicking myself. <<
My condolences on your accident. No need to send a picture; I saw the
movie, "The Blob", w/ Steve McQueen. ;-)
Ru
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat
"There is a theory which states that
if ever anyone discovers exactly what
the universe is for and why it's here,
it will instantly disappear and be
replaced by something even more bizzarly
inexplicable."
"There is another theory which states
that this has already happened!"
Douglas Adams' The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Dawn Kleinman on fri 28 aug 09
Hi All (especially Arnold),
Here is the situation. I could use some suggestions.
I have a used kiln that I replaced all the elements and switches about 2
years ago. Gets to a ^6 in about 6 1/2 hours. Lately, it has been taking
close to 9 1/2 hours. I figured it was because I was packing it pretty full
and the elements are starting to wear out. Yesterday, it was the correct
color inside when I turned it to high at the 4th hour. 13 hours later, I le=
t
the timer shut it down. I figured the cone in the sitter broke. This mornin=
g
I opened the kiln which was much cooler than I had anticipated. The glazed
pieces were VERY underfired. Ok - so I turned the kiln back on to re-fire.
Nothing. Flipped the breaker off and then back on. Nothing.
Now what?!
Do I really need to pay a kiln guy boat loads of money? Yeah, I might. If I
could just narrow down the problem.
Anybody?
--
www.DawnPottery.home.comcast.net
www.DawnPottery.etsy.com
Arnold Howard on fri 28 aug 09
From: "Dawn Kleinman"
The glazed
> pieces were VERY underfired. Ok - so I turned the kiln
> back on to re-fire.
> Nothing. Flipped the breaker off and then back on.
> Nothing.
-------------
Dawn, the first thing I would check is power to the kiln.
Place voltmeter probes in the wall outlet. If power is
reaching the wall outlet, unplug the kiln, open the switch
box, and look for a burned or disconnected wire. It is easy
to find the problem with a voltmeter, but once you plug the
kiln back in to check the switch box, you will be exposed to
live wires, so be careful.
I don't know why your kiln took so long to fire. Does the
cone in the Kiln Sitter have a normal u-shaped bend? If so,
your elements are all firing. The slow firing may be due to
a temporary drop in voltage.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
William & Susan Schran User on fri 28 aug 09
On 8/28/09 9:51 AM, "Dawn Kleinman" wrote:
> I have a used kiln that I replaced all the elements and switches about 2
> years ago. Gets to a ^6 in about 6 1/2 hours. Lately, it has been taking
> close to 9 1/2 hours. I figured it was because I was packing it pretty fu=
ll
> and the elements are starting to wear out. Yesterday, it was the correct
> color inside when I turned it to high at the 4th hour. 13 hours later, I =
let
> the timer shut it down. I figured the cone in the sitter broke. This morn=
ing
> I opened the kiln which was much cooler than I had anticipated. The glaze=
d
> pieces were VERY underfired. Ok - so I turned the kiln back on to re-fire=
.
> Nothing. Flipped the breaker off and then back on. Nothing.
> Now what?!
Did you replace the elements or did somebody replace the elements for you?
Asking to see if you are comfortable opening up the control boxes to check
connections.
Shut off breaker/unplug kiln.
Open control boxes and check carefully for signs of corrosion/burned areas.
Wiggle each connection to make sure all are tight. Loose connections can
cause problems.
Get yourself a volt/circuit meter and check the ohm reading of each element
(inexpensive meter - easy to check - hold meter leads against pigtails of
elements).
You can check with the kiln manufacturer of what the ohm reading should be
for each element. If your 's are off by 20%, it's time to replace the
elements again.
Given your description of longer firings, this is probably a time to replac=
e
elements.
Bill
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Dawn Kleinman on fri 28 aug 09
Thanks Bill,
I replaced them myself with the help of a friend who is an electrician. It
turned out to be fairly easy. I will open up the control boxes and check
everything.
Gayle,
I am at 66 firings since the new elements and switches. But I dont remember
it being that expensive to buy the elements. I hope I still have the kiln
supply phone number. It was in Canada
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 12:28 PM, William & Susan Schran User <
wschran@cox.net> wrote:
> On 8/28/09 9:51 AM, "Dawn Kleinman" wrote:
>
> > I have a used kiln that I replaced all the elements and switches about =
2
> > years ago. Gets to a ^6 in about 6 1/2 hours. Lately, it has been takin=
g
> > close to 9 1/2 hours. I figured it was because I was packing it pretty
> full
> > and the elements are starting to wear out. Yesterday, it was the correc=
t
> > color inside when I turned it to high at the 4th hour. 13 hours later, =
I
> let
> > the timer shut it down. I figured the cone in the sitter broke. This
> morning
> > I opened the kiln which was much cooler than I had anticipated. The
> glazed
> > pieces were VERY underfired. Ok - so I turned the kiln back on to
> re-fire.
> > Nothing. Flipped the breaker off and then back on. Nothing.
> > Now what?!
>
> Did you replace the elements or did somebody replace the elements for you=
?
> Asking to see if you are comfortable opening up the control boxes to chec=
k
> connections.
> Shut off breaker/unplug kiln.
> Open control boxes and check carefully for signs of corrosion/burned area=
s.
> Wiggle each connection to make sure all are tight. Loose connections can
> cause problems.
> Get yourself a volt/circuit meter and check the ohm reading of each eleme=
nt
> (inexpensive meter - easy to check - hold meter leads against pigtails of
> elements).
> You can check with the kiln manufacturer of what the ohm reading should b=
e
> for each element. If your 's are off by 20%, it's time to replace the
> elements again.
> Given your description of longer firings, this is probably a time to
> replace
> elements.
>
> Bill
>
> --
> William "Bill" Schran
> wschran@cox.net
> wschran@nvcc.edu
> http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
>
>
>
>
--
www.DawnPottery.home.comcast.net
www.DawnPottery.etsy.com
Michael Wendt on fri 28 aug 09
Dawn
I think anyone who owns equipment needs to invest in a
volt-ohm- amp meter. They have become very affordable and
will quickly help you locate the source of many electrical
problems.
The first step is to use the voltage function to assure you
have power to the kiln and then to disconnect power to your
kiln for safe resistance checking. That way, you save time
since many failures can be in the breaker or an interruption
to the power supply of a piece of equipment.
Remove the screws that retain the switch gear housing and
take detailed digital photos of the setup before you
disconnect any wires. I like to number and tag the wires
with tape and write with a marking pen on the case of the
kiln the corresponding number so it is easy to replace wires
if need be.
Many instruments have an audible tone function just for
continuity checking and this is a quick way to find open
circuits.
Next, in the ohm setting, check each element's resistance
and compare it to the manufacturer's listed value. Replace
any worn or broken elements and I suggest the use of split
bolt connectors to attach the wires to the element ends.
Reinstall the covers, power up the breakers and see if it
works.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Dawn wrote:
Here is the situation. I could use some suggestions.
I have a used kiln that I replaced all the elements and
switches about 2
years ago. Gets to a ^6 in about 6 1/2 hours. Lately, it has
been taking
close to 9 1/2 hours. I figured it was because I was packing
it pretty full
and the elements are starting to wear out. Yesterday, it was
the correct
color inside when I turned it to high at the 4th hour. 13
hours later, I let
the timer shut it down. I figured the cone in the sitter
broke. This morning
I opened the kiln which was much cooler than I had
anticipated. The glazed
pieces were VERY underfired. Ok - so I turned the kiln back
on to re-fire.
Nothing. Flipped the breaker off and then back on. Nothing.
Now what?!
Do I really need to pay a kiln guy boat loads of money?
Yeah, I might. If I
could just narrow down the problem.
Anybody?
John Britt on fri 28 aug 09
Dawn,
The first thing I would do is to turn the kiln on high (with it empty)...=
=3D
then=3D20
after about 10 minutes open the lid with a glove on and peak in side. If =
=3D
one=3D20
coil is not glowing red that is probably the one that is broken. If they =
=3D
are all=3D20
dull red then they may be worn.
Then turn the kiln off and unplug it. Let it cool and then examine the no=
=3D
n-
glowing element and see if it is broken. ( a bit of glaze got on it or so=
=3D
menting.)
If it is split then replace it. Sometimes you can streach it with a torch=
=3D
and a=3D20
needle nose pliers and overlap the two and it will work a while.
John Britt
http://ncclayclub.blogspot.com
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