Susan Fox-Hirschmann on sun 21 mar 04
Hi,
I have just started the first, test firing of what they call an "EASY Fire"
Bisque
on my new shiney L&L 28....with a controller. Hit all the buttons called for
and start and it when it goes from
tc
to 113
it goes "click" click
Is this normal!? I can't find anything in the manual about this kiln making
any kinds of noises like this.
Thanks.
Sincerely
Susan
Annandale VA
Susan Fox Hirschmann
Art Pottery
please visit http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/hirschmann
WHC228@AOL.COM on sun 21 mar 04
The noises are normal. What you are hearing is the relays that are like
switches closing and sending power to the one or all three zones in your kiln. If
you press eight you will see some little dots appear on the bottom of the
controller that indicate which zone is being powered.
Lou Roess on sun 21 mar 04
on 3/21/04 7:44 AM, Susan Fox-Hirschmann at Artpottery616@AOL.COM wrote:
> Hit all the buttons called for and start and it when it goes from
> tc to 113 it goes "click" click Is this normal!?
Susan, yes , this is normal. tc means thermocouple and 113 is the
temperature. It is high because it is offset to compensate for the
protective sleeve. When the kiln is at room temperature and not firing it
will read high also for that reason.
The clicking is normal, it's just the thermocouple going on and off
getting things started.
I have one of these kilns and I am very pleased with it. The only "problem"
is I got the 3" brick and it takes a long time to cool down and I get
impatient to see the results.
All the best
Lou in Colorado
ian on sun 21 mar 04
I have an L&L kiln. It uses a Bartlett controller board. Inside that box on
the side of the kiln, beside the controller board, are relays and
contactors. The relays have an electromagnet that, when activated, pulls a
ferromagnetic bar onto contacts to complete a circuit. These make the
"click" noise as they cycle the elements off and on. If the kiln fires
satisfactorily, then don't worry about the sounds.
You may need to tweak your kiln by adjusting the thermocouple offsets,
particularly if one zone is firing hot or if you use mullite tubes over the
thermocouples (causes a lag in the heating and cooling of the thermocouple).
Directions for this are in the manual.
If you are having a problem, contact the company. The technician responds
promptly and is quite helpful.
Arnold Howard on mon 22 mar 04
As others have answered, the clicking noise is normal. But when you hear a
buzz or pop instead of a click, a relay is usually about to fail.
Good luck with your new kiln!
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P.
arnoldhoward@att.net
From: "Susan Fox-Hirschmann"
> I have just started the first, test firing of what they call an "EASY
Fire"
> Bisque
> on my new shiney L&L 28....with a controller.
> it goes "click" click
> Is this normal!?
Frank Gaydos on sun 28 mar 04
Arnold,
Not picking on you (or Paragon) in particular but you may know the answer to
this question.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I love the computer kilns but
find the 'weakest link' is the wear and tear on the thermocouple's.
They oxidize and break especially if doing lots of bisque firing with all
the nasty gases being vented out of the clay.
Has anyone thought to coat the tips of the probes with ITC?
Would this make a difference in longevity?
Will it affect the readout?
Any feedback is appreciated.
Frank Gaydos
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
> Arnold Howard
> Paragon Industries, L.P.
> arnoldhoward@att.net
Arnold Howard on mon 29 mar 04
Coating the thermocouple tip with ITC sounds like a great idea. I don't have
any experience with that and would be interested in hearing from others who
have tried it.
If you use the Type-S thermocouple, you wouldn't need any coating, because
the thermocouple itself lasts so very long, and without temperature drift.
When the Type-S fails, it is ordinarily due to a shelf or piece of ware
hitting the thermocouple.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P.
arnoldhoward@att.net
From: "Frank Gaydos"
> A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I love the computer kilns
but
> find the 'weakest link' is the wear and tear on the thermocouple's.
> They oxidize and break especially if doing lots of bisque firing with all
> the nasty gases being vented out of the clay.
>
> Has anyone thought to coat the tips of the probes with ITC?
Brian Haviland on tue 30 mar 04
>Good Morning Frank
I have an L&L kiln And the first set of t/c's lasted about 1.5 years.
Then i bought the t/c protectors. This is a ceramic well that inserts
through the side of the kiln and the t/c fits in the well of the protector.
Call L&L and ask them about it. They are more than willing to help
out. The best support you could ask for (except for Howard who has
answered questions i don't even have to ask--Thanks Howard...
As for itc i just bought my first pint and i'm going to try treating my
small paragon test kiln and elements. BTW you will have to open up the
original holes by about a 1/4 " when you put in the t/c protectors. Used a
small hole drill when i did this..Easy,Easy.
Brian
>.
>
> Has anyone thought to coat the tips of the probes with ITC?
>
>Would this make a difference in longevity?
>
>Will it affect the readout?
>
>Any feedback is appreciated.
>
>Frank Gaydos
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----
> > Arnold Howard
> > Paragon Industries, L.P.
> > arnoldhoward@att.net
>
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Bobbruch1@AOL.COM on wed 31 mar 04
Brian Haviland writes:I have an L&L kiln And the
first set of t/c's lasted about 1.5 years.
I was looking a the smaller L&L kilns at NEA - looked well made and well
priced - but I "heard" that they had had problems with their first batch of
computerized controllers, but that they had successfully addressed the problem.
Anyone else have any experience with this?
Thanks, Bob Bruch
John Hesselberth on wed 31 mar 04
Hi Bob,
I've have two computer controlled L&L kilns--one for about 5 years, the
other for 2-3. I've had no controller problems--or any other problems
for that matter. Their controller is made by Bartlett who makes them
for several other manufacturers also.
Regards,
John
On Wednesday, March 31, 2004, at 07:21 AM, Bobbruch1@AOL.COM wrote:
> Brian Haviland writes:I have an L&L kiln And
> the
> first set of t/c's lasted about 1.5 years.
>
> I was looking a the smaller L&L kilns at NEA - looked well made and
> well
> priced - but I "heard" that they had had problems with their first
> batch of
> computerized controllers, but that they had successfully addressed the
> problem.
> Anyone else have any experience with this?
>
> Thanks, Bob Bruch
>
http://www.frogpondpottery.com
http://www.masteringglazes.com
Susan Fox-Hirschmann on wed 31 mar 04
So happy to hear your report on that John.
About how many firings would you say you have had on each...bisque and glaze?
I just did my "maiden voyage" with the new L&L, first with the programmed
firing and then I did a 6 ramp program. In all my nervousness, I watched it all
day to see if it really was ramping at what I had programmed, and VOILA! other
than a few degrees here and there....which I assume is expected....it fired
up as programmed and fired down too, with a 2a.m cut off. I am so happy to
have my sleep back and not be up all night checking the kiln and playing with
switches and pyrometers. Great firing too, I might add.
Thanks for all the advise out there about the L&L...tis a beauty of a kiln!
sincerely
Susan
Annandale, VA
Carol Tripp on thu 1 apr 04
Hi Brian,
My Barlett controller on my L&L failed a few years ago - about six months
from new. I sent the "guts" back to L&L and they sent me some new ones. No
problems after that. Sometimes you get a lemon.
Best regards,
Carol
Dubai, UAE
>> Brian Haviland writes:I have an L&L kiln And
>>the
>>first set of t/c's lasted about 1.5 years.
>>
>>I was looking a the smaller L&L kilns at NEA - looked well made and
>>well
>>priced - but I "heard" that they had had problems with their first
>>batch of
>>computerized controllers, but that they had successfully addressed the
>>problem.
>>Anyone else have any experience with this?
_________________________________________________________________
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Arnold Howard on thu 1 apr 04
Susan probably checks her kiln at night, but for those who don't:
If we fire a digital kiln while we sleep, it's a good idea to check it once
in awhile. I fired a small kiln in my garage one night and checked it at 3
a.m. I set my alarm clock to wake me up.
We had a customer who would begin firing her digital kilns at her studio
before she went home. The kilns would fire through the night and shut off
before she arrived in her studio the next morning. When I cautioned her that
they could over-fire, she said, "But this is the only way I can get any
production out."
An over-fire is rare, but it does definitely happen, even with digital
kilns.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P.
arnoldhoward@att.net
From: "Susan Fox-Hirschmann"
In all my nervousness, I watched it all
> day to see if it really was ramping at what I had programmed, and VOILA!
other
> than a few degrees here and there....which I assume is expected....it
fired
> up as programmed and fired down too, with a 2a.m cut off. I am so happy
to
> have my sleep back and not be up all night checking the kiln and playing
with
> switches and pyrometers.
Susan Fox-Hirschmann on thu 1 apr 04
In a message dated 4/1/2004 9:51:03 AM Eastern Standard Time,
arnoldhoward@ATT.NET writes:
<< Susan probably checks her kiln at night, but for those who don't: >>
Before I had the L&L I slept close by with an alarm clock to get me up at
1am, 2am ...4a.m whenever...to fire down the work. Now with the L&L ,....I have
my sleep back!!! Love the kiln! Nice to know when it is done, how many hrs.
it fired.....and from the way I programmed it.....well...it did follow the
program. It does not need me to get up and check the pyrometer, and play with
switches (tho I still have the 3 olympics with the 3 switches, darn)
Susan
Annandale, VA
Susan Fox Hirschmann
Art Pottery
please visit http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/hirschmann
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