mel jacobson on mon 28 jul 03
yes, the first thing to always
check on any gas kiln is the thermocouple.
5 bucks, and most often the culprit.
keep two spares on the wall of
your kiln room.
they can be switched in about 2 minutes.
never even lose very much heat in the kiln
if you are watching things.
mel
and, if your furnace or water heater goes out...grab
one and test that before you call the repair man.
i am not fond of electronic ignition for furnaces.
they can last two years, and cost 500 bucks to
replace. then, again, two years later.
is that progress?
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.TICK-ATTACK.COM
psci_kw on mon 28 jul 03
----- Original Message -----
From: "mel jacobson"
To:
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 8:29 AM
Subject: kiln blows out
> yes, the first thing to always
> check on any gas kiln is the thermocouple.
> 5 bucks, and most often the culprit.
and, if your furnace or water heater goes out...grab
> one and test that before you call the repair man.
Never had to test one (never thought of it.)
Does anyone have a procedure for testing it>
Wayne in Key West
Roger Korn on mon 28 jul 03
Two kinds of electronic ignition: spark, like your gas barbecue, and
'hot surface', a little tungsten thingy that burns out every two years.
Three in six years at the Oregon place. Replace these yourself. Get
parts at Johnstone Supply - about $30. Turn off power, check the
'ignitor' (that's the real name for the tungsten thingy) with an
ommeter. Save the tungsten bits for making custom setters for big
platters. Replacing takes about 15 minutes.
To locate the ignitor, remove the control/thermostat cover on the
furnace/water heater and go through a start-up cycle. The thingy that's
glowing really bright is the ignitor. Now you know where it lives so you
can replace it yourself. No Fear - just turn off the power before you
replace it.
Hope this can save a few bucks,
Roger
mel jacobson wrote:
> ...
> i am not fond of electronic ignition for furnaces.
> they can last two years, and cost 500 bucks to
> replace. then, again, two years later.
> is that progress?
John Baymore on tue 29 jul 03
Wayne,
Never had to test one (never thought of it.)
Does anyone have a procedure for testing it>
You put it on a multimeter and see if it outputs anywhere near the correc=
t
signal that the particular unit requires for positive lock.
mel is right however....... they are so easy to change that it just as ea=
sy
or easier to just change one and see if it locks the baso in. If so.....=
.
it is pretty darn likely that the other thermocouple was either "dead" o=
r
was decreasing in output enough as to be unreliable.
best,
.......... john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http://www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 15-24,
2003"
Ron Roy on thu 31 jul 03
Use a match to heat the end of the thermocouple when you first install them
- if you have attached them correctly the indicator will show a rise - if
you get em backwards the indicator will show a decrease in temperature.
When I built my first kiln I has the burner people weld a small metal
sheild to protect the thermocuple end and pilot flame from cooling from the
secondary air.
It should not be difficult to jerry rig some thing to stop air from blowing
the flame away from the thermocouple end. Increasing the gas to the pilot
will also help. Make sure the thermocouple tip is is right in the pilot
flame.
RR
>> yes, the first thing to always
>> check on any gas kiln is the thermocouple.
>> 5 bucks, and most often the culprit.
>
> and, if your furnace or water heater goes out...grab
>> one and test that before you call the repair man.
>
>
>Never had to test one (never thought of it.)
>Does anyone have a procedure for testing it>
>Wayne in Key West
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513
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