Snail Scott on sat 2 oct 04
=?iso-8859-1?Q?newbie=85?=
At 02:57 AM 10/1/2004 -0700, you wrote:
>Is the element more likely to pop out completely during firing if it=92s
slightly out of the groove?
Possibly. Heat it to red heat, turn the kiln off,=20
then use a piece of wood to push the element back=20
into its track while it's still hot. If it still=20
doesn't stay, use an element pin to keep it in place.
>...my teacher told me that not having the insulating spacers can cause a
fire=85
Yes; you are shorting out the element to the metal=20
jacket of the kiln. Get a spacer in there!
>...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?
>...this is inexcusably incompetent. Half-assed work=20
on something that draws this amount of amperage is=20
very unsafe and unjustifiable. You could do a better=20
job for yourself. Truly. Think about it for next time.=20
It's not that hard to learn, and I think ANYBODY could=20
have done a better job than what you've described,=20
with a little conscientious effort. Kilns are really=20
pretty simple devices, and older ones, if anything,=20
are generally simplest. The age of the device is no=20
excuse for slipshod work.=20
Don't have this tech touch it again. I once had a=20
mechanic do bad work on my car, then re-do it a week=20
later, and again later in the month, and again, until=20
his sloppy workmanship nearly killed me. (He forgot to=20
bolt the brake calipers back on the rotors!) I thought=20
that having paid this guy once, I couldn't afford to=20
pay anyone else do it over. I was wrong.
If your tech could be this much of a %*$&#-up the first=20
time, he's not likely to get better by the next time,=20
just more foul-tempered. I know this sucks, but if this=20
kiln gets the proper work done now, it could last you=20
for many, many years to come, and the cost of hiring a=20
better electrician (or the time spent learning to do it)=20
will be well spent. It hurts now, and it's not fair,=20
but get it done right, by someone else.
If you can get your money back, give it a try, but if=20
you're stuck, it's not the end of the world, and you'll=20
probably still have a decent kiln at the end of it all.
In five years, that'll be what matters.
-Snail Scott
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