Cynthia Bracker on fri 1 oct 04
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I'll start by answering your fourth question first. This is
definitely the sign of sloppy work or inexperience. No it is not
something that old kiln users or anyone needs to get used to. The
porcelain spacers on an electric kiln should be a matter of common sense
for a repair tech.
On your second question, not having porcelain spacers can indeed
cause a fire, this can also cause damage to home wiring, not to mention
the kiln, and possibly any other electrical appliance you have plugged
in in the house. Generally speaking, the fuse breaker in the wall
should prevent these things from happening, but it may not.
On your first question, yes, the element can pop out during the
firing because elements move somewhat when on. A properly pinned
element won't fall out. (This is another indicator of sloppy work or
inexperience)
Third question, regarding the power cord: A rule on kiln repair is
never to use electricians tape for any reason. It cannot withstand the
heat.
Fifth comment regarding not feeling safe: You're absolutely
correct. Don't fire this kiln in its current state. As for paying
another tech to look at your kiln, you're right, you shouldn't have to
pay another tech to check up on the first tech. However, it isn't the
second tech's fault that the first tech did bad work.
Which leads us to the question of should you try to get your money
back. Yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt. According to your description
of the incident, the kiln repair tech not only did not adequately
perform the service you paid him/her to do, but in addition created
hazards to your property and caused lost time and frustration on your
part etc. Ultimately your kiln should be in better condition when your
tech is done than it was before. That doesn't sound like the case here.
My tech, David says "Repair technicians have a responsibility to
warranty their own work. Reputable techs will admit when they've made a
mistake and bend over backwards to remedy the situation at their own
expense. At the very least, you are entitled to a full refund of the
labor you have been charged since the labor performed was inadequate,
incomplete and inexperienced (or sloppy) OR proper completion of the
repairs you paid for." Please call toll-free (888) 822-1982 and ask for
Dave or e-mail us off-list. We'd be happy to give you further advice on
your situation.
Be certain to talk to the tech about your dissatisfaction and
depending on how s/he responds, consider making the specifics of your
experiences (i.e. names etc.) known (at least in your area). I'm not
saying you should badmouth the tech or threaten to do so, but be honest
with other people in your position. Likewise, ask others in your area
who they get to do their repair work and if they're happy with the work
etc. It's even possible that the tech that did the work on your kiln is
actually a good tech who was having a bad day. Human Beings make
mistakes, period. How you fix your mistake means more. (IMHO) Good luck!
Cindy Bracker (with assistance from David Sturm)
Bracker's Good Earth Clays, Inc.
Sincultura 13 wrote:
>I’ll start by saying that I know next to nothing about kilns, so please excuse me if this has been discussed before… I searched the archive and found partial/possible answers. This guy (same tech who just repaired the kiln) changed the top element before he sold the kiln to me two months ago and forgot to place the white insulator/spacers. Is this something easily/commonly overlooked by techs? This made the element make contact with the metal causing intermittent little explosions (sparkles) every time the kiln was on. I just got my kiln back from the tech. The top element is slightly out of the groove. Maybe due to the space the spacer took? I tried to push it gently back but it won’t stay there. From what I read the elements needs to be heated in order to get it back in place. I don’t have a torch and don’t feel I should be the one to do the job since it was his mistake…
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>My questions are:
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>Is the element more likely to pop out completely during firing if it’s slightly out of the groove?
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>The reason I ask is because my teacher told me that not having the insulating spacers can cause a fire…
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>Also the tech promised me that if I bought a longer plug cable he would install it and give me a plug free of charge. He did a very sloppy job cutting the cable and taped with black tape the corners of the cable. Can black tape withstand the heat the side that is hooked to the kiln sitter is exposed to? He left the same old plug on the new cable. The plug is REALLY old and the spaces for the bolts/nuts are worn. It was a two man job talking it apart to change the cable…. He also forgot to place all screws on the kiln sitter back, which I noticed while loading the kiln on my car. He also damaged one of the screws and told me not to worry about it that the other three will hold it firmly in place…
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> Is this a clear sign of sloppy work by the tech or is it an every day thing every electric old kiln user needs to get accustoms to?
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>I don’t feel safe firing this kiln because of what has happened. The idea of paying more money to have another tech take a look at the kiln bothers me to no end ‘cause the whole idea of buying the kiln I bought was that I was getting it from someone who “knows” about them and told me it was on good conditions… I could have gotten a bigger kiln cheaper…
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>Should I try to get my money back? Any advice is greatly appreciated… I know little about the subject and might just be might drowning in a glass of water but wanr to make sure I’m taking the necessary safety precautions…
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>Above anything else I’m truly frustrated… I’ve only been able to fire the kiln twice in to months… I have over 40 pieces waiting to be fired and a million things to learn and experiment with…
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>Thanks
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>sincultura
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