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testing coils/electric kilns

updated tue 31 jan 06

 

mel jacobson on mon 30 jan 06


nils and me were laughing this weekend.

how we both test electric kilns:
do not try this at home, for professionals only.

turn on the kiln to high for twenty minutes.
shut it off.
open the top with gloves and long sleeves.
look in.
the red coils are good, the black ones are bad.

for years i did the paper stuck in the coils.
no burned paper, bad coil.
you can also go down the coils with good gloves on,
take a pencil with an eraser...touch each coil. if it does
not make smoke...bad coil.
lots of ways to test.

whenever you open the electric box on an
\electric kiln have your digital camera handy.
open the box, take several close up pix of
the wiring.
save it.
add colored electric tape to each wire..number them.
make a diagram.
take another digital pix.
you will never fret again over...`where the hell does this wire go gd&#$%?`

changing coils, repair of brick, all can be done at home.
unplug first.
i just shut off the circuit breaker...add tape over it...`do not touch`.
open the red box.
take a digital pix.
mark each wire as you remove it.
take out the bad coil.
put in the new one.
reattach. button up.
turn on the breaker. plug it back in.
fixed.
if you are a smarty pants, use a continuity tester, or an ohm meter.
from mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3