Brian O'Neill on tue 24 jun 03
Dear Clayarter's,
I've got a large oval kiln 30W x 27D x 42L (Crucible Oval30 bought from
Seattle Pottery Supply). I've had it two years and probably fired it
only 5 or 6 times to ^04. Recently tried two firings to ^6 and both
stalled out about 200 degrees below final temp. It took 20+ hours to get
there both times! The kiln wasn't tightly stacked.
I'm trying to troubleshoot this problem and was hoping someone has had a
similar situation that could shed some light.
I spoke with SPS and they thought the kiln might not be getting enough
voltage and suggested I do a test with a voltage meter.
Details:
3" brick top loading
3 ring; no blanks
Bartlett controller (used the "vary fire" option and ramped slowly as I
single fire)
requires 56 amps; has a 70 amp circuit
two thermocouples
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Brian
Bruce on Earthlink on tue 24 jun 03
Brian,
When my kiln is taking a long time to get to temperature it is usually due
to a burnt out element. My next guess would be a broken wire. However yours
is relativity new. Can you look in the kiln and see the element glow. In
your case the kiln might have been defective when you bought it. Maybe a
loose connection to the element. What type of controller do you have on it?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian O'Neill"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 12:35 PM
Subject: Electric kiln help?
> Dear Clayarter's,
>
> I've got a large oval kiln 30W x 27D x 42L (Crucible Oval30 bought from
> Seattle Pottery Supply). I've had it two years and probably fired it
> only 5 or 6 times to ^04. Recently tried two firings to ^6 and both
> stalled out about 200 degrees below final temp. It took 20+ hours to get
> there both times! The kiln wasn't tightly stacked.
>
> I'm trying to troubleshoot this problem and was hoping someone has had a
> similar situation that could shed some light.
>
> I spoke with SPS and they thought the kiln might not be getting enough
> voltage and suggested I do a test with a voltage meter.
>
> Details:
> 3" brick top loading
> 3 ring; no blanks
> Bartlett controller (used the "vary fire" option and ramped slowly as I
> single fire)
> requires 56 amps; has a 70 amp circuit
> two thermocouples
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Brian
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Mike Carroll on tue 24 jun 03
The test with the voltage meter is exactly what you
should do. Test the line with the kiln off and with
the kiln on a high setting, or, under load. If you are
uncomfortable doing this, call an electrician. I just
worked on a kiln today that was only being supplied
with 218 volts under load. The service was supposed to
be 240 volts. This cut their wattage by 10% and makes
their firings longer. The bigger the kiln, the more of
a problem this is.
Mike
>
> I spoke with SPS and they thought the kiln might not
> be getting enough
> voltage and suggested I do a test with a voltage
> meter.
>
> Details:
> 3" brick top loading
> 3 ring; no blanks
> Bartlett controller (used the "vary fire" option and
> ramped slowly as I
> single fire)
> requires 56 amps; has a 70 amp circuit
> two thermocouples
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Brian
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change
> your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be
> reached at melpots@pclink.com.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
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Bruce on Earthlink on wed 25 jun 03
There are four essentials for kiln repair/maintenance that I believe one
needs:
1) A knowledge of how to measure current, element resistance, and make
continuity checks in your kiln.
2) Own or have access to a Digital multimeter with a current clamp. You can
purchase one of these at http://harborfreight.com for 20$. Most of the
problems in kilns can be found using the multimeter. To use the current
clamp you will need to separate the wires going to your ac plug on the kiln
so that you and clamp onto them. The test of the current is the best way to
determine if your kiln is working properly.
3) A wiring diagram with parts list of your kiln.
4) A book that explains in detail the working of electrical kilns. One such
book is "Electric Kiln construction for potters" by Robert Fournier. It's
out of print but you still can get it in the used department.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Carroll"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: Electric kiln help?
> The test with the voltage meter is exactly what you
> should do. Test the line with the kiln off and with
> the kiln on a high setting, or, under load. If you are
> uncomfortable doing this, call an electrician. I just
> worked on a kiln today that was only being supplied
> with 218 volts under load. The service was supposed to
> be 240 volts. This cut their wattage by 10% and makes
> their firings longer. The bigger the kiln, the more of
> a problem this is.
> Mike
> >
> > I spoke with SPS and they thought the kiln might not
> > be getting enough
> > voltage and suggested I do a test with a voltage
> > meter.
> >
> > Details:
> > 3" brick top loading
> > 3 ring; no blanks
> > Bartlett controller (used the "vary fire" option and
> > ramped slowly as I
> > single fire)
> > requires 56 amps; has a 70 amp circuit
> > two thermocouples
> >
> > Any ideas would be appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > Brian
> >
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> > Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
> >
> > You may look at the archives for the list or change
> > your subscription
> > settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
> >
> > Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be
> > reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
> http://sbc.yahoo.com
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Arnold Howard on wed 25 jun 03
Low voltage is common in the summer time.
Many years ago I had a small print shop in a warehouse. A huge fan was
mounted to the exterior wall. During the day in the summer, the fan
wouldn't turn on. It made a humming sound as it attempted to turn on. In
the evenings, it turned right on. During the day, the voltage was just
too low.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P.
www.paragonweb.com
From: Mike Carroll
> The test with the voltage meter is exactly what you
> should do. Test the line with the kiln off and with
> the kiln on a high setting, or, under load. If you are
> uncomfortable doing this, call an electrician. I just
> worked on a kiln today that was only being supplied
> with 218 volts under load. The service was supposed to
> be 240 volts. This cut their wattage by 10% and makes
> their firings longer. The bigger the kiln, the more of
> a problem this is.
> Mike
Michael Wendt on wed 25 jun 03
Line values change with demand, time of day and even with the number of
users attached to the transformer, so as neighborhoods grow and change, the
performance of your kiln can change, even if the elements are new. In the
interim, try firing at night once to see if the load goes faster. Air
conditioning loads can lead to drastic drops that hurt performance during
the day at peak demand.
The lady near Lewiston still has the two gas kilns if anyone is interested.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Avenue
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
1-208-746-3724
wendtpottery.com
Shefton Kaplan on wed 25 jun 03
Dear Brian
I had a similar problem although with a different controller. After a lot of
enquiring it appeared to be that my controller had lost its memory and needed
to be programmed by the manufacturer. So if your coils are not the problem
this may be worth investigating,
good luck,
Shefton Kaplan in Brighton, England.
sheflesk@aol.com
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