fran johnson on tue 27 jun 06
My old pot studio had a major roof failure. The entire
thing leaked more than once. Since I was using it for
storage I didn't find out about it until recently.
I have an old paragon electric kiln. At first the kiln
wouldn't turn on but after drying out I think I got it
to work. Except the bottom ring doesn't seem to work
on the low or medium settings- judging from the
humming sounds it makes when turned to high. The
middle and top rings hummed on all 3 settings.
Does the humming/ not humming indicate it's working,
and does it make sense that the kiln would work only
on high? Oh yeah, a lot of black powder was on the
floor under the switch boxes.
If the switch boxes or elements need repairing or
replacing, how expensive does that get? Is it likely
that all 3 rings will need work? or is replacing the
kiln a better choice? Money is a consideration but I
don't want to repair this one only to replace it.
The cones also got wet. Some broke when I picked them
up. Some other boxes were intact and I didn't want to
touch them until they dried. What I don't know is they
are still good to use, how reliable would they be?
Some are small cones for the kiln sitter, others
standard. I have boxes of cones, from ^022 to ^6. and
if possible would like to use them. Does anyone have
any thoughts about this?
Thanks for any help
Fran Bellucci Johnson
Kenneth D. Westfall on tue 27 jun 06
Good chance that your switches have corroded contacts and need to be
replace and all the electrical connections need cleaned for corrosion
too. Far cheaper to replace the switches and even the elements then buy a
new kiln. Humming or not humming is a good indicator that current is or
is not flowing threw the elements. Best to test it with a ohm meter or
volt meter to see if you have a complete open circuit or just a bad
one. Sound like your bottom element is where your problem is or in the
connection going to it. I would say that to keep you from having more
problems down the road. I would just replace all the switch now rather them
be sorry down the road when they crap out in the middle of a firing.
I would guess $20 to $45 per switch depending on your location and if
you can find them off the shelf or if you have to go back to the
manufacture of the kiln.
Someone from Orton will have to say if the cone are good or not, my gut
feeling is they are not.
Kenneth D. Westfall
Pine Hill Pottery
HC 80 Box 32
Harrisville, WV 26362-9507
kenneth@pinehillpottery.com
http://www.pinehillpottery.com
John Post on tue 27 jun 06
Hi Fran,
To test the bottom element, turn your kiln on low without turning on the
other two elements. Wait 5-10 minutes and see if you can notice any
heat building up in the kiln by placing your hand near the element. If
it works you will feel heat coming from it.
To black stuff underneath your kiln is probably rust from the casing
that surrounds the kiln. Kilns shells corrode over time.
Unless it is falling apart, there is no need to worry if some rust falls
off of the kiln.
You can open up the wiring panel and make sure that all connections to
the elements are snug and tight. Make sure the kiln is off and
unplugged when you do this.
If you need to buy new elements, I usually figure around $150 dollars US
when I replace mine. I order them from Euclids in Canada.
As far as the cones go, I would put a cone 04, 05, or 06 in the sitter
and fire the kiln to drive out all of the moisture from it.
You could take all of your cones out of their boxes and set them on the
top of the kiln while it is firing to dry them out. They are made of
clay and glaze materials so they should dry out well on top of the kiln
just like pots do.
When the firing is over, you should have a dry kiln and dry cones. If
your kiln won't reach the final temperature or it fires really slowly,
you may need new elements. Once you have looked in the control box, you
will see how easy it is to replace elements. Search the archives for
directions on element replacement by mel, he gives good instructions on
how to do this using tape and a digital camera as aids for hooking
things back up.
Remember a kiln is just a big box of bricks to keep heat in. As long as
the box is in decent shape, the electric stuff can be replaced fairly
easily.
Cheers,
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Will Duderstadt on wed 28 jun 06
Hello Fran!
It will be fairly easy to determine if wet cones can be used:
=95 If the cone became waterlogged and deformed in anyway (or began to =20=
crumble) throw it out.
=95 If the cone retained its shape and density, and it doesn't feel =20
mushy in your hand, it did not get wet enough harm it.
Chances are, if the cones were not submerged into water, they'll be =20
OK. Even then, the foam and cardbox box may have pulled enough water =20=
away from the cones to keep them safe. I wouldn't suggest firing the =20=
cones to dry them, simply spreading them out and allowing for air =20
drying will be sufficient.
I hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Will Duderstadt
Marketing Coordinator
The Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation
http://www.ortonceramic.com
(614) 818-1341
On Jun 27, 2006, at 10:53 AM, fran johnson wrote:
> My old pot studio had a major roof failure. The entire
> thing leaked more than once. Since I was using it for
> storage I didn't find out about it until recently.
> I have an old paragon electric kiln. At first the kiln
> wouldn't turn on but after drying out I think I got it
> to work. Except the bottom ring doesn't seem to work
> on the low or medium settings- judging from the
> humming sounds it makes when turned to high. The
> middle and top rings hummed on all 3 settings.
> Does the humming/ not humming indicate it's working,
> and does it make sense that the kiln would work only
> on high? Oh yeah, a lot of black powder was on the
> floor under the switch boxes.
> If the switch boxes or elements need repairing or
> replacing, how expensive does that get? Is it likely
> that all 3 rings will need work? or is replacing the
> kiln a better choice? Money is a consideration but I
> don't want to repair this one only to replace it.
> The cones also got wet. Some broke when I picked them
> up. Some other boxes were intact and I didn't want to
> touch them until they dried. What I don't know is they
> are still good to use, how reliable would they be?
> Some are small cones for the kiln sitter, others
> standard. I have boxes of cones, from ^022 to ^6. and
> if possible would like to use them. Does anyone have
> any thoughts about this?
>
> Thanks for any help
>
> Fran Bellucci Johnson
>
> ______________________________________________________________________=20=
> ________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at =20
> melpots@pclink.com.
Arnold Howard on thu 29 jun 06
From: "fran johnson"
> I have an old paragon electric kiln. At first the kiln
> wouldn't turn on but after drying out I think I got it
> to work. Except the bottom ring doesn't seem to work
> on the low or medium settings- judging from the
> humming sounds it makes when turned to high. The
> middle and top rings hummed on all 3 settings.
> Does the humming/ not humming indicate it's working,
> and does it make sense that the kiln would work only
> on high?
Yes, it makes sense that the bottom 4-way rotary switch
works only on High. It sounds like it may have a bad
connection. I would check the neutral wire on the bottom of
the switch. Yes, the humming is a good indication that the
elements are firing.
You can download instructions for testing your A-series
Paragon kiln with an ohmmeter:
http://www.paragonweb.com/Instruction_Manuals.cfm
Or I will be glad to mail the instructions to you.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Brian Fistler on mon 3 jul 06
On Tue, 2006-06-27 at 13:01 -0400, John Post wrote:
>
> When the firing is over, you should have a dry kiln and dry cones. If
> your kiln won't reach the final temperature or it fires really slowly,
> you may need new elements. Once you have looked in the control box,
> you
Just a note on "firing slowly" My paragon got wet (very wet) sitting in
a shed/barn/lean-to directly on damp ground when we first picked it up
(used).
After we moved it to the basement I fired it up to try to dry it out...
It has a digital controller on it and I set it for a slow cycle to 350
degrees to start with... It took all of 24 hours to reach that 350
degree mark with the lid propped up a few inches... The kiln shut it
self off 3 times because the controller knew the temperature wasn't
climbinb fast enough... The first time I opened the door to check on it
about 30 minutes into the cycle, I couldn't even see my feet because of
the steam bellowing out of the doorway. It was winter and I had to open
the door to the basement and a window to get some ventilation going.
With the thick cloud of white smoke bellowing out of the basement, we
actually had someone stop to tell us our basement was on fire. LOL (no
kiln vent at the time, and I'm not sure I would have wanted all that
moisture going through the vent anyway.) At this point I figured I'd
better call the Sheriff's Office to let them know, so someone didn't
call in a house fire and send out the fire dept.
It is absolutely amazing how much water IFB can absorb and just how long
it can take to drive all that water off, and how much energy it takes to
do it. I'd guess the kiln was at least 50 lbs lighter after that firing
than when we moved it into the basement.
I fired it up to 1800 degrees and the kiln continued to steam some and
push a LOT of water out of the bricks... There was a little trickle of
water continuously running from the kiln to the floor drain until it
reached around 1600 degrees.
It still smelled like 'wet dog' from the moisture coming off of it.
On it's first real firing it fired quite normally and no longer was
giving off any noticible moisture.
It still sounds like Fran had a problem with the bottom switch, but
don't discount the heating elements just because it takes a long time to
reach temp the first time. I also wouldn't advise putting any pots in
the first time until after it's checked to at least 5 or 600 degrees (or
the steam stops, whichever comes first.)
Brian
Marcia Selsor on mon 3 jul 06
Brian,
You reminded me of when I built a little gas kiln out of wet ifb. in
upstate NY.
First time I fired it slow and felt I was making clouds of steam for
hours.
It IS amazing how much moisture IFB will hold.
I also had a little electric kiln survive flood waters. Cleaned it
out and fired it up.
No problems. I scrubbed the flood silt off the interior of the
bricks. Cleaned the wires and connections. All went back into place
clean and fired great.
Marcia Selsor
marciaselsor.com
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