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TABLE OF CONTENTS - Sheffield Pottery

1. 3 There is a neat diagnostic program within the Dynatrol This is handy to use when your kiln is first delivered and set up to make sure it was done properly It can also be useful in seeing if an element has burned out To use this diagnostic program enter the following sequence when the display says IdlE 4 Press OTHER 4 4 3 5 Keep pressing OTHER to cycle through the menu options until you get to dIAG and then press ENTER 6 Open the lid of your kiln You will see each zone of the kiln turn on for one minute each starting with zone 1 the top zone The control will display OUtI then OUt2 then OUt3 as it cycles through this sequence CAUTION The power does not turn off when you open the lid Be careful not to put your troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 hand inside the kiln while it is on Dangerous electric shock could result This will tell you if the kiln sections are in the wrong order or if the wires are somehow crossed in the control panel If this is the case the zones will not turn on in the proper 1 2 3 order Loading 1 The Dynamic Zone Control of the EASY FIRE kilns can compensate for many uneven loading situa tions However if you are having a problem with uneven firing try to vary the way you load it to match the firing characteristics of the kiln For instance if it typically fires hot at the top them put more weight in the top to absorb that heat 2 Be sure to put posts under the
2. KILN STALLS 1 If for some reason the thermocouple wires touch the hot kiln case they may melt and fail The result of this is that the kiln can stall out say CPLt prema turely or display any other number of other random error codes It may refuse to increase in temperature troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 and the kiln will just run on and on If it is re started it may work fine for a while What happens is that the millivolt signal in the TC wire goes to ground or the two wires in the TC wire are electrically connected by the stainless steel melting through the insulation and the temperature is then taken right there not in the kiln However the signal received can be so foreign to the microprocessor that the kiln will just stall The specific Thermocouple Lead Harness needs to be replaced 2 Thermocouples close to end of their useful life can cause some of these same problems 3 Sometimes excessive ambient temperatures over 125 F around the control can cause stalling too 4 Corroded connection points can also cause stalling KILN FIRES SLOWLY Bad or Wrong Voltage 1 Check your voltage Do this at the kiln at the Power Terminal Block with the control panel open or check it at your fused disconnect box CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers You need to see what the voltage is when the kiln is firing Low voltage
3. Melting power cord Look for the power cord melting if it is close to the kiln Also look at the receptacle that it plugs into there is often oxidation there Look for signs of overheating these include bulging discolored swollen or flattened insulation like a slice from the side of the cord If the cord is only slightly melted it may be OK to use if the situation that caused the melting is rectified If the cord appears to be getting worse replace it If the insulation on the cord has deteriorated it is possible that the power wires could short out and cause a fire CONCLUSION AND REMINDERS Remember SAFETY FIRST Always assume the circuit is live until you check it the wiring is wrong until you trace it out and that there is always more going on than what someone tells you Slow and methodical step by step with an overview of the entire situation is the best way to deal with any problem In most cases your local distributor can replace parts and repair your kiln A good electrician may also be able to diagnose and repair your kiln L amp L s technical service department can handle any type of inquiry pertaining to the kiln s theory and design construction and use We can also repair or retro fit most older controls if they are sent back to the factory FEEDBACK PLEASE send us your feedback and questions We are particularly responsive to email because it allows us to research problems questions and concerns at a less
4. A way this might happen as an example is that frayed wires at the end of a wire connector might touch each other 2 Check for worn wires that may have shorted against the case Examine wire insulation If the wire insulation has become frayed or deteriorated from troubleshoot general pdf heat the wires could short to the metal casing which is electrically grounded 3 Look for dirt Some dirt such as carbon compounds are electrically conductive This is generally not the case with ceramic materials but some can be Vacuum out if you see dirt NOTE Usually a short circuit will trip the circuit breaker for the kiln or the fuses in the fused disconnect switch if you have one You will then not see any display on the DynaTrol Turn your circuit breaker on and off and check fuses on the fused disconnect and control fuse Control Transformer CAUTION These tests should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers 1 If none of these solve the problem then you could have a bad control transformer To check the trans former operation test with your digital multimeter It should read 240 volts across terminals 4 amp 7 and 24 volts across terminals 5 amp 8 This is a live test so be very careful not to touch any of the wires remember there is 240 volts in the panel and this can electrocute you If you are not getting proper voltage or any voltage from the transformer and you are getti
5. AUTOMATIC CONTROL BOX 30 General Information 0 0 0 0 cece eee eee 30 Can you restart the kiln 0 2 2 0 eee eee eee 33 Worst Case Scenario for Restarting After an Error Code 33 Ertd 222s dene ee ree ERI Su eee waa 34 Eft xor ppaver tr E EE ERN EEG wae eae 35 EAD etse ta Merah ata voice er ers Pda E De Res 35 No display power at all even after 15 seconds 36 Seems like the kiln is under firing or over firing slightly 37 Calibrating the DynaTrol 0 0 00 0000 37 Stalling caused by shorting of thermocouples 37 PYROMETERS 4 9 9 Y ecw eee 38 Tru View Pyrometer System 0000 38 THERMOCOUPLES eee eee 38 Metal Sheathed Type K Thermocouples 39 Type S Platinum thermocouples 00 39 For More Information on Thermocouples 39 Thermocouple extension wire 000 000 ee 39 Cones measure heat work 00000002 ee aee 39 THE POWER SUPPLY eee 39 Safety Warnings sasare 0 0 cece eee eA 39 The Data Nameplate 0 0 0 0 cece eee ee 40 If you are the electrician 000 0000 40 Use Copper Wire 22e eade eee ed 41 Chart of wire and amperage 00000005 41 Voltage Drop over distance 0000 e eee 41 Power cords sacs era tr RETI E aa wane eed 41 TROUBLESHOOTING AN EXISTING POWER SUPPLY sortne notra FRIES E NE 42 Circ it breaker
6. ELEMENT TROUBLESHOOTING See troubleshoot elements pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING section of your instruction manual for more information on element problems how to change elements and how to change element holders See the section later in these instructions for a complete walkthrough of how to check elements in a manual kiln KILN ATMOSPHERE amp VENTING An electric kiln atmosphere rich in oxygen will make elements kilnsitters and thermocouples last as long as possible All the materials used in L amp L kilns like to be in oxygen Fumes are generated by carbonaceous materials in clay china paints and glazes containing oils glue from decals and certain glazes and other miscellaneous products Fumes include carbon monoxide sulfur oxides hydrogen fluoride and metal vapors These fumes are unhealthy and can adversely affect your work You MUST VENT YOUR KILN if you are doing ceramics troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 INSTALLATION CODES See install pdf in the INSTALLATION section for more information on venting and codes GENERAL ROOM VENTILATION Your kiln room should be dry and well ventilated Never operate in an enclosed space unless you have good ventilation Aside from issues of ventilating the fumes from the firing the heat build up in an enclosed room could present a significant fire hazard We recommend room ventilation of at least 10 25 times the cubic feet of the kiln per hour For example if a
7. The top ring gets TC1 Either the upper middle or the lower middle section can have TC2 in it The bottom ring gets TC3 All five circuit controls have the center three circuits tied into TC2 Therefore skipping 2 receptacle with the four ring kilns would be the same as skipping the 3 or the 4 receptacle TC1 must always be in the top section and TC 3 must always be in the bottom section TC2 can be in either of the middle sections Five section kilns Top is in 1 receptacle upper middle is in 2 middle is in 3 bottom middle is in 4 bottom is in 5 receptacle The top ring has TCI in it The middle ring has TC2 in it receptacles 2 3 4 go on and off together the bottom ring has TC3 in it If you are sure the kiln is set up properly nothing is out of place and none of the thermocouples are partially out of the kiln then one of the following situations may apply You were firing with the lid open and you got Errd either while the lid was open or right after you closed it For drying with the lid open only about two inches is needed to adequately vent off water vapor This is plenty if all the peep holes are open The DynaTrol will attempt to compensate for the heat loss and it usually can The trouble may happen when you close the lid The elements in the top of the kiln are already much hotter than the ones nearer the bottom due to their need to compensate for the heat loss from the top When you close the lid it can
8. ature of about cone 5 maybe if run on 208 volts You should only run a kiln on the voltage that the Data Nameplate specifies if you are to expect the best results Plus or minus six or seven volts is OK but keep in mind that the higher the actual voltage is over the recommended voltage the higher the surface temperature of the element is at any given time and therefore it is more likely to burn out early Likewise the lower the actual voltage is below the specified voltage the lower the maximum temperature will be Voltage is specific to the building and to time of day It will probably be a bit lower during the day and higher at night You can carefully test it to see what it is with your multi meter It is costly to change the Page 40 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE voltage but this can be done with a transformer You ll definitely need a good electrician though The cheapest way to fix the problem is to replace the elements and possibly the switches with the proper voltage ones The switches are marked INF 240 INF 208 INF 120 or something similar You will probably need to remove one to see the markings The comput erized controls will work on either 208 or 240 unless 120 380 220 or 480 is specified Note that we use 240 volt INF switches now on 240 and 208 volt kilns 208 volt
9. same information and more about time and temper ature is in the section on pyrometric cones In this example the kiln has already held at about 35 degrees lower than the final temperature for 25 minutes It would need another 25 minutes of holding to give the ware the same amount of heat work that 2232 F cone 6 would have In reality however an Err1 that close to the end of a firing probably means you need new elements So re starting the kiln will probably not enable it to climb much higher in temperature Keeping track of the time let it run and when it shows Err1 again just Page 33 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE keep re starting it until the firing finishes Meanwhile call and order new elements Be very careful if you try this method On loads that are very important always use cones you can see through the peepholes in case of a failure of some kind If you have to use this method without the cones remember that almost all your calculations are based on estimates and the results could be disastrous to your ware and or the kiln if you are not accurate enough The further away the temperature that the kiln is holding at is from the cone that the firing was trying to get to the less accurate an estimated amount of time will be to achieve the amount of heat work necessary If you
10. se ssh ere Rm 42 troubleshoot general pdf 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com Wire size too small 4 2 eta rb eve 42 Corrosion essel er 42 Dedicated circuit 2l brked elder RAS ees 42 Melting power cord 2 cece sees 42 CONCLUSION AND REMINDERS 42 FEEDBACK 4 e 9e vREREE ete ee 42 CAUTION ELECTRICITY CAN KILL Many of the tests described in here are performed under power They should be done ONLY by someone who is familiar with electrical safety such as an electrician or trained maintenance person We identify any test that is live with a CAUTION statement We describe these tests in detail so that an electrically trained person who doesn t specifically understand kilns can do the troubleshooting the level of simplicity described is not meant as an invitation to harm the untrained AS LONG AS THE KILN IS UNPLUGGED YOU ARE SAFE GET A DIGITAL MULTIMETER If you want to do much of the troubleshooting described here and not be dependent on a kiln service person then get this tool It is not hard to use Without it you are only guessing at the origin and severity of an electrical problem based on how the kiln is acting A slow firing kiln may just have old elements or the elements could be fine but the incoming voltage from your power supply could be low or fluctuating Unless you t
11. the coils of the contactors Picture of a PRD 7AYO relay used on most J Series manual kilns that require contactors Control coil terminals Picture of an enclosed 25 amp relay that we currently use on most Jupiter automatic kilns and some manual kilns Power contact terminals Page 27 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Picture of a 50 amp contactor used on DaVinci kilns Power Contact terminals Control Coil terminals a To determine whether the contactor or the switch is bad first follow the wires from the load side of the switch to the contactor b With the power all on and the switch on high take a voltage reading where the two wires from the switch to the contactor connect to the contactor Normally there will be the same voltage before the switch on the switch s line side or at the main powerblock as at the test point If these voltage readings are the same then the contactor is bad c If there is no voltage present then follow those two wires back up to the load side of the switch and measure the voltage there If the voltage reading is the same then one of the wires is bad d If there is no voltage present at the load side of the switch power all on switch on high then be sure voltage is coming to the switch if it is then the switch is bad R
12. Dawson kilnsitter is being used The kiln body is typically made of 9 high sections on the polygonal J and K Series and DaVinci X amp T Series L amp L kilns In the past we have made 14 high and 6 1 2 high sections for J models We continue to make 4 1 2 unheated sections for Jupiter kilns The sections are stacked on top of each other up to 5 high and for some special units even higher The bricks are not cemented together in these models but are cut to fit exactly together to form a very stable multi sided polygon or gently curved symmetrical shaped DaVinci No latches are used to connect the troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 sections but these can be added if required The new Easy Lift Easy Load Jupiter hinge does allow you to attach up to three sections rigidly together Firebrick The firebrick used on almost all top loading electric kilns is very soft and fragile It is typically K 23 firebrick either 2 7 thick or 3 thick This brick is used because of its remarkable insulating efficiency It is much greater than some of the harder firebricks available All L amp L kilns have a special compound called brick facing applied to the inside surface of the firebrick to harden it once it is fired It is a good idea to reapply this coating every so often over the years A very thin coating is recommended for deep penetration of the compound into the brick Over the years the brick will
13. Deg F The Vent Sure will aid in keeping your kiln uniform by drawing hot air from the top of the kiln towards the bottom It counteracts the natural rising of the heat If you want to increase draw first close the Bypass valve on the Bypass Collection Box under the kiln See the Vent Sure vent instruc tions You can also increase the size of the vent holes in the bottom of the kiln You can also try taking out the top peephole plug See ventsure instruct pdf in the OPTIONS section of your Instruction Manual LAG amp AUTOLAG SETTINGS Check the LAG setting see information in these instructions under KILN FIRES SLOWLY To get the kiln to fire more evenly you may want to decrease the LAG setting and perhaps turn the AUTOLAG OFF CONTROL ERROR CODES Auto See the control instructions and the explanation later in these instructions THE KILN FIRES UNEVENLY MANUAL 1 Many of the above issues for automatic kilns also apply to manual kilns 2 Multi section kilns like our J Series X or T Series DaVinci older G Series Colorado and SQ Series Dyna Kilns have infinite control over the input to each section or zone Firing chamber uniformity depends upon how a kiln may be loaded and how the input to each zone is adjusted Normally a kiln is on low for a period of time then set to medium for the next period of time and finally on high until shut off by either Dawson kiln sitter or other control device such as a program c
14. F lower A two hour hold time about 60 F lower See troubleshoot cones pdf in the LOG CONES TIPS Section of your Instruction Manual THE POWER SUPPLY This consists of the main power cord receptacle powerblock wire and breakers Safety Warnings NOTE If you are not sure about some part or procedure in creating or testing a power supply line for a kiln DO NOT GUESS If you wire something improperly you might just blow the circuit breaker or burn the place down Get an electrician or someone who knows NOTE There are many different ratings on the wire and components that make up the supply line that Page 39 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE need to be considered along with proper and safe installation when creating or testing a kiln power supply It is beyond the scope of this manual to properly educate someone to fully understand the potential variations and variables involved in this Often a building like a school or a recreation facility or even a home will be inspected for electrical code and fire code enforcement If you do not own the building or if the kiln is in anything other than a free standing private workshop for yourself get permission to do what you want to do from the owner and get an electrician to properly wire the circuit so you are not liable The Dat
15. Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE DaVinci Control Panel This shows branch fusing The control knows when to turn the contactors on and off because of the signals it receives from the inputs The inputs are the thermocouples TCs also known as the temperature sensors In early controls only one TC was used The micro processor the brain in the control compared the TC reading to the map of the programmed firing it was following and decided whether to activate the output to turn on all the elements or not The later versions of these controls like our DynaTrol have three of these thermocouples inputs Each is connected to its own part of the processor and has its own separate output The thermocouples are meant to be positioned in the wall of the kiln near the middle of the zone whose temperature they are reading the tips should be about 1 to 1 1 2 in A zone is the area in a kiln controlled by just one of the controllers outputs For example a model JD230 has three zones each controlled by one of the three main outputs In its control panel there are three branch circuits each containing a contactor Branch circuit number one s contactor is controlled by output number one from the DynaTrol controller Output number one comes on or off depending on readings from thermocouple number one input number 1 which i
16. Press OTHER until ShtO is displayed 4 Pressing ENTER here allows you to toggle using any number key between On and OFF 5 On means that as soon as the hottest zone gets to the segment s set point the entire kiln switches to either the hold time or the next segment This will result in a quicker firing 6 OFF means that the Dynatrol will not let the hottest zone s temperature rise until the average temperature of the three zones reaches that segment s set point Then the kiln can begin the hold time or Page 13 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE the next segment This will result in more even firing 7 When you have the setting you want shown in the display On or OFF press ENTER CPL will display for a few seconds and then IdLE tC2 and current temperature Pid Setting 1 This setting generally should be left at its factory default because it is hard to predict the changes that it will create in your firing However a full explanation is given for more advanced users who want to exper iment with this 2 This setting comes pre programmed at the factory for 65 Basically this setting determines how much help the middle zone of the kiln gives the bottom zone of the kiln when the bottom zone is lagging behind during heating This comes into play when the bottom zone is on 100
17. This can be fixed with a wire brush and some lubricant or with a new contact block but it may be time to replace the whole Dawson kiln sitter or at the very least the tube assembly D The tube assembly can get filled with condensed glaze residue or other debre It may be possible to clean it out but most likely you will need to replace it E The actuator rod can become so corroded that it does not work properly This will typically require a change in the tube assembly FOR MORE INFORMATION The Dawson instruction manuals have very good diagrams that are important to have dawson LT3 pdf dawson pk pdf AUTOMATIC CONTROL BOX General Information The similarities between the automatic controls and the manual controls are most easily seen in the power circuits Just like in a large manually controlled kiln with contactors controlled by switches all the automatic kilns contain contactors which are controlled by the automatic controller Early controls just had one output which turned all the contactors as well as the elements on and off together Later controls used after September 1998 typically have 3 inputs and outputs which allows each contactor and the element circuit connected to it to be turned on and off individually as needed based on the the various inputs See dynatrol instruct blue pdf in the CONTROL section of your Instruction Manual for more information on the DynaTrol Page 30 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg
18. and minutes during a hold time a preheat or a delayed start However its information is used in nearly every calculation D The Orton Firing Institute has devised and patented a way to calculate a final temperature for a firing based on the relationship between how many degrees the kiln is climbing per hour and what temperature is presently in the kiln This calculated final set point temperature is the temperature at which the pyrometric cone that the firing has been programmed to go to will melt given that specific rate of climb and current temperature Near the end of firing the DynaTrol slows the kiln s rate of climb down proportionally in order to avoid an overshoot This means that the calculated final temperature is constantly being adjusted at the end of the firing to account for the slowing down of the kiln This is only used in the Easy Fire mode It is an elegant way for the control to measure heat work that is so important for ceramic firing and consistently and accurately fire correctly even given different loading conditions and the changing character of the kiln itself Needless to say these controllers are more compli cated than the older infinite or Hi Medium Low switches In order to properly control the kiln they also need a lot of self diagnostics If a thermocouple is burned out there needs to be a way to alert the user If the kiln is climbing so slowly that the calculations reach an impossible scenario ther
19. are simply completing each TC circuit without using the TC wire or the TC Do not let the U s touch anything other than the TC connection points Note the fact that a paperclip is not the proper type of metal to use in a Type K TC circuit is not an issue for a test like this E Cover with electrical tape the loose TC wires so they will not short anything out if they touch connection points and carefully close up the control F Turn the unit on If it still says FAIL then the electronic board has failed If it reads room temper ature then the TC wire or the TC has failed G If it reads room temperature with these jumpers in and you are not sure if it is the TC or the TC wire just re attach TC2 s wire to TC3 and re attach TC3 s wire to TC2 If the FAIL message is still on TC2 then it is the wire not the TC Ifit says that the FAIL is now at TC3 then you know it is the TC not the wire there are many other ways to determine this as well There are many other trouble scenarios that are unique to computerized kilns Understanding how the DynaTrol and other controls work will give the user some insight into why there is a problem Two major trouble scenarios and their solutions are as follows No display power at all even after 15 seconds 1 Turn on any other control devices like switches to HIGH Kiln sitters ON limit timers ON troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 2 On SQ and some G models and on a
20. by pass collection box If this is the case try to determine which studs are not correct and either enlarge the holes in the bypass collection box with a drill or put a nut on the stud and tap it with a hammer bending it slightly to go into the hole Hardware The older L amp L kilns had zinc plated steel hardware on the kiln case The newer models use much more expensive stainless steel hardware because it will not tust like zinc plated steel Old hardware can always be replaced with stainless steel hardware of the same type Also the electrical hardware that we used to use before 2000 was nickel plated rather than all stainless steel Econo Jupiter Standard Lid Hinge The hinge for the lid has a pin connecting the lid to the kiln body When the kiln is cool it is critical that the pin pass through the bottom of the oval shaped holes on the part of the hinge that is mounted to the kiln body If the pin passes through the middle or top of these holes the lid may not sit properly will rise up as the kiln heats up and might crack The firebrick expands as the kiln heats The oval shaped holes allow for this expansion by giving the hinge pin room to rise up as the bricks expand If the pin cannot rise brick will continue to push upward and the back edge of the lid will suddenly become a pivot point that will mangle the brick and force all the lid s weight to ride on that point possibly cracking it Check this hinge pin position
21. can wait and re fire from room temperature you should If you depend in any way on your kiln you should keep spare parts around for it You could replace the elements easily yourself after the kiln cools and then re load it and re fire it to the proper cone without losing much time at all Or consider that most glazes have an entire cone s temperature range that they can mature within Weigh your options and decide In general though Error Codes mostly appear after the kiln has been disassembled and set back up improperly has had its power supply altered like moving to a new studio with different voltage or has had an element or a thermocouple burn out Errd If the kiln was just re assembled and Errd is the error code then double check that the kiln sections are plugged into their appropriate receptacles and the thermocouples are in the proper zones Two section kilns Top ring is in 1 receptacle on the control bottom is in 2 Top ring gets TC1 bottom ring gets TC2 Three section kilns Top is in 1 receptacle middle is in 2 bottom is in 3 Top ring gets TC1 middle ring gets TC2 bottom ring gets TC3 Four section kilns Top is in 1 receptacle next section down is in 3 next is in 4 the bottom is in 5 the cords and numbers go 1 2 3 4 but the second receptacle down on the control box is skipped there are five circuits on the control but only four sections troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0
22. hectic pace We will get back to you We want to make this Troubleshooting Guide and all our documentation the very best in the industry You can send your email to service hotkilns com You can email the president of the company direct at steve hotkilns com Although we like email don t hesitate to call or fax We are here to help Page 42 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com
23. is out and the power is off There is a ceramic tube going from the back of the Page 29 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE kiln sitter through the wall of the kiln ending with an oval shaped hole the other end of the sensing rod and two angled flat pieces of metal called cone supports In order to use this kiln sitter a small pyrometric cone or pyrometric bar must be slid in place here The cone lays flat across the tops of the cone supports The sensing rod rests in the middle on top of the cone When the cone is in place the weight should still be up trapped behind the claw The cone will melt and bend at a specific temperature actually after a specific amount of what is known as heat work and there are different cones for different temperatures or different amounts of heat work As the cone begins to melt the sensing rod resting on top of the cone begins to force its way down slowly bending the cone As the sensing rod moves down on the inside of the kiln it is slowly moving up on the outside The claw attached to the outside end of the sensing rod moves up and eventually the weight is freed It falls if the kiln is level and the device is operating properly dirt or corrosion can impinge on proper operation In falling it knocks the spring loaded metal plate out of the button s
24. occasionally To adjust it loosen the troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 mounting screws on the kiln body s part of the hinge assembly not the lid s section and slide that part of the assembly up or down The mounting holes here are oval shaped as well Close up of a hinge assembly It is important to have the hinge bar rest on the bottom of the oval hole in the hinge when the kin is cold This allows the lid to move up when the kiln expands Oval hole on all s hinges Hinge bar must be at bottom when kiln is cold The standard J Series lid on J14 through J245 kilns is meant to be used with door chains to stop the door from opening too far a safety chain from the door handle to a hook secured in the wall keeps the lid from accidentally closing a Me E ADJUST FOR ABOUT 1 WALL PORRES MUST BE m 12 OR MORE FROM WALL Older J2900 29 diameter Econo and Jupiter kilns have a tall metal backstop protruding from the hinge to keep the lid from opening too far These have no door chains but still use the safety chain to the wall Page 18 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE hook system This has been replaced with the new Easy Lift Easy Load spring loaded hinge system as standard on all 29 diameter Jupiter kilns as of
25. programmed for one zone or two zones Then press 3 then ENTER The display will then say StOP If you choose to do this thermocouple 1 must be in the top zone thermocouple 2 in the middle and 3 in the bottom All three zones will operate independently tied to their respective thermocouples 8 To exit the OTHER 4 4 3 series of menus without doing anything press OTHER until you come to PCt Then press ENTER twice You will then see CPL and then IdLE tC2 and the current temperature cycling in the display again LAG Setting 1 LAG is the zone control setting that determines the temperature differential allowed between zones 2 The lower the LAG number the more even the firing However this can slow the kiln down consid erably It is somewhat like a convoy the kiln can only move as fast as its slowest zone although of course it is more complicated than this because the faster zones help heat the slower zones 3 The default LAG setting is 25 If you increase this to 50 or even 75 is allows the kiln to fire its zones with a greater differential which will speed the kiln up 4 Press OTHER until you see LAG 5 Hit ENTER 6 You will see LAG and a number such as 0025 flash 7 Input a new number from 5 to 99 with the keypad and hit ENTER We do not recommend less than 25 unless you have a very critical process and where speed is not an issue like on low fire A very low number like 0005 could really slow the kiln dow
26. slot allowing the button to pop out which turns off the kiln If this does not work the timer will run down and the timer motor will push the spring loaded metal plate out of the button s slot thus turning off the kiln With all this cause and effect there are many ways this device could not work properly With a maintenance schedule though it can work well for years The user s manual from Dawson is excellent for mainte nance and troubleshooting Usually the biggest problem we see is either the button not staying in or the kiln sitter not turning off the kiln Potential Problems with the Dawson A If the button will not stay in the weight is up and the kiln sitter is relatively new there is probably a wire pressed against the spring loaded flat metal piece this keeps the piece from sliding into the button s slot Or maybe the spring has come out of its tiny hole in the flat piece of metal If the flat piece is older corrosion may also keep it from sliding B If the kiln sitter does not shut off the kiln but the timer does then usually either the wrong cone was used the weight or the claw are out of adjustment or troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 the kiln is not level and the weight cannot fall once it is released C If neither the kiln sitter nor the timer shut off the kiln then either the corrosion inside is so bad that nothing moves easily or the contacts behind the button are fused together
27. the way around the kiln old elements expand in size can the resistance be lower than what the nameplate calculations would indicate Low resistance is very bad because it means more electricity is being pulled in through your components than they were designed to handle Look for overheated connection points if this situation continues for any length of time and replace elements immediately With a high resistance reading you want to see how much higher it is and what the relationship between the calculated resistance and the actual resistance really means 1 If the reading is just a bit more than 9 over the calculated resistance the elements are probably all still connected but are badly oxidized Check the actual voltage from where the kiln was plugged in or connected to power Divide the resistance you have measured into that number and compare the result to the amperage on the nameplate It will be lower Problems can also arise if the actual voltage is consid erably different than the nameplate voltage A 240 volt kiln running on 208 volts will have about 25 less power A 208 volt kiln running on 240 volts will burn up the elements and the switches quickly 2 More testing is needed if the readings are consid erably higher 3 The meter is properly set but there is a considerably high ohms reading at the powercord C Double check your math Be sure that your calcu lated resistance for the whole kiln is a result of the na
28. use just 120 volts Most non US voltage supplies are either 220 single phase or 380 three phase Kilns need a lot of power to run and being around that much electricity can be dangerous Always physically disconnect what you are working on from the power supply If it is not possible to disconnect physically be sure to turn off the power supply and take a voltage reading to ensure there is no power on Ideally you would be able to see the power disconnect closest to you and monitor it to make sure no one turns it on while you are working Lock out tag out padlock type devices are available if you cannot see the power disconnect This is required for commercial indus trial and institutional users These allow you to lock a power supply while you are working on the kiln Once the kiln is unplugged all the parts are safe to handle provided they are not too hot See cautions pdf in the CAUTIONS Section GENERAL INFORMATION See troubleshoot electricity pdf in the TROUBLES HOOTING section for a good simple explanation of how electricity works in a kiln Making visual comparisons between circuits in the control or between sides of the same circuit will often point to the problem Electricity travels in a circle hence the word circuit It is easiest to visualize your kiln circuitry in terms of a circle Electricity always chooses the easiest path as well It always tries to go to ground before anything else but if this is n
29. vent systems cannot handle lots of smoke from newspaper or a lot of wax resist and still let the kiln reach its highest temper ature To be sure you have not created an unsafe situation you should check the temperature of the flexible ductwork while the kiln is at its maximum temperature Most flexible aluminum ductwork is rated for at least 350 F so if it is hotter than the rating you must plug up at least one hole High Temperature Cement available from L amp L works well for this Kao wool and other high temperature fiber products can work too However the fibers may get stuck in the fan motor and potentially burn it out Other residue particularly wax resist can build up on the fan motor and the inside of the ductwork A periodic cleaning will help CAUTION Be careful if you are doing wax resist The wax will condense on the inside of the aluminum ductwork and this could be dangerously flammable Check this periodically if you are doing this It is not necessary to put air intake holes in the lid on troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 sectional L amp L kilns although you can if you prefer If the kiln is not sectional or fits together extraordi narily well you will want to drill air intake holes in the lid The number and size of these holes should never exceed the number and size of the air exhaust holes A schematic drawing showing the Vent Sure THE CONTROL There are two basic types of control sy
30. will make the kiln fire considerably slower For instance a kiln designed for 240 volts will have 25 less power when operated on 208 volts Check voltage at your panel and where the kiln is connected Check the voltage when the kiln is firing and when it is not firing Sometimes the high amperage draw of the kiln will cause a voltage drop at the kiln A voltage drop of 5 to 10 volts is not uncommon and is to be expected If your voltage drop is more than that then you may have a problem with your electrical supply 2 Make sure no other large electrical appliances such as a clothes dryer or electric oven are on when you are operating your kiln This may cause a voltage drop which would slow the kiln down 3 Voltage may vary in your area depending on season and time of day Frequently there are brown outs during the summer months in some areas This is when the electric utility reduces the voltage Try firing Page 10 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE at night after peak electrical use hours You can use your Delay feature to do this easily Find out from your local utility company when the end of the peak period of electrical use is Some utilities offer prefer ential rates for using electricity at night because it is cheaper for them Element Aging See troubleshoot elements pdf Power Re
31. 10 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE are all OK so the problem must lie somewhere between the two To determine why a branch circuit is not working A With the kiln on run a voltage test on the recep tacles or at the connections to the elements in each branch circuit to see which it is the bad one B Making sure the power is off open the control panel and visually inspect the branch circuits Check branch fuses if the kiln has them C Locate the two wires that begin the bad branch circuit from the bunch that come from L1 and L2 on the main powerblock D Follow those wires to where they connect to the first component in line probably either a fuse block a relay or a switch E With the power ON and any kiln sitters or switches on High so that the elements would come on if they could take a voltage reading at the point where these two wires connect to the first component in line The reading normally should be the same as what it is at the main powerblock If it is not one of the wires between the main powerblock and the first component is bad Replace it F If there is voltage there then take another reading after the first component at the point where the two wires continue onto the next component or to the element connection If there is voltage after the component then the component is working 1 Note Low Medium High switches in some L amp Ls and in o
32. 4 0 still available for SQ B J and JD model kilns only if they were built after January 1996 or have had all their element holders replaced since that date Note that the new and the old style holders fit into the exact same milled slot that we have always put in our brick Therefore you can put new holders in your old kiln There is a slight offset between the two styles when you mix them but this won t cause any problems for the elements DaVinci kiln element holders gray colored are rated for a higher temperature than the J model element holders They are interchangeable in terms of their composition for most uses It is the lengths which are different They can be custom cut using a wet diamond saw if necessary The DaVinci element holders will not slump together in the event of an over fire as soon as the J model holders will which is at about 2450 F The DaVinci element holders are rated for about 3000 F but are not quite as imper vious to heat shock as the J model holders Very sudden changes in temperature will cause them to crack sooner than the J model holders would Since 2350 F is the maximum temperature for any L amp L kiln the higher rated DaVinci holder would never see its temperature rating of 3000 F In the event of an over fire however the cost of repair is considerably less if the element holders have not slumped Element Holder Replacement See troubleshoot brick pdf for instructions on how to replace element
33. 4 Rev 4 0 In re wiring the power supply you may not have used thick enough copper wire line conduit and connection points will be very hot The elements you got from some other supplier who said these ll work fine have too much resistance or you did not hook them up properly leaving the jumper wire out of a J230 section will double the resistance in that circuit and only one of the two elements will be used Always use an ohms meter on the element and on the circuit If you rewire anything improperly or incorrectly the potential for anything from a blown breaker to just no power at all is possible Using wire with a temper ature rating of less than 150 F can seriously limit the life of the circuitry and can be dangerous as well especially when the wires are close to the kiln Use a wire diagram and trace every wire to check yourself You can buy high temperature wire from L amp L FAIL If upon inspection the error code FAIL turns out to be a burned out TC then the solution is simple Change the thermocouple You should not mix unsheathed thermocouples with sheathed ones because their response rates are slightly different A spare on hand is a good idea as well Sometimes the code CPLt will be displayed This code is always displayed after a successful firing to mean complete If it appears after you attempt to re start the kiln after a FAIL message or at any other tme except for the end of the firing to mean co
34. 85 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE box this is the one we use in the Doll Baby kilns Both the K and the LT 3K were designed to be attached directly into an existing control panel while the P and the LT 3 mount in their own box and are connected electrically to the switch box or other control Any of these four models can be housed in the metal box or attached directly to an existing box The kiln sitters are used either as a safety backup or as the primary turn off control Many people who are using manual kilns will want to pay great attention to the end of the firing These people will be adjusting switches throughout the firing to even out the heat top to bottom and will have self supporting cones that can be seen through the peepholes to know at the end of the firing that all the sections are even in temperature The kiln sitter will turn off the kiln once its cone has melted with no regard to the temperature in the rest of the kiln What this means is that there is the potential for the ware in the bottom of the kiln to be under fired if the kiln sitter is in the top of the kiln or over fired if the kiln sitter is in the bottom of the kiln You will also be able to turn off the entire kiln yourself when you see the target cone slump over In this scenario you would have the kiln sitter cone be one or two cones higher than the cone you are firing to Of course if you are not
35. April 2001 Jupiter Easy Lift Easy Load Spring Loaded Hinges In April 2001 L amp L started using spring loaded hinges as standard equipment on the twelve sided 29 Jupiter kilns These hinges are available as an option on the ten and eight sided Jupiters as well They make opening the lid considerably easier especially on the larger kilns Do not consider using these hinges if you rely on being easily able to remove sections of your kiln to load it These hinges cover about 20 inches of the height of the kiln body or about two and one quarter sections of the kiln and complicate the simplicity of removing the individual kiln sections The 12 sided Jupiters already use a hinge that covers two sections so the simplicity of removing sections on these models is not really compromised by the use of this better hinge These new hinges also feature the ability to tie together up to three sections or two sections and the bottom on 2 section kilns The hinge itself is made from galvannealed steel for corrosion resistance and is then powder coated There is no easy way to retro fit an older kiln with one of these hinges but it can be done When these are installed at the factory we use aluminized metal backing plates tapped in behind the stainless steel bands to give the hinge mounting screws something to latch onto DaVinci Lid Hinge and Counterbalance The DaVinci hinges include a pole mounted counterbalance These hinges still h
36. GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 3 RELATED L amp L GUIDES 3 CAUTION INSTRUCTIONS sess 3 REGULAR KILN MAINTENANCE ss 3 BASIC ELECTRICITY FOR TROUBLESHOOTING 3 TROUBLESHOOTING BRICK PROBLEMS 3 TROUBLESHOOTING ELEMENT PROBLEMS 3 TROUBLESHOOTING FIRING PROBLEMS WITH CONE PACKS eenaa E O pati das ROSE Hd ees 3 THE CERAMIC PROCESS s eee eee 3 REPLACEMENT PARTS shelui cade RR URS 3 SERVICE iius ARRA daher eR 3 GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TOOLS AND METHODS RR EREPRERRE P GMT 3 BASIC TOOLS REQUIRED eese 3 KEYS TO GOOD TROUBLESHOOTING 4 SAFETY FIRST 2 2sce Re hee tey inae 4 DEFINE THE VARIABLES s 4 ELIMINATE VARIABLES ONE ATA TIME 4 TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLISTS 4 TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST 4 CONTROL DISPLAY DOESN T SHOW ANYTHING AUTO KILN 53 9 2 mel ERE xen 4 On Off Switch seeeseeee esee d Control FUSE ecu vie die ied RERetids RETI ER 4 Branch Fusing i i 9 ead 4 Plug amp Cord if you have one 000 4 Circuit Breaker Power Source 2 0005 4 Internal Wiring veces deed be ra eae whe ee 5 Short Circuits sia sce Rua eee ry 9 eae sad 5 Control Transformer sorsa gerna eese 5 Control Board 5 422 cose schon oad if ecco eae fe e cer ast 6 THE KILN DOESN T HEAT AT AL
37. INF switches have slightly different timing because of the way the voltage affects the internal heater in the switch Use copper wire Always use copper wire with the highest temperature rated insulation you can find 150 C is what the internal wiring up next to the kiln is rated for so hook up wire with that rating would be excellent however 105 C is adequate Note our power cords which are approved by UL are rated for 105 C Keep in mind that for different amperage services different thickness of copper hook up wire is required The following chart should give an idea of what is necessary Chart of wire and amperage Service Gauge of wire required required american wire gauge 15 amp 14 awg copper 20 amp 12 awg copper 30 amp 10 awg copper 40 amp 8 awg copper 60 amp 6 awg copper 70 amp 4 awg copper 80 amp 3 awg copper 90 amp 2 awg copper 100 amp 1 awg copper 125 amp 1 0 awg copper 150 amp 2 0 awg copper 175 amp 4 0 awg copper troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 200 amp 250mcm copper 1000 circular mils 225 amp 350mcm copper 250 amp 350mcm copper Voltage is not really an issue here Usually wire like this is rated for at least 300vac if not 600vac Look for the wire specifications on the insulation or ask the supplier to be sure The voltage rating is based on the electrical resistance of the wire insulation to prevent voltage leak Voltage Drop over distance Running power for your kiln o
38. L MANUAL KILNS euo rex RR OE EE UR Y UIS 6 DISPLAY READS FAIL AUTO 6 DISPLAY READS 2400 or CPLt WHEN IT STARTS UP AUTO 5 ivewheesvees eee egy E evo 6 DISPLAY IS NORMAL BUT KILN WON T HEAT UP AUTO xoceexexx re m ER ERE Y xe 7 Programimit iue vor DOR Ee P dee aaa ea 7 b TPM RETO PPS 7 Control Board Outputs 7 Bad Power Relays 000 cece eee eee ee 7 Bad Elements merie ice pt Gad oh qn eiie 7 KILN FIRES UNEVENLY 7 PeepholeS xiusiudodcoenea tons dod deeds epar Bon dp dendi 7 Eid Seal da renda e i bed Une RES 7 Elements 5o orae emm ea ed ee gen 8 Loading sie eee qs peti PH eset d eint 8 Firing with Cones llseeeeeeeee eese 8 troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Thermocouple Offsets 0 0000 eee eee eee 8 VETS Y SUCTIN Lacus a integer ae ica Us shee ee Su au QR BUS oe 8 LAG amp AUTOLAG SETTINGS 9 CONTROL ERROR CODES Auto 9 THE KILN FIRES UNEVENLY MANUAL 9 KILN FIRES TOO HOT OR COLD 9 Firing with Cones 0 0 cece eee eee 9 Easy Fire vs Vary Fire Auto 00 000005 9 Hold TIMES uox ote setae a a ea e suede Le pA UE 10 Control Settings inns sore pioniran hha eee 10 Thermocouple Drift 10 KILN STALLS 4 IER ER ES 10 KILN FIRES SLOWLY eee 10 Bad or Wrong Voltage 0 0 0 0 ce eee eee eee 10 Element Aging cece cee eee ee eee eee 11
39. Power Relays 1432 ienet a ee RE A E E ER 11 Bad Wiring secrecseiiireenirr t teta ee eme 11 Winne 1 th Karly empre Re E stent e depu 11 Element Connections esses 12 Heat Leakage amp Venis socera ni eod RE ee 12 Single vs Three Zone Control 02000 12 LAG S6ettilp 4c Sed e exc ee 13 Autolag Setting 2 0 0 0 0 cece eee eee 13 ShtO Shut Off Setting llle 13 Pld Setting icens cs cm emnes 14 Adding More Insulation lesse esse 14 KILN HEATS TOO FAST eee 15 DIC MM CPP 15 Elements a veis kb kk e Re ERE RRE DIE E 15 THE KILN FIRES SLOWLY MANUAL 15 TROUBLESHOOTING VARIABLES 15 THE KILN BODY eee 16 Layout and Configurations 00 0005 16 Bare Dr Cle 2 mee SERE E a ED ele andr che 16 Firebrick Problems and Repair 16 Lidsiand FIOOTS i 22e IRE REPRE RIA ERA 16 Stainless Steel Bands 00 0 eee eee 17 Ki Stand 4 5 eser eet Xue de bee 17 Jupiter Stands with Vent Collection Box 18 Hardware sox 4 ysiatitenw sy Med ened et hob edes 18 Econo Jupiter Standard Lid Hinge 18 Jupiter Easy Lift Easy Load Spring Loaded Hinges 19 DaVinci Lid Hinge and Counterbalance 19 Element Holders 422v ob ed a san adhd hid ace eb adt ees 20 Element Holder Replacement 20 HEATING ELEMENTS eee 20 CIRGCULT 455 daretpbccepppur ebd ea
40. S TO GOOD TROUBLESHOOTING SAFETY FIRST Pay attention to electrical safety Don t get electro cuted and don t guess DEFINE THE VARIABLES Define all variables of the situation and how they could potentially interact with and affect each other in each unique case you come across ELIMINATE VARIABLES ONE AT A TIME Eliminate variables one by one to expose the problem variable s Asking questions can do this to some degree Electrical testing examining shards of ware or cone or examining the interior of the kiln usually can supply the rest of the story Good troubleshooting is based on logic TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLISTS TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST The following checklists are shorthand methods for troubleshooting your kiln Much of what is in here is also covered more extensively in the rest of this troubleshooting guide but in a more theoretical and in depth way These checklists can help simplify the process CONTROL DISPLAY DOESN T SHOW ANYTHING AUTO KILN On Off Switch 1 Make sure the On Off Switch is turned on Turn it on and off Control Fuse 1 Check control fuse in side of control box Twist open the fuse holder and physically check the little fuse You can see if the metal element inside is melted if it is blown You can also use your digital multi meter to check continuity across the fuse troubleshoot general pdf Picture of the on off switch and fuse holder opened Branch Fusing 1 Check the br
41. UBLE SHOOTING Section 5 Check individual element resistance Try to get a single element s resistance reading by either calculating it if they are in parallel or by measuring it with the meter if they are in series You may need to disconnect wires to isolate as much as possible each element Keep in mind that on some kilns like our B Series kiln and many other kilns currently on the market elements can be graded from top to bottom and may have different resistances 6 Take a voltage reading in each branch circuit Do this either at the element connection to the power wires or at the control box receptacles on later L amp Ls A Usually a kiln with 240 220 or 208 volts supplied to it will still have 240 220 or 208 volts at the elements Sometimes though the 240 volts will be split using a Neutral line this comes in with the main power line in K18 and K18R kilns only Some other kiln companies make use of this as well Usually they would be labeled 220 110 VAC This happens right Page 25 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE at the point where the branch circuits begin By using the Neutral line the 220 volts are split into two 110 volt circuits When plugging each branch circuit resistance into Ohms Law you must calculate using the actual voltage in the branch circ
42. a Nameplate A typical data nameplate i m L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc Ki WAS 8 creek Pkwy POB 1898 MA hetkilns om Boothwyn PA 19061 610 485 1789 Fax 610 485 4665 EASY FIRE KILN service hotkilns com MODEL NUMBER e23T 240 SERIAL NUMBER 022303 C VOLTAGE 240 PHASE 1 AMPS 48 0 WATTS 11520 MAX TEMPERATURE DEG F 2350 ASAE qr ae EE ot HEAR A Every kiln has a data nameplate usually a sticker on the side of the control box that specifies model number serial number voltage required phase required amperage required watts produced and the recommended maximum temperature This is the information to get from L amp L for your particular kiln If you do have not received it yet or if it has no data nameplate If you have the information from the data nameplate then that is what you show to your electrician or use to procure the proper wire and components to create the power supply line Here are some things to keep in mind if you are the electrician If you are the electrician As of January 2001 National Electric Code Handbook says that a resistive heater this size on for more than three hours at a time should be provided a circuit that is rated for 125 of the total amperage troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 drawn by the unit when it is on High So a kiln drawing 43 98 amps would require a service of no less than 54 98 amps As wire and components for power supply lines are usua
43. a b b edits 20 POWER SUPPLY ip bis ee beg acr aes tee gnats 20 INSULATION a esensi RP ERE ERRRRERER S REEM 21 ELEMENTS 22ce rh eem e ienirt mes 21 ELEMENT TROUBLESHOOTING 21 KILN ATMOSPHERE amp VENTING 21 Page 1 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE INSTALLATION CODES 00 0 21 GENERAL ROOM VENTILATION 21 MANUAL VENTING os iet ete r6 cate ee utiss 21 POWER VENTING thc D en aah teen 21 THE CONTROL 2 eee ee eee eee eee 22 MANUAL CONTROL ener Ret eee a ae 22 AUTOMATIC CONTROL rientra 22 SERVICEABILITY zee ene nii che ae eee os 23 SAFETY WARNING 222 2 ctae tid e cete 23 GENERAL INFORMATION essere 23 REPLACING WIRE TERMINALS 23 MANUAL KILN SWITCHBOX 23 DIAGNOSE A SLOW FIRING MANUALLY CONTROLLED KILN amp GENERAL TACTICS 24 MANUAL DAWSON KILN SITTER 28 BASICS sinueuckbidaned3 DR Eder ed dc eps 28 The kiln sitters are used either as a safety backup or as the primary turn off control 0 0 0 0 00 0000 29 How the Kiln Sitter Timer works 29 A Th titer cl ere US RUDI RE Es 29 B The shut off mechanism 0 00000 29 Potential Problems with the Dawson 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION sese 30
44. achieve a fine network of cracks throughout its body This is caused by the expansion and contraction of heating and cooling The geometry of polygon kilns is such that their shape and the stainless steel bands will hold them together long after the brick itself would normally fall apart Firebrick Problems and Repair See troubleshoot brick pdf for information on firebrick problems and instructions on how to repair firebrick problems Lids and Floors The bricks in the lid and floor of the polygon and DaVinci kilns are cemented together dried cut and sanded flat Then they are bound around the outside edge with a stainless steel band These bands like the ones surrounding the sections have worm gear clamps attached to them which allow them to be tightened or loosened These do get loose over time and need to be tightened periodically The lids come with stainless steel clips which help to hold the lid in place There are metal plates with a small 90 bend that are pinched between the stainless steel band and the brick to screw handles door chains supports and hinges into The 90 bend on the clips also helps support the lid during lifting and lowering Page 16 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE This shows typical clips that hold top firebrick to the stainless steel band keeping the bri
45. ading that has KOhms Kor MOhms after it then 1 The meter is not set to the correct setting or is low on batteries Change the batteries and set it for either auto range or 0 200 Ohms or a similar setting 2 Kilnsitter or switches are not ON turn infinite switches to 100 on 3 Kiln is equipped with an automatic control or there are contactors with open contacts between your measurement point and the elements 4 There is a short to ground somewhere Part of the circuit is in contact with ground 5 All the elements have failed 6 There is a break in the powercord kiln sitter connections or in the main power line somewhere before the point where the branch circuits begin 7 There is a chance that different or the same compo nents in the branch circuits could all fail at the same time Although the chances of this happening are pretty slim it should be considered if none of these Page 24 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE other factors are applicable B If there is a reading it should be within 9 of what you mathematically determined from the nameplate label If it is not the reading will almost always be higher than what you calculated Only if the wrong elements were installed in the kiln or if the elements are so old that they are squashed into each corner all
46. anch element circuit fuses inside the control box All kilns with more than 48 amps and many 3 phase kilns have branch fuses Plug amp Cord if you have one 1 Make sure the power cord is plugged into the receptical Reseat plug 2 With power off examine the electrical cord Look for burned or melted areas and breaks or pinched sections Look closely at the head of the plug If there is an internal problem with the wires and the plug parts you won t be able to see it but you may detect a softening or melting of the plastic at the plug head 3 With power turned on and panel open check voltage at the Power Terminal Block If you see no voltage there then you know something is wrong with the power source CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers Circuit Breaker Power Source 1 Check voltage at the receptical CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers ed Disconnect Switch Ste P cad A Fus 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Page 4 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 2 Check circuit breaker or fused disconnect switch to make sure they are turned on Sometimes circuit breakers need to be turned on and off to reset them 3 If you have a fused disconnect check the fuses
47. ation 3 Press OTHER 4 4 3 4 The display says notC This stands for number of thermocouples 5 To run the kiln using only one thermocouple press ENTER at the notC prompt You will then see 0003 or 0002 depending on whether it is currently programmed for three zones or two zones Then press 1 then ENTER The display will then say StOP All the zones of the kiln will turn on and off simultaneously when you program the Dynatrol to use only one thermocouple 6 To run the kiln using only two thermocouples press ENTER at the notC prompt You will then see 0003 or 0001 depending on whether it is currently programmed for one zone or three zones Then press 2 then ENTER The display will then say StOP When you program the Dynatrol to run using only two thermocouples the bottom zone and the middle zone go on and off simultaneously If you have a three section kiln the bottom section and the middle section will work off the middle 2 thermocouple and they will fire together This configuration can be an interesting option to help speed up the kiln but still Page 12 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE get some advantage from the zone system 7 To run the kiln using three thermocouples press ENTER at the notC prompt You will then see 0002 or 0001 depending on whether it is currently
48. ave the oval shaped holes for the hinge pin to accommodate the expansion of the hot brick The difference is a spring loaded pole s and cable s that pulls up on the front of the lid Normally these lids are maintenance free and quite safe when used with the safety chains that are attached to the pole s troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 A DaVinci with lid up and safety chains on However the lids are very heavy and the counter balance will NOT keep them from closing on their own They can be adjusted to do so but this usually results in the lid lifting up during firing There may be a fine line where the lid will not raise up during firing and also may not fall down right away from its upright position This fine line will be different for every kiln even two identical kilns built at the same time will not act exactly alike Always adjust the tension on the lid so it will not open up during firing and ALWAYS use the safety chains when the lid is up The easiest adjustment points are the threaded connectors between the eyebolts on the front of the lid and the cable that connects to that point from the counter balance A longer cable adjustment will mean a heavier lid a shorter one will mean a lighter lid A more crude adjustment would be to lengthen or shorten the entire cable itself Do not try to shorten the springs or make adjustments to the cable inside the counter balance poles Be sure to read the DaVinci Se
49. bottom shelf The bottom shelf should be at least 1 2 to 1 1 2 above the floor of the kiln Firing with Cones 1 Try using cone packs in all sections top center bottom of the kiln and keep records of what happens See troubleshoot cones pdf in the LOG CONES TIPS section of your Instruction Manual Thermocouple Offsets Thermocouples can drift in in their accuracy over time and this can happen at different rates for each thermocouple If one thermocouple reads at a different temperature than another thermocouple this can cause uneveness in the kiln Read about Thermocouple Offset in section 4 3 1 8 in the DynaTrol Reference Manual dynatrol instruct blue pdf in the CONTROL section and the Calibration section in the dynatrol basic operation pdf in the OPERATION section of your Instruction Manual Vent System 1 Is your vent system on and pulling air You can check this with a source of smoke in a cold kiln If you burn a small piece of paper near the holes on the bottom of the kiln with the vent on and THE KILN OFF you can see if the smoke is being drawn into the holes You can also check this by feeling the output of the vent when the kiln is at high temperatures The air coming out should be quite warm to the touch about Page 8 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 110 Deg F to 140
50. ch end connecting the component to the circuit If you just replace a component such as the switch and not the terminals that attach the wires to the switch your new switch may not last very long Replacing both the male and the female parts of any electrical connection is the best way to repair it For this you will need a good wire crimper Do not use pliers except in an emergency repair You must have total contact between the wire and the terminal or you will create a resistance which will heat up the terminal wire and component and cause an eventual failure MANUAL KILN SWITCHBOX L amp L sectional kilns make visualizing kiln circuitry easy K J JD and DaVinci models as well as most kilns on the market are all just parallel branch circuits stacked on top of each other There is one power source coming in and it branches out into two to six or more branch circuits in L amp L kilns Each branch circuit has two or three elements in it and these Page 23 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE are wired in parallel or in series Current propor tioning can change the element configuration from series to parallel to achieve low medium and high They were used on the old K models and other old models and on some newer manual kilns Manual Davinci Doll and Jupiter kilns and the
51. ck from slipping out of a band that becomes slightly loose Cracking in lids and floors is common in kilns even new ones It is almost unavoidable and mostly does not matter a great deal The geometry of the lid or floor the tightness of the stainless steel band and the fact that firebrick expands as it heats up and fills the cracks combine to render a cracked lid or floor almost a non issue In fact L amp L s largest kiln lids for the T3400 Series are made in two halves to allow for the heat expansion The only concerns may be if the stainless steel band cannot be tightened in which case long metal shims may be needed between the stainless steel band and the brick or if the crack is letting tiny chips fall into the ware Two good solutions for the latter problem are either a shelf on posts placed over the ware to protect it or a very thin mixture of brick facing allowed to penetrate into the lid or floor around the crack to harden the brick Too much brick facing on the lid can spall or flake off and cause problems Stainless Steel Bands Each kiln section and the top and bottom have a stainless steel band wrapped tightly around them This is how the kiln sections retain their shape The steel has holes punched in it to locate peepholes thermo couple holes Dawson kilnsitter holes etc The bands are the same on the top section of the kiln as they are on the bottom section different holes are used in different places and th
52. couples to be sure you have a tight connection Check for corrosion Check where the thermocouples connect to the Dynatrol Try pulling off each connection and reseating it This can scrape away corrosion that may have built up Check for melted wires 3 A very easy check is to check resistance ohms Remove the thermocouple lead wires from the thermocouple head and check resistance with your meter If the thermocouples and circuit is normal then you will see a resistance of about 9 or 1 0 If you see an OL in your meter then you have an open circuit somewhere which is probably a bad thermocouple DISPLAY IS NORMAL BUT KILN WON T HEAT UP AUTO Programming 1 Make sure you have programmed the kiln properly and it is supposed to be firing Do you have a Delay Time or a Preheat Time in your program Hit Review Prog button to find out Wiring 1 Unplug kiln or disconnect from live power by turning off circuit breaker or fused disconnect switch Open panel Check all power wires for firm connections 2 Visually inspect the power wires coming from the Power Terminal Block to the inputs of the Power Relays Reseat all the spade connectors to rub off any oxides and to ensure a good connection Control Board Outputs 1 It is possible that the the internal switches on the control board could be bad You can test that by checking to see if you find voltage 12 volts DC between any of the output contacts on the control board to gro
53. d If the control now will read room temperature then you have a bad thermocouple wire If it does not read room temperature then the control is definitely bad and needs to be replaced DISPLAY READS 2400 or CPLt WHEN IT STARTS UP AUTO Even though you know the kiln 1s not that hot This indicates thermocouple circuit failure TECHNICAL NOTE This is called thermo couple upscale protection If the control senses a lack of millivoltage an open circuit it interups this as the highest temperature the control could reach This automatically ensures that the control will not call for power 1 Check thermocouple end Examine end carefully Sometimes there can be a crack that opens up while the kiln is hot but appears to be normal when the kiln is cold If the end of the thermocouple looks severely corroded and you are getting Error codes then it is best to replace the thermocouple A thermocouple end that will still work but is getting close to creating a problem 2 Check thermocouple circuit For instance check to make sure that all the thermocouple lead wires are firmly connected Check where the thermocouple lead 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Page 6 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE wires go into the ends of the thermocouples Are the wires loose Tighten the screws on the ends of the thermo
54. d and altered as you wish B The thermocouples measure the temperature in the kiln by emitting a specific linear millivolt signal for each degree of temperature The microprocessor equates this milivolt signal to a specific temperature in F or C The location of each thermocouple is important because the signal emitted will reflect the temperature in that part of the kiln The DynaTrol takes these signals typically one from the top zone in the kiln one from the middle zone and one from the bottom zone and compares each in turn to the process variable or setpoint This is the temper ature that the kiln is supposed to be at any particular point in the firing program This point in time is constantly being modified as time passes Based on where the firing map says the kiln should be the appropriate corresponding outputs to the TC inputs are activated In other words when each TC reading 1s compared to the firing map a decision is made by the micro processor to either turn on the elements in Page 31 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE that particular thermocouple s section or to turn them off In this way the kiln temperature closely follows the programmed rises holds and ramp downs C The internal clock is really never seen except when the control is counting down hours
55. d kiln sections and requires manual shut off of the kiln Simply shut off power manually by turning off the various input zone switches and cause the Dawson to manually shut off by depressing the weight of the Dawson Kiln Sitter KILN FIRES TOO HOT OR COLD Firing with Cones 1 On the next firing make up cone packs one for each thermocouple A cone pack is a set of three cones standing in a line The target cone is the cone number you are firing to and is in the middle The one in front of it is one cone number lower and the one behind it is one cone number higher Use Large Self Supporting Cones You can purchase these through your ceramic supply distributor They come 25 cones per box and are quite inexpensive See troubleshoot cones pdf in the TROUBLESHOOTING section of your Instruction Manual Easy Fire vs Vary Fire Auto Keep in mind that the Easy Fire programs feature Orton software that adjusts the final temperature based on the speed of firing This in effect adjusts the heat work and hence the actual cone that the kiln fires to This feature is not in the Vary Fire programs You 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Page 9 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE have to input the final set point temperature in a Vary Fire program Hold Times Be very careful with hold times Even a fairly shor
56. d read cooler than the real temperature of the kiln and this could result in a disastrous firing Type S Platinum thermocouples Type S thermocouples are also available with the DynaTrol This option must normally be ordered with the kiln as the millivolt signals from a Type S thermo couple are different than the millivolt signals from a Type K thermocouple and the DynaTrol must be pre programmed to recognize the different signals A Type S thermocouple will last considerably longer than a Type K thermocouple However it does cost considerably more money to replace it when it does fail or break The dissimilar metals that make up a Type S are Platinum Rhodium and Platinum It is these precious metals that makes the type S thermo couple cost so much more Over time the difference in the money spent using Type K vs Type S is negligible Type K will burn out faster than Type S but they are inexpensive to replace Performance of one over the other is not an issue except that the Type S will not drift as much when the kiln is fired to high temperatures See stc pdf for more information For More Information on Thermocouples ktc pdf ktc 14 gauge pdf stc pdf tc metallic pdf tc protect pdf Thermocouple extension wire From the TC to the pyrometer there is insulated Type K thermocouple wire containing one very thin alumel wire one very thin chromel wire and usually an uninsulated ground wire with aluminum foil wrapping the three
57. display then the control board needs to be replaced THE KILN DOESN T HEAT AT ALL MANUAL KILNS 1 Check many ofthe same things in the above section on Automatic kilns power supply branch fuses short circuits cord etc 2 Make sure the infinitely variable zone input switches are turned on if included on your kiln There is a click in the off position at 12 O clock Full on is the click position just to the right of this 1 O clock 3 Infinitely Variable Zone Input Switches may have failed 4 Check to see if Dawson Timer is set properly If it is at 0 the kiln will not fire 5 Check to see if the Dawson plunger is not pushed into place DISPLAY READS FAIL AUTO 1 Usually FAIL will be seen flashing along with a tC1 tC2 or tC3 indicating which thermocouple has failed 2 Remove the offending thermocouples connection wires from the Terminal and bind the red and yellow wires together with electrical tape The control should read room temperature for that thermocouple approx imately 130 F because of the thermocouple offsets troubleshoot general pdf 3 If it does read room temperature then the thermo couple is probably bad and needs to be replaced If the control does not read room temperature then there is either a bad thermocouple extension wire or the control is bad 4 Redo the test by putting a small jumper like a paperclip across the thermocouple terminals directly on the Dynatrol boar
58. e firebrick may not be drilled through even though there is a corresponding hole in the stainless steel band Worm gear clamps tighten the bands so that they fit snugly around the shaped bricks Hinges are screwed into flat galvanized or aluminized metal stiffening plates located behind the stainless steel bands troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Photo of the worm gear clamps used on L amp L kilns Sometimes welds holding these onto the case can fail You can screw them on in most cases or if all else fails you can screw the two ends of stainless steel together to make a repair We recommend using a stainless steel screw Keep in mind that if you do screw the case together that you may have to redo the repair at sometime in the future because it will not be adjustable Kiln Stand The kiln stand is usually galvannealed or aluminized steel on Jupiter and Doll kilns or painted angle iron on DaVinci kilns It should be leveled before putting the kiln on it This can be done by placing metal shims under the legs of the stand but not between the kiln floor and the stand Be sure to use a level when doing this Some older stands that L amp L made were not galvanized or aluminized These may have rusted over the years particularly under the corrosive conditions of kiln firing You should replace a corroded stand because you could have a major disaster if the kiln were to fall over while it was firing Once the stand is
59. e must also be a way to alert the user AII the error codes are explained in Appendix G of the DynaTrol Instructions dynatrol instruct blue pdf They all refer to a specific situation but the reasons that the situation exists is often due to more than one different cause E Calibrating the control See the section on calibrating the control in basic dynatrol pdf in the OPERATION section of your Instruction Manual There is a good explanation of the thermocouple offsets and how to change them troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 This is a handheld DynaTrol control standard on the DaVinci automatic kilns Normally the DynaTrol is directly mounted in the control box of a Jupiter kiln This handheld box plugs into a special receptical mounted on the top of the DaVinci control box or on the front of the special optional Jupiter control box There is a6 foot cable and typically it is hung on a hook on the wall Diagnosing Error Messages Error codes can appear at any time during the firing They always refer to a problem that if allowed to continue could end with unknown or even disastrous results Errd Errl ErrP and the FAIL message seem to make the most frequent appearances Errd means there is a temperature difference of more than 100 degrees between the zones Err1 indicates that the kiln is climbing too slowly in an Easy Fire program to calculate what the final temperature should be based on what cone you have pro
60. e whether the various zones are firing 2350 7 7 7 Zone 1 Zone2 Zone3 o Cifon Wiring in the Kiln 1 Unplug kiln 2 Trace wiring for missing or bad connections 3 Check wiring against wiring diagram 4 Check for corroded connectors or connectors that have frayed wires Replace if you see this Page 11 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 5 Make sure all kiln sections are plugged in if appli cable to your model Make sure ALL plug connections are good and not oxidized Element Connections 1 The holes where the elements go through the firebrick walls are too large This could cause too much heat to escape from the kiln thereby overheating the element terminals This can be remedied by lightly stuffing non RCF ceramic fiber in the element holes See the Parts List for for non RCF fiber You can stuff this in from the inside of the kiln using a sharp tool like a very small screw driver 2 Check to see if the element ends are twisted properly They should be twisted clockwise around the terminal screw If the twist is too loose this could generate extra heat at the element ends Check for corrosion on the terminal If there is corrosion sometimes you can remove it with a wire brush Photo of element terminal with element end twisted around it properly 3 The el
61. ears A kiln sitter is a device that incorporates spring loaded electrical contacts coupled with a mechanical start up and shut off assembly This assembly uses a long ceramic tube that extends through the wall of your kiln and protrudes about 1 1 2 into the firing chamber A small pyrometric cone or bar is placed in the mechanism at the end of this tube in the kiln When the pyrometric cone melts enough to bend the mechanism moves and sets off a spring loaded lever whose movement allows the contacts to pop apart cutting power to either the kiln or the branch circuits contactor coils Timer models incorporate a timer into this assembly The timer uses a fixed stop to essen tially push the spring loaded lever see How the Kiln Sitter Timer Works in this manual for more information and see also the Dawson instruction manuals Dawson models such as the model P and K have no timers and are still available from L amp L We use the model P on the automatic kilns as an optional back up safety device The LT 3 and the LT 3K have timers in addition to the shut off mechanism they are now used on all L amp L manually controlled kilns The P and the K are essentially the same except the P is housed in its own metal box The LT 3 has a 240 volt AC timer motor and the metal box to house it and the LT 3K has a 120 volt AC timer motor and no metal Page 28 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 4
62. ee rSEt Press 4 4 3 See notC 5 Keep pressing OTHER to cycle through the menu options until you get to PId 6 Press ENTER See PCt 0085 cycling 7 Press any number from 0 to 150 see the number you have entered preceded by a zero like 0120 if you entered 120 Press ENTER see CPL or StOP for a few seconds then IDLE etc 8 Pressing ENTER here allows you set another percent setting that can help a slow heavily loaded kiln fire faster Adding More Insulation 1 In L amp L s top loading kilns an additional bottom may be placed under the original bottom This will improve the insulation in the kiln thereby slowing heat loss and speeding the firing time You can also put a 2 layer of calcium silicate on top of the stand beneath the bottom of the kiln 2 Also try raising the height of the kiln from the floor or putting a reflective stainless steel or aluminum sheet under the kiln All these things keep the floor from absorbing the radiant energy from the kiln and will improve heat up times as well as bottom of the kiln uniformity 3 Put a 1 layer of non RCF ceramic fiber on the lid This is completely non hazardous which is important in this application because you will be releasing fibers into the air when you move it while loading While this is a somewhat extreme measure we have found that a disproportionate amount of the heat loss from a kiln is through the top Non RCF ceramic fiber is soluble in the body and i
63. ement configurations d element replacements 3 Atmosphere a atmosphere in the kiln while firing 4 The Control a switch box b automatic control c kilnsitter d cones e thermocouples and pyrometers 5 The Power Supply a main power cord and receptacle b or the powerblock c wire and breakers Nearly all kiln related problems stem from one or more of these variables We will go in depth starting with The Kiln Body Page 15 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE THE KILN BODY The top of a JD230 showing the three sections that sit on top of each other and the control box mounted i ti i A From the floor up most L amp L kilns have a metal stand a firebrick floor sometimes containing an bottom element a firebrick body containing ceramic element holders in grooves heating elements in the holders and a firebrick lid Either an automatic or manual control and various accessories such as vents and pyrometers are used as well Layout and Configurations In sectional polygonal kilns the kiln body rests on the upper outer edge of the kiln floor It should sit flat but if it does not you can carefully slide it back and forth on the kiln floor sanding the high spots away until it does sit flat The kiln body should also be level particularly if the
64. ement connection hardware may not be tight enough A loose connection can generate heat and cause oxidation of the hardware which in turn will cause a worse electrical connection because of resistance and more heat Replace with new hardware Heat Leakage amp Vents 1 Make sure peephole plugs are in 2 Make sure hole for vent is proper Check Vent Sure instructions for proper hole sizes 3 If you are using a different brand of vent make sure troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 it is the appropriate size for your kiln Check with the vent manufacturer and tell them how many cubic feet are in your kiln 4 If your lid or bottom is cracked check to see if it seems to be leaking much heat at high temperatures Patch or replace if extreme SOME IS OK Single vs Three Zone Control 1 Three zone control will slow a kiln down It helps even out the temperatures in a kiln by shutting off one or more zones while firing In addition zone control introduces other issues like LAG that sometimes complicate a firing The first thing to try if you are getting a slow firing is to switch the kiln to single zone operation That may get you back into operation quickly Then if that makes the problem go away you can fine tune the specific issue within the zone system that is causing the problem 2 Normally Jupiter and DaVinci kilns are programmed to be either two or three zones You can easily change this to be single zone oper
65. eplace the switch and if the problem still persists then repeat the test you will most likely have to replace the contactor as well e If there is no voltage after the first component in line and it is not a relay contactor then just replace it If it is a fuse holder just replace the fuse usually a bad fuse means there is a short somewhere in the circuit Use a continuity tester to test for bad fuses Always check tightness of connections in a questionable circuit f If there is voltage after the first component then move along the circuit from the main powerblock troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 towards the element connections testing for voltage before and after every component until you isolate the problem Do not bother taking voltage readings at the element connections anywhere other than where the power wires connect to the elements Voltage readings taken from between the elements and from between resistors in general give a reading that reflects voltage which is half the supply voltage with two elements in series and either one third or two thirds the supply voltage with three elements in series depending on which side of the middle element in the series the test lead is placed MANUAL DAWSON KILN SITTER See the Dawson Kiln Sitter Instruction Manual in the CONTROL section of your Instruction Manual BASICS L amp L has used the W P Dawson company s kiln sitters and sitter timers for many y
66. est with a multimeter you could purchase new elements and run the risk that you might be wasting money and time without solving the problem Be forewarned however Testing electrical circuits is very dangerous and potentially deadly if you do it incorrectly It could result in electrocution If you don t feel comfortable doing this hire an electrician or get someone to do it who is qualified That being said many of the tests described in here just require testing for resistance which is done with the kiln unplugged AS LONG AS THE KILN IS UNPLUGGED YOU ARE SAFE Radio Shack or any good hardware store will carry inexpensive digital multimeters for around 40 50 The meter shown below was purchased at Home Depot for about 120 and includes an amp probe to measure amperage The meter you buy should be digital simply because the analog type is not very accurate You must be able to see ohm resistance readings to the first decimal place Being able to see that 7 on the meter is the difference between I think it may be your elements and I know it is your elements Page 2 GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE This manual is meant to assist and educate kiln owners and service technicians This is mostly specific to Jupiter DaVinci and Doll kilns For older L amp L kilns see our more general troubleshooting guide hotkilns com trouble pdf The Easy Fire kilns have their own separate troub
67. example you come in and the control says tC 2 2200 degrees F and everything seems fine in your slow glaze to cone 6 firing But twenty five minutes later you come back and see Err1 The first thing you want to do is press 1 to clear the error code Look for tC 2 s temperature and write it down It might be 2175 You have no cones in the kiln but you really need these pieces fired Wait a few seconds until you see IdLE tC 2 2175 Press Start to re start the program and note the time on your watch Note the 25 minutes the kiln was holding from the last time you saw it at 2200 F until this time where it says 2175 It must have continued to climb somewhat but because the Err1 will appear after 22 5 minutes of holding when the kiln is programmed to be climbing it probably never got over 2210 F So the kiln has held at an average of about 2195 F for about 25 minutes instead of continuing on to 2232 F cone 6 to finish the firing The relationship between time and temperature allows you to estimate how much hold time to add to get the same amount of heat work as the kiln would have achieved by climbing to 2232 F Assuming a 108 F per hour temperature rise a good rule of thumb is to add about a 20 minute hold to the maximum temper ature this will allow you to lower the final temperature by about 20 F An hour hold time would mean a final temperature of about 40 F lower A two hour hold time would be about 60 F lower This
68. few custom L amp Ls check the operation of the open door shut off switch Re form the flexible metal trip bar if necessary 3 Examine the electrical cord and its connection points coming to the kiln Look for burned or melted areas and breaks or pinched sections 4 Reset the your circuit breaker in your house studio or factory 5 Make sure toggle switch is ON 6 Check the control fuse next to the toggle switch Turn power off push the knob in and then turn it to remove the fuse 7 If none of these possibilities fixes it then there is definitely a problem Test for voltage at the main power supply as close to the kiln as possible 8 Unplug or disconnect the kiln from power 9 Open the control check for potential short circuits because the front is hanging open and then carefully apply power to the control 10 Locate the control circuit transformer and measure the voltage at the two bottom outside terminals for 208 240 vac kilns and at the two bottom left or bottom right for 110 120 vac kilns Look for either the 208 240 power supply or the 110 120 power supply Picture of typical control transformer showing what voltages you should see at various contacts The two outside top terminals should give Either pair of outside bottom terminals 4 could have 120 volt i input Ni The two outside rminale A middle and end top terminal should bottom termina give you 12 volts would have 240 volt input N
69. grammed it to fire to ErrP indicates that there was either a very quick power outage ErrP will flash along with the temperature and the kiln will still be heating or there was a longer power outage ErrP will be the only thing in the display and the kiln will not be heating FAIL refers to a specific thermocouple failure It will appear after displaying a tC thermocouple number 1 2 or 3 Page 32 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Can you restart the kiln You can try to restart the kiln after getting an error code Some messages like flashing ErrP and FAIL will not necessarily turn off the kiln Depending on the problem though re starting it may or may not let it finish the firing or even start up again An Errd will usually not re start easily because the temperature top to bottom is drastically different An Err1 at the end of the firing will re start but will probably re occur in about 22 minutes A FAIL message will not go away even if the problem is fixed during the firing The kiln can still be firing with the FAIL message flashing along with the number of the TC that failed Stopping and then re starting the kiln after fixing the problem with the TC circuit is the only way to erase the FAIL message ErrP flashing with the temperature means that the kiln is still firing after jus
70. he ground TROUBLESHOOTING AN EXISTING POWER SUPPLY Circuit breakers Circuit breakers that have tripped and have been reset continually will be more apt to trip at a lower amperage than they are rated for They get worn out Also a breaker in a small kiln room will trip sooner because of the higher ambient temperature An inductive amp meter will indicate whether the kiln is pulling more amperage than the breaker allows Remember to size it for 125 of the total amp load Wire size too small Using a wire size that is too small for the amperage draw will cause the wire and conduit to heat up and either the voltage to the kiln will drop some voltage will be lost in heat or the breaker will trip from the local heat Without a properly sized breaker the connection points will start to corrode and this may cause an electrical fire Corrosion Any visible corrosion especially on a plug and receptacle connection will result in heat generated at that point Heat leads to corrosion which leads to more heat and eventually the melting of the component or connection point This could start a fire if the breaker fails to trip Dedicated circuit The kiln should be on its own circuit If anything else is on the circuit the voltage will drop when the other device is turned on The circuit breaker must be rated for the combined amperage of all the devices if the kiln must share a circuit troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0
71. he power is OK then the transformer is at fault There may be a broken or loose wire that connects from the trans former windings to the connection points on the transformer You can try to resolder it However it is usually easier to just replace the transformer 11 Ifthere is the proper voltage at the top of the trans former then follow the wires from the top of the transformer to the DynaTrol To eliminate the wires as culprits take another voltage reading the same way as before just at the other end of the same wires If there is still voltage but still no display then the DynaTrol board itself is bad If the unit is still under warranty for service or replacement then contact L amp L If the unit is older you can still have it repaired or replaced by L amp L Seems like the kiln is under firing or over firing slightly See troubleshoot cone pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING section of your Instruction Manual Calibrating the DynaTrol See the section on calibrating the control in basic dynatrol pdf in the OPERATION section of your Instruction Manual There is a good explanation of the thermocouple offsets and how to change them troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Stalling caused by shorting of thermocouples L amp Ls JD and DaVinci computer controlled kilns have the thermocouple s mounted away from the control making them simple to replace The downside to this arrangement is that TC wire must be used to rou
72. he way down the button will not stay in when pressed because a small piece of the weight is now holding the flat piece of metal out of the buttons slot When you raise the weight the button will stay in if pressed If you raise the weight all the way up you will find it will not stay up on its own There is a small claw like piece at the end of a long rod which sits directly above the weight when it is in the up position This is called the claw and the rod is called the sensing rod The sensing rod moves easily up and down and raises the claw up and down with it When the weight is all the way up the claw can be lowered to trap the weight under its edge this keeps the weight up and allows the button to stay in CAUTION You should not press the button in until you are ready to fire the kiln Setting the kiln sitter requires you to have your hands inside the kiln If the power is on there is a risk of electrocution with the kiln sitter button pressed in CAUTION If the power is on and there is a fused contactor a condition in which a contactor has essentially failed by welding its contacts together in the intense heat of electrical arcing between dirty contacts some or all of the elements will be on even if the kiln sitter and all the switches are off So be sure the power is turned off at the main disconnect or circuit breaker Now the weight is up you are holding the claw down to keep the weight up the button
73. holders HEATING ELEMENTS If you are having a problem heating your kiln up first look at the following issues CIRCUIT Make sure the elements are wired according the wiring diagram Some elements are in series other kilns have parallel circuits This makes a HUGE difference in how the kiln fires See the explanation of circuits in froubleshoot element pdf in the TROUBLESHOOTING Section POWER SUPPLY With the digital multimeter the voltage to the kiln can Page 20 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE be tested The condition of the power supply lines and connections can be determined visually INSULATION Another variable is the condition of the insulation Are there significant leaks Large cracks in the lid or bottom Do you fire with the peephole plugs open The condition of the firebrick can be determined visually ELEMENTS The elements are the least stable variable and should be examined before anything else Use the multimeter to test the elements resistance ohms Note that element resistance changes over time the hotter and more often you fire the quicker they change As the resistance goes up the kiln will slow down because it is getting less power You may not need to replace any elements but you must eliminate or implicate them as a potential source of the problem
74. ion for information on firebrick problems and instructions on how to repair firebrick problems TROUBLESHOOTING ELEIVIENT PROBLEIVIS See troubleshoot elements pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING section for information on elements problems and instructions on how to install elements and element holders TROUBLESHOOTING FIRING PROBLEMS WITH CONE PACKS See troubleshoot cones pdf in the LOG CONES TIPS section THE CERAMIC PROCESS See ceramic process pdf in the LOG CONES TIPS section REPLACEMENT PARTS See parts pdf in the PARTS section SERVICE See service pdf in the SERVICE section GENERAL TROUBLESHOOTING TOOLS AND METHODS BASIC TOOLS REQUIRED The minimal toolkit necessary for effective troubleshooting and fixing of electric kilns contains a digital multi meter to measure ohms and AC voltage and an assortment of screwdrivers nutdrivers wrenches pliers cutters wire strippers and wire terminal crimpers As you work on your kiln you will see what types of tools you need like a 3 8 nut driver needle nose pliers without the cutting part so the tips will close all the way wire cutters heavy enough to cut the element terminals wire strippers and wire terminal crimpers No special tools are required for maintenance on L amp L kilns Page 3 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE KEY
75. ires and the cooler they will operate troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 2 Check your circuit breaker for proper operation These sometimes go bad over time 3 If all the elements are firing and the kiln is still firing too slow check the amperage draw of the kiln under a full load CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers You need to see what the voltage is when the kiln is firing 4 You can tell if all zones are firing by pressing the number 8 on the control numeric pad You will see one little light per zone under the numbers on the control display If you see two dots on an e23S or e285 then you are firing at full load If you see three dots on an e23T or e28T then you are firing at full load See if the amperage drawn is the same as what the kiln is rated for See the product literature and or data nameplate on the kiln for the rated amperage draw There is also a complete table of this infor mation in the Installation Instructions part of this manual For instance a model e23T rated for 240 volts Single Phase should draw 48 0 amps If it is substantially less than the rated amperage draw and your voltage is within 5 of the rated voltage for instance 230 volts for a 240 volt unit then chances are the elements have changed in resistance This will require element replacement Pressing the number 8 will turn on 2 or 3 small LEDs that indicat
76. kiln has 10 cubic feet then 250 cubic feet per hour about 4 cubic feet per minute should be adequate Our suggestion is to get a variable speed fan for ambient room ventilation and keep a thermometer on the wall That way you can vary the ventilation to suit the needs of ambient heat conditions in the room Grainger is an excellent source for ventilation equipment See www grainger com MANUAL VENTING For many years people only vented their kilns by propping up the lids for the first part of the ceramic firing and taking out peepholes You can still do this if you want However be sure to have proper room ventilation at least to get rid of the fumes that get vented to the room Also be sure POWER VENTING We recommend our VENT SURE downdraft kiln vent system This will do most of the venting of the fumes of the kiln will help cool the kiln will improve uniformity of firing in the kiln and will help maintain the oxygen level in the kiln which is important for certain glaze effects See our catalog for more infor mation as well as hotkilns com vent pdf The complete installation instructions are at ventsure instruct pdf With a downdraft vent system air is pulled from tiny holes in the bottom of the kiln which creates a slight negative pressure in the kiln Just enough fresh air is drawn into the kiln to continuously replace the air being sucked out The heat in the kiln is then forced to move about The slight downdraft effec
77. lays 1 Power Relays may cause poor transfer of power to elements when they have been used for a long period of time It is not always a total failure which is of course harder to troubleshoot If these are suspected replace them Bad Wiring 1 Have an electrician check your wiring We have seen aluminum wire cause intermittent problems with allowing enough voltage through We do not recommend aluminum wiring although some electri cians will swear by it The problem with it is that aluminum oxide which is formed from heat is a resistor while copper oxide is not a resistor With kilns you will often develop some heat in the electrical lines If all connections are perfect and the wire is oversized you probably will not have a problem but why take that chance Make sure your wires are of the proper size and that all connections are good WIRES WILL GET HOT Unlike many other appliances that use electricity like motors kilns are called a resistive load This means that there will be a continuous pull of steady electrical power for many hours Even with properly sized wire this will generate SOME heat in the wires This is one reason we recommend against using aluminum wire for a power feed If you look carefully you will see that we have OVERSIZED our internal power wires far in excess of their rated capacity In addition all our power wire is rated for very high temperatures The larger the wires the less resistance in the w
78. leshooting instructions easy fire trouble pdf and so does the Liberty Belle liberty belle trouble pdf Please email or fax any corrections or suggestions that you have so that we may incorporate this information into our next revision We have gone into great depth in many areas and while some of this may seem overwhelming much of this is geared towards helping customers who want to be as self sufficient as possible Our basic philosophy at L amp L is to make kilns that last No small part of having a reliable well firing kiln is good maintenance This information is provided as a service and is believed to be accurate However it is the reader s sole responsibility to interpret and use this information correctly Please visit our web site to download the latest versions of all our instructional and technical information RELATED L amp L GUIDES CAUTION INSTRUCTIONS See cautions pdf in the OPERATION section of your Instruction Manual THIS IS SOMETHING YOU MUST READ REGULAR KILN MAINTENANCE See maintain pdf in the OPERATION section of your Instruction Manual THIS IS SOMETHING YOU MUST READ BASIC ELECTRICITY FOR TROUBLESHOOTING See troubleshoot electricity pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING section Also see hotkilns com volts pdf for more in depth information about electricity for kilns troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 TROUBLESHOOTING BRICK PROBLEMS See troubleshoot brick pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING sect
79. level place the kiln floor on it If it wobbles at all you must shim the stand legs to correct this If you fail to do this you may crack the kiln floor prematurely It is imperative to use a proper stand Without it the non flammable concrete brick tile floor will act as a heat sink transferring heat from the bottom of the kiln throughout the floor this will result in cooler bottom zones and uneven slow firings and could also result in a fire If you want to add more insulation to the bottom something we recommend in the case of slow firing Page 17 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE you can put another kiln bottom under your new kiln bottom people often have old kilns around that can be cannibalized for this purpose or you can put a layer of calcium silicate under the kiln stand See our parts list for information on this Jupiter Stands with Vent Collection Box New stands have mounting studs in place around a hole in the middle of the stand for the attachment of L amp L s venting system See the section in this guide on Venting for more information as well as the vent system instructions for the specific requirements pertaining to size and number of exhaust holes for each different size kiln Sometimes the studs on the stand do not quite line up with the holes in the vent system s
80. lly rated in increments of 10 the next higher rating is 60 amps Therefore everything in the line must be rated at least for 60 amps Note about the 50 amp power cord used on kilns with up to 48 amps the cord is built to take at least 60 amps 6AWG wire for the hot leads good per NEC table 310 16 8 AWg for the ground plus oversize copper blades on the plug and high temp rating In addition this configuration has been examined by UL and approved for use not only with L amp L kilns but most other UL listed kilns on the market Do size the rest of the circuit for 60 amps i e the wires circuit breaker etc Most L amp L kilns require a specific voltage to operate properly The Data Nameplate will say in the voltage column either 120 208 220 220 110 240 380 220 or 480 Most of the USA is residential 240 vac with schools and industry sometimes having 208 vac Often however residential can be 208 downtown NYC south central Idaho etc There are usually no issues with 120 volts 220 and 380 220 are usually found overseas 480 is sometimes available for schools or industry The biggest problem we see is the Issue of 208 vs 240 The kiln that says 208 volts will overheat the elements and burn them out quickly if it is run on 240 volts Older 208 volt kilns have 208 volt switches also They will burn out quickly if run on 240 volts If the kiln is made for 240 volts then it will have about 25 less power and a maximum temper
81. meplate voltage divided by the nameplate amperage D Know the kiln s history Were the elements just replaced If so check the rewiring You will need a wiring diagram for the kiln and a switch schematic if it is a four position switch Low Medium High Off There is also a chance that the wrong elements were installed troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 3 Measure the resistance of each branch circuit Turn the switches OFF The switches must be off or else the meter will read all the branch circuits at once What this does is reads the resistance of just the elements in each circuit not the entire kiln On a many L amp L kilns there are plug and receptacle connec tions between the elements and the switches or contactors Measure branch circuit resistance with the kiln power OFF from the two flat prongs not the ground of the plug heads of each kiln section On other kilns you want to determine how many elements are in each circuit and how the elements in each circuit connect together and to each circuit s power wires Take the branch circuit resistance reading at the point where the power wires connect to the element s 4 Determine Series or Parallel Look to see if the elements are wired in series or in parallel with each other Even in L amp L s latest kilns you would still have to either take the element box off or look at the kiln s wiring diagram to determine this See troubleshoot element pdf in the TRO
82. mplete then it will have a different meaning If CPLt appears randomly it means either your TC wires are burning against the kiln case or your TCs are so close to failing that they are giving a reading that is so high that the DynaTrol thinks the firing is over If the TCs are not bad you just replaced them and they worked fine for at least one complete firing but the FAIL message still appears it may be that the TC wire is bad melted or broken at a point or the electronics have partially failed If you are not electri cally inclined then call the factory and send the entire control panel in for service If you are electrically inclined then try the following Page 35 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE A Turn OFF the power unplug or if it is hardwired turn the breaker off B Open the cover of the control On controls without hinged cover plates you want to loosen the TC clamp on the bottom or side of the control to give the TC wires inside some slack C Number the TC wires inside so you will know which sets of screws they attach to Then remove the TC wires from the TC connections on the electronic board D In their place put tiny jumper wires A paper clip cut into three U shaped pieces works well Insert one U per TC circuit tightening the screws down as you go You
83. n If you want lower than 0025 try 0015 or 0010 8 AUL6 Autolag will now display flashing with either On or OFF See next section troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Autolag Setting 1 Autolag automatically disables the LAG control until the end of the firing 2 Having Autolag turned On speeds up the firing considerably Most ceramics applications do not require exceptional uniformity until the end of the firing With Autolag On the LAG feature is disabled until the last 45 F of the firing when it comes back on to it s programmed setting Basically this allows the faster sections to help pull the slower sections along 3 However for glass and other industrial applications turning OFF Autolag is probably recommended 4 Press OTHER until LAG appears 5 Press ENTER 6 As soon as you press ENTER after entering the LAG setting you can leave it as is just press ENTER you will see AUL6 for approximately two seconds and then see either On or OFF 7 Press 1 to toggle between ON and OFF 8 Then press ENTER ShtO Shut Off Setting 1 This option is used to shut off the automatic feature in the Dynatrol that holds the hottest part of the kiln at each segment s set point until the average of the three or two thermocouples reaches that set point This can have a dramatic effect on speed of firing and is worth trying to see if it helps you if you are having a problem 2 When you press OTHER 4 4 3 3
84. nch circuits resistance is what an individual element s resistance is and whether the branch circuits elements are wired in series or parallel If the branch circuit voltage is different from the whole kiln s voltage supply 220 110 then it will be easier to compare the numbers of each branch circuit individually like you would for the whole kiln if the voltage was the same all the way through Draw and label a picture of the wiring and the elements Check yourself using the different formulas in Ohms Law troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 8 By now you have determined if the elements are the problem or if the components or connections are the problem A If this kiln had a calculated resistance of say 7 ohms and an actual resistance of 8 ohms you have determined that you need elements if none are broken and no circuits are out The ohms are a bit more than 9 over the calculated resistance and this correlates with the problem slow kiln considering the fact that no circuits or elements are out Ideally you should replace all the elements at least replace those with readings that are too high If you do not replace them all at once the kiln may heat unevenly However with the zoned design twith ungraded elements his is much less of a problem than with kilns that have graded elements B If this kiln had a calculated resistance of say 7 ohms and an actual resistance of 15 ohms you would have to ass
85. ng inside the kiln while the elements are on They should all be glowing a similar color red CAUTION In most kilns the power does not turn off when you open the lid Be careful not to put your hand inside the kiln while it is on Dangerous electric shock could result 12 If all the elements are firing and the kiln is still firing too slow check the amperage draw of the kiln under a full load i e with all Infinitely Variable Zone Input Switches on 100 See if the amperage drawn is the same as what the kiln is rated for See the product literature and or data nameplate on the kiln for the rated amperage draw For instance a model J230 rated for 240 volts Single Phase should draw 43 93 amps If it is substantially less than the rated amperage draw and your voltage is within 5 of the rated voltage for instance 230 volts for a 240 volt troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 unit then chances are the elements have changed in resistance This will require element replacement You can check element resistance by disconnecting the elements and checking the elements with an ohmmeter See your instructions or check with factory for proper resistance TROUBLESHOOTING VARIABLES For most L amp L kiln problems the variables can be organized into these categories 1 The Kiln Body a firebrick b element holders c lid and floor d metal case e stand f hardware 2 Elements a elements b element connections c el
86. ng it to the transformer then you need to replace the trans former Control Transformer The two outside top terminals should give Either pair of outside bottom terminals could have 120 volt input N The two outside A middle and end top terminal should bottom termina give you 12 volts would have 240 volt input 2 If there is 240 or 220 or 208 volts coming into the control transformer terminals 4 amp 7 and there is no voltage coming from the transformer across terminals 5 amp 8 then you have a bad control trans former and it needs to be replaced 3 If there is no voltage coming into terminals 4 amp 7 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Page 5 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE then test for it at the Power Terminal Block where the power cord comes in If there is power there then look for a bad connection or wire between the power connection block and the transformer i e a bad toggle switch wire or 2 amp fuse holder If power is not there then go further back on the line and measure the voltage Keep going until you find voltage then look for the problem between that point with the voltage and the last point checked that had no voltage Control Board 1 If the transformer is OK and you know you have voltage going to the control board but the control still shows no
87. o uses the kiln understands about the TC wires It may be good to keep some wire on hand just in case Note Sometimes excessive ambient temperatures over 125 F around the control can cause stalling too Corroded connection points can also cause stalling Page 37 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE PYROMETERS Pyrometers are very useful for monitoring manually fired kilns L amp L used to sell only analog pyrometers now we sell only digital pyrometers An analog pyrometer has a needle and a printed scale under the needle to interpret the needle s position Most clay and glazes will mature over at least two cone numbers and these pyrometers are at least that accurate In time however they loose their accuracy They can be calibrated by using a large cone visible in the kiln Compare the pyrometer reading when the cone melts to a cone table temperature equivalent for that cone number and adjust the calibration screw on the front of the pyrometer accordingly We now only sell digital pyrometers now because of their superior accuracy Picture of an older Tru View Pyrometer system All new pyrometers sold are digital because of their greater accuracy 1000 1500 500 gattt A 2000 7 YS UH LLL LLTI 77 nnn ae M M777 NN 300 900 7 LN MFG INC ARS OME ERM IONN OGT ADEE Tru View Py
88. oblem 1 Look for the nameplate data Every kiln should have a nameplate containing model number voltage phase and amperage needed as well as the watts that it will produce This is the key and is often the only information you may have on how much power to make available when hooking the kiln up and how the kiln should act Plug the Amps and troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Volts labeled here into Ohms Law to see what the resistance for the whole kiln should be There is a photograph of a typical nameplate later in this troubleshooting guide If the nameplate is missing you can call or email the factory to try and figure out what model it is Measure the inside dimensions of the kiln take whatever resistance readings you can let us know whether it has Hi Med Low switches on infinite type switches and describe anything else you can about the kiln A digital picture emailed to us can be very helpful 2 Measure the total resistance of the kiln Always unplug the kiln or turn off the power if you cannot unplug it when measuring resistance in these circuits Now turn all switches to high and turn the kiln sitter on Measure the ohms from the prongs on the main powercord from the two hot blades not from the ground or neutral The reading should match within about 9 of what you calculated it should be from the nameplate data A If there is no reading or a reading that makes no sense like 031 ohms or any re
89. of the time With this feature the middle zone of the kiln will come on the programmed percent Pld of the time that the TOP zone comes on if the bottom zone is on all the time Tests showed that if the bottom was on 100 of the time the top zone was generally on 90 of the time but the middle zone was on only about 40 of the time By programming a higher percent you can greatly speed up your firings you will have to experiment try the factory setting 65 then try maybe 100 and compare your results Basically the higher the PId setting the faster the firing at the potential price of uneveness 3 As your elements age firing by firing this setting will activate earlier and earlier in the firing because the bottom will be working at 100 earlier and earlier This will allow the artificial inflation of the center s temperature sooner and sooner Because this center is heating based on mathematics now and not it s own thermocouple s reading it will have a longer and longer period of time to get hotter than the top and the bottom In some cases this can lead to gross uneveness You may find yourself dialing down the PId to something like 50 or 60 Remember that if it is set around 40 it s normal operating percentage or below the thermocouple s reading then will be the control for that section not the mathematics of the PId feature troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 4 When display flashes IDLe tC2 press OTHER s
90. older Econo J kilns use time proportioning switches also called Infinite or INF switches These time proportioning switches sometimes in smaller J Series kilns up to 15 amps per circuit control power directly On higher amperage models like the J236 J245 J2900 Series and the DaVinci kilns the switches control power contactors These switches give the operator more control as one may set them for low medium or high and anything in between They also allow the resistance of a branch circuit to be measured easily to diagnose element problems There is no different resistance at low medium or high like there is with a current proportioning switch It will be the same reading regardless of what the switch is set for except Off depending of course on where you are reading the resistance from Note our use of the phrase current proportioning here refers to fact that the actual wattage of the whole element circuit is changed by the switch it does not imply the use of an indus trial device known as an SCR which incrementally changes the current in a circuit DIAGNOSE A SLOW FIRING MANUALLY CONTROLLED KILN amp GENERAL TACTICS Manually controlled L amp Ls without electronic controllers are set up for easy measurement of resistance and voltage Most other manually controlled kilns are set up in a similar fashion The following steps will outline the process of diagnosing one of these kilns with say a slow heating pr
91. ontrol Often firing as above may end up with a difference in temperature in various sections of the fired load or zone To correct this without the use of a pyrometer system requires a trial and error method such as using multiple cones in various zones of the kiln After shut off carefully note the temperature variations and by small adjustments to the sectional input controls when on high attempt to tune this difference out Since cones only indicate troubleshoot general pdf end of firing temperature one has no idea of how the uniformity is developing as the temperature is increasing We recommend a TRU VIEW multi thermocouple pyrometer system which indicates the temperature of each zone These are available from L amp L The system includes a thermocouple located in each kiln section A switch allows the operator to switch from zone to zone very rapidly and thereby indicating each zone temperature Adjustments to the infinite control will then be indicated This method indicates zone temperature at all times and is also a great help in cooling a kiln Often a kiln should cool slowly requiring a period on low heat In such a procedure the Dawson Kiln Sitter is reset carefully to on position ignore the cone which has initially shut this kiln off but make absolutely certain you are on low heat to prevent overfiring Do not leave your kiln keep checking CAUTION Such a procedure requires knowing the temperature of the kiln an
92. orm a physical inspection if possible or just re start the kiln and monitor it carefully 4 Element s just burned out Perform an ohms test for more information 5 A relay has just failed Perform a voltage test 6 There is a bad connection point somewhere This will become more of a possibility as the kiln ages Examine all points carefully for melting corrosion discoloration and or bad smell Err1 If Errl is the error code on the screen when you check on the firing then for some reason the kiln could not generate enough heat to counter the heat loss If the kiln can get no hotter even though all the elements appear to be on and the program is not holding then Err1 is what you will see If one of the elements or one of the circuits in the control fails while the kiln is at a high enough temperature then it will probably display an Err8 code which means temperature is falling when it should be rising Err1 or Err8 can mean either you need new elements or a new component in one of the circuits An ohms test and a voltage test can tell you which it is If you recently changed locations power supplies elements or did any repairs then closely examine what changed between your last successful firing and this one There may be some other issue besides bad elements or a bad component A new location can mean a 208 volt power supply rather than a 240 volt supply about 25 less power troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 200
93. ot possible it will flow into your circuit as soon as you turn the circuit breaker on Think of the kiln elements as part of the troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 circle They are termed the electrical load Everything else in the control box just provides the route for the electricity to travel on this is termed the electrical line Like a wall receptacle in a house the electricity just sits at the edge of your circuit breaker until you turn it on As soon as you turn it on the electricity will rush into the kiln circuitry stopping at a turned off switch or a turned off kiln sitter once you turn the switch or kiln sitter on then the electricity goes further until it hits the elements The nature of the material that the elements are made of provides a consistent amount of resistance per unit of measurement depending on the thickness of the wire gauge and length of element wire Good element design is complicated by the need to balance coil diameter wire diameter total resistance needed stretch ratio watt density and other variables to create an optimal design Basically however the resistance provides the heat the special alloy withstands the high temperatures and the engineering of the kiln can maximize these and other variables by providing the correct ingredients to create the whole system REPLACING WIRE TERMINALS When you replace any electrical component there will be wires with terminals on ea
94. ote If there is no voltage there then test for it at the Power Connection Block where the power cord comes in If there is power there then look for a bad connection or wire between the power connection block and the transformer i e a bad toggle switch Page 36 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE wire or 2 amp fuse holder If power is not there then go further back on the line and measure the voltage Keep going until you find voltage then look for the problem between that point with the voltage and the last point checked that had no voltage 11 There probably will be voltage at the bottom of the transformer so test for voltage at the top two outside terminals of the transformer On L amp L THP and DynaTrol controls the voltage here should be about 21 to 25 vac older units that used the Perfectfire control will have transformer readings of about 12 vac because they use a different type of transformer Look for half of the 21 to 25 vac with one test lead on the top center terminal of the trans former Test both outer terminals with the center terminal The DynaTrol will still work with one of these two 10 5 to 12 5 vac circuits not working but keeping an extra transformer on hand will be a good idea Probably there will be no voltage at the top here Usually if everything else including t
95. point along seal Note that the gap at the top will definitely appear larger than any gap you see between the kiln sections This is partly because the lid actually bows down in the center of the lid when it heats up and the edges consequently rise slightly Just check for an UNEVENESS in this gap which will cause an excessive heat loss 2 If door lid is excessively cracked or worn or has holes in it this may cause drafts in the kiln Replace door lid 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 Page 7 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE This shows a crack in a lid that is OK Cracks are a natural event with refractory slabs As long as the crack does not create a large pathway for heat to escape and remains stable it is OK to leave as it See the section in the back called CRACKS IN THE TOP amp BOTTOM Elements 1 Elements may have differentially changed in resistance Check element resistance see troubleshoot elements pdf 2 Empty the kiln Then turn kiln on using a fast program like FAST GLAZE until elements are red Open the door carefully and observe the elements to see if they all seem to be glowing about the same amount CAUTION The power does not turn off when you open the lid Be careful not to put your hand inside the kiln while it is on Dangerous electric shock could result if you touch an element
96. rcuit and another kind of wire on the other side of the circuit The point at which the two kinds of wire meet is right at the end of the sensor the thermocouple probe s tip in the kiln This is where the temperature is read All types of thermocouple circuits are set up this way with two dissimilar metals making up each half of the circuit In the case of the Type K the metals are called Alumel and Chromel They are usually either 14 awg American wire gauge or the thicker 8 awg wire The thickness of the wire is only important inside the kiln Thicker wire lasts longer but is more expensive and more difficult to work with Our standard Type K thermocouples in the Easy fire Jupiter DaVinci and Doll kilns now come with a ceramic thermocouple protection tube These last longer because they are protected from the kiln atmosphere An 8 gauge Type K thermocouple next to a ceramic protection tube Page 38 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Metal Sheathed Type K Thermocouples These have a metallic sheath on the outside of the thermocouple and are 1 4 OD See tc metallic pdf for more information on these If you retrofit these into a kiln with larger diameter thermocouples be sure to plug up the larger hole around the thermocouple especially if a venting system is in use Otherwise they coul
97. rometer System L amp L s TRU VIEW pyrometer systems can have as many as five thermocouples connected to them The pyrometer can only read one at a time though so a thermocouple selector switch is wired into the yellow side of the TC circuits The TC selector switch that was originally used was replaced by the one currently in use The new one is a simple 12 position switch The trick when working on these is to use a continuity tester to match the lead in question on the inside to the position of the knob on the outside For example the knob may point to TC 1 on the label On the inside there is only one lead from the switch that corre sponds to TC 1 If you do not connect that lead to TC troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 1 then when the knob points to TC 1 on the label it may be reading some other TC besides TC 1 Note the common wire comes from the center of the switch See truview instruct pdf for more information THERMOCOUPLES The pyrometers and all of the electronic kiln controllers for L amp L kilns work with a Type K Thermocouple Although we do make available a Type S platinum thermocouple See stc pdf There are all different types in the entire range of thermo couples available to the consumer and to industry Type K is just one type covering the temperature scale from 32 F to 2500 F 0 C to 1372 C Type K thermocouple circuits are made of one kind of wire on one side if the ci
98. s considered totally safe See the Parts List 4 Whatever you do be sure NOT to put the kiln directly on the floor If the floor is cement or other hard non flammable material it will absorb the heat from the kiln If the floor is wood or other flammable material you will create a very DANGEROUS situation which could cause a serious fire Page 14 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE KILN HEATS TOO FAST Voltage 1 Check your voltage Some people may have high voltage like 245 volts where you should nominally have 240 volts 2 Make sure you don t have a 208 volt kiln hooked up to a 240 volt circuit This is dangerous because the kiln will draw more amps than it is rated for which will overload the power wires and other compo nents and could cause a fire Elements 1 Check element ohms and compare with factory values See CHECKING ELEMENT OHMS THE KILN FIRES SLOWLY MANUAL 1 Check many of the same things as you would for an automatic kiln like element resistance wiring etc 2 Switches are sometimes defective 3 Relays or contactors may cause poor transfer of power to elements when they have been used for a long period of time Examine contacts for wear Replace contactors if contacts are worn or pitted 4 Make sure all elements are firing You can do this by simply looki
99. s located in the top 1 section of the kiln The electricity in branch circuit number one troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 feeds the elements in the top section number one zone Number two zone is the middle section and number three zone is the bottom section each is individually controlled by their respective contactors and thermocouples Essentially each zone is like its own kiln with its own temperature sensor and power supply When stacked on top of each other the zones operate independently yet they all follow the same path and more or less do the same thing by comparing the actual temperature in each zone to what is on the program map and then either leaving the elements on or turning them off accordingly The DynaTrol computer controlled kilns use calculations to determine some functions These calculations are performed in the micro processor with data fed from A your choices in programming B the thermo couples C the internal clock The various calculations performed throughout the firing result in the complex firing programs uniformity and the consistent automatic shut off or controlled cooldown A Your choices in programming fill in the blanks on the map of the firing i e how fast the kiln will climb in temperature and to what temperature if there is a hold a preheat a delay etc The Easy Fire programs have most of these settings pre programmed The Vary Fire programs can be completely programme
100. stems on L amp L kilns MANUAL CONTROL One is a manual control The manual control refers to the siwtches which need to be adjusted during the firing Even in a manual kiln the actual shut off device is a simple automatic pyrometric device the Dawson Kiln Sitter timer The manual control system consists of the switch box with either Hi Med Low switches or infinite type switches one for each zone of the kiln the Dawson Kiln sitter and possibly branch fuses and contactors in larger kilns AUTOMATIC CONTROL An automatic kiln consists of the switch box an electronic temperature control thermocouples contactors and branch fuses in larger kilns The electronic temperature control both automatically turns up the heat based on a program and shuts off the Page 22 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE kiln when it reaches the correct final temperature The thermocouples measure the temperature in the kiln SERVICEABILITY L amp L has designed their controls to be as far from the heat as possible easy to repair on site and simple to remove and return to the factory if factory service is required or preferred SAFETY WARNING In the United States and Canada most electric kilns use high voltage electricity either 208 or 240 volts Some small ones such as our Doll Baby kilns
101. t hold time of 10 minutes can dramatically increase the amount of heat work and hence the cone that the kiln fires to On the other hand you can use the hold time to increase the heat work to compensate for under fired work Just test this in small increments There is a great program available for free from Orton s web site that allows you to calculate this with some precision Control Settings 1 The ceramic thermocouple protection tubes introduce a known error into the system This is covered in the Operational Instructions but bears repeating here The temperature that is measured by the tip of the thermocouple is approximately 70 Deg F cooler than the actual kiln temperature We have found through extensive testing that the best way to compensate for this is to put ina Thermocouple Offset of 50 Deg on each thermocouple setting is 0050 and a Cone Offset of of 20 setting is 9020 for EACH cone that you fire to on the Easy Fire Programs or 9030 on cones 022 to 017 We have already programmed the control with this information so that you don t have to do it However we also provide step by step instructions on how to do it in the Operational Instructions If you are using the VARY FIRE programming then use a Thermocouple Offset of plus 70 setting is 0070 Thermocouple Drift Thermocouples drift in their accuracy with time You may have to make further adjustments in the Thermocouple Offset or Cone Offset settings over time
102. t Up instructions that came with your kiln davinci setup pdf Page 19 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Element Holders Each kiln section has a number of heating elements in it These elements sit in ceramic element holders or channels that are set in the brick They go all the way around the kiln A J2900 Brick set which includes two bricks and three rows of holders Elements are held in place by two small flanges on the back of the element holder that slide into specially routed channels in the brick These eliminate the need for pins to hold the elements in place These holders also help to retain the heat in the kiln during firing The harder ceramic holders reflect the radiant heat of the elements back into the kiln better than the firebrick When ordering replacement element holders it is best to measure their length and include that along with the kiln model number There are old style element holders in kilns built before January 1996 After January 1996 the element holders were made with a slightly larger channel for the elements We recommend replacing the old style holders with the more recent version The reason for the new style element holders was to accommodate the larger diameter of the Heavy Duty elements which are troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev
103. t a short power outage or interference Just press any number to clear the ErrP An ErrP which is not flashing must be re started Worst Case Scenario for Restarting After an Error Code Keep in mind that you run the risk of over firing if you re start while the kiln is very close to the final temperature A pyrometric cone melts with the proper combination of time and temperature Add more time and you don t need as high a temperature go to a higher temperature and you don t need as much time When an error code shuts down the kiln near your final temperature within about 50 degrees and you do not know exactly how long it has been cooling or what temperature it reached before the error code appeared you run the risk of having too much unaccounted for time in your time temperature equation The DynaTrol calculates this equation automatically after determining how many degrees per hour the kiln is climbing time and to what temperature it is climbing to temperature However it cannot do this accurately after a high temperature re start If you have cones in the kiln that you can see through the peepholes then use these after you re start and turn off the kiln manually when the target cone bends over If you do not have cones visible then you can gamble troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 and estimate a final temperature based on how many degrees per hour the kiln has risen including the time it was off For
104. t of the vent system counteracts Page 21 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE the tendency of heat to rise in the kiln which would otherwise lead to uneven temperatures top to bottom in the kiln The amount sucked out should not be enough to compromise the rate of temperature climb but must be enough to suck out all impurities i e carbon fluorine water vapor etc L amp L s Vent Sure system only requires between one 4 hole and four 5 16 holes depending on the size of the kiln Too many holes can cause slower firings and a lower maximum temperature In addition the vent system ductwork could get too hot and potentially melt if there are too many holes The Bypass Collection box included with the Vent Sure vent system allows to adjust the amount of air being sucked from the kiln Basically you want it to just vent the fumes You may need to turn the vent off near the end of the firing especially if you are having a hard time reaching final set point One thing to keep in mind about venting at high temperatures is that you are actually venting less air the higher in temperature the kiln goes This is because the air in the kiln expands with temperature so less molecules of air which hold the heat are being removed from the kiln the hotter the kiln gets Keep in mind that even the best
105. take as long as eight seconds for the DynaTrol to respond to the rise in temperature in the top of the kiln and shut off those elements This can quickly cause an uneven temper ature in the kiln which will usually result in Errd possibly an Err2 in a smaller kiln Err2 is when the entire kiln temperature is more than 50 F over the hold time s temperature for longer than 18 seconds There was a lot of air being exhausted from your kiln when Errd appeared If a vent system pulls too much air from just one point in the kiln say to down ramp the load very quickly to a lower hold time for crystal formation an uneven temperature can result The finng will go slowly as it will be difficult to compensate for the heat loss eventually however the Page 34 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Errd or Err1 can appear Errd just appeared the middle TC reads about 130 F lower than the other TCs In order of most likely to least likely 1 Something is too close to or is touching TC2 in the kiln Allow almost an inch between everything for thermal expansion Fix and re fire the kiln 2 A TC wire has melted against the kiln case the yellow TC lead wire can melt and send weird signals to the DynaTrol The wire must be replaced which is cheap and easy to do 3 A TC is about to fail Perf
106. te the signals from the TCs to the DynaTrol These wires will melt and fail if allowed to touch the kiln case when it is hot The result of this is that the kiln can stall out say CPLt prematurely or display any other number of other random error codes It may refuse to increase in temperature and the kiln will just run on and on If it is re started it may work fine for a while What happens is that the millivolt signal in the TC wire goes to ground or the two wires in the TC wire are electrically connected by the stainless steel melting through the insulation and the temperature is then taken right there not in the kiln However the signal received can be so foreign to the microprocessor that the kiln will just stall You can cut out the bad section in the wire and crimp or solder the wires together making sure red goes to red and yellow to yellow as a temporary fix Note that thermocouples close to end of their useful life can cause some of these same problems Prevention and education is the best way to keep this possibility to a minimum The yellow wires come zip tied and more can be used to keep them away from the side of the kiln It is not recommended to tie them to the kiln powercords or any wires carrying higher voltage The magnetic field in high voltage wires can transmit voltages into the thermocouple wires if they run parallel next to the high voltage wires The problem will not happen as long as everyone wh
107. ther kilns have three wires running from them to the element connections With these switches on High take your voltage reading at any two of the three connections Take all three readings though for example the two left connections the two right connections and the two outside connections 2 Note If the component is a relay or a contactor the switch controlling it would have to be on High for voltage to be able to be read after this component There are contactors connected by infinite switches in all L amp L manual kilns with sections that draw more than 15 amps L amp L s infinite switches can only handle up to 15 amps so contactors must be used for larger loads If you cannot read the voltage after a troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 contactor even if the switch controlling it is on High and there is voltage before the contactor the problem could be either the switch or the contactor The contactors L amp L uses contain what is essentially an electromagnet called a coil The coil in the contactor completes the circuit that is being controlled by the switch When the coil is activated by turning on the switch it creates a magnetic field which pulls the contacts together in the contactor allowing electricity to pass through to the elements This allows the higher rated contactor to handle the power to run the elements while the lower rated switch just handles the very minor amount of power necessary to energize
108. uit not just what the nameplate says B Another reason to test the branch circuit voltage is that corroded element connections and corroded connection points in general will cause a slight or not so slight voltage loss in the form of heat The voltage can drop considerably as it goes through the control to the elements if there are too many corroded connection points Measure the voltage at the main power supply Then measure it at the element connec tions to the power wires If there is a considerable voltage drop then you have a corrosion or connection problem Kilns in general corrode easily even the stainless steel Heating and cooling baking off moisture and all sorts of fumes and particle matter combine to create a corrosive environment Using a down drafting vent system combats this Badly corroded connections need to be replaced immedi ately Both parts of a connection should be replaced at the same time It is possible to clean up a connection by using an emery board or a gentle file to remove corrosion But once corrosion starts it generates heat which in turn generates further corrosion and more heat etc this vicious cycle will continue until you smell something awful trip your breaker or possibly start a fire In particular check your plug and receptacle connections especially the main powercord and receptacle 7 Add it all up Note and compare what the whole kiln s resistance is what the bra
109. ume that either the elements are really far gone or a circuit is out When going through the steps above you will establish for the sake of this example that this kiln has three equal parallel branch circuits and each branch circuit contains two elements wired in series With a calculated resistance of 7 ohms and the knowledge that the kiln is made up of three equal parallel branch circuits you know that each branch circuit s resistance should be 21 ohms Because your actual resistance reading is 15 ohms you should be able to see that the relationship between one branch circuit and 21 ohms and three parallel branch circuits and 7 ohms 21 3 7 would point you to the fact that 15 ohms is about what only two branch circuits would measure hence one is probably not working The extra ohm is here because nothing ever comes together that perfectly The other elements are probably aged also or the small percentage of error inherent in even the most precise measurements can be blamed for this extra ohm 9 What if the element ohms are OK Lets say it turns out the element ohm readings taken at the elements come up fine However the whole kiln resistance is 15 ohms not 7 ohms as it should be The problem must be in a branch circuit because the kiln will work partially so we know the main power wire is not the source of the problem The element ohms Page 26 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 6
110. und any green wire CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers Bad Power Relays 1 You should be able to hear contactors going on and troubleshoot general pdf off with a clicking noise when you first turn on the kiln and it is supposed to be heating up If not try turning the kiln off and then back on again and restarting the program Of course if you don t hear the relays it only tells you that they aren t firing The problem could be in the control for instance not telling the relays to fire If you do hear relays and the kiln is not heating then you know the problem is in the power circuit AFTER the relays 2 With power on and panel open check voltage before and after each of the contactors while the kiln is firing CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers Bad Elements See troubleshoot elements pdf in the TROUBLE SHOOTING section KILN FIRES UNEVENLY Peepholes 1 Plug up Peephole holes in the kiln to prevent drafts Lid Seal 1 Check to make sure that door lid is sealing properly If door lid is not sealing against top brick correctly a bright red glow will be visible around the door lid seal when kiln is operating A little of this is OK Also excessive heat loss can be felt around seal Rub seal high points down with sandpaper until no more than l 16 of an inch gap is found at any
111. ver a long distance will result in a drop in voltage The amount is about 7 volts per 100 feet with 10 awg wire 21 volts per 300 feet with 10 awg wire 6 volts per 100 feet with 6 awg wire 18 volts per 300 feet with 6 awg wire 3 volts per 100 feet with 1 awg wire 9 volts per 300 feet with 1 awg wire These estimates are dependent on the kiln operating at 50 to 100 of its capacity with the temperature of the wire no more than 167 F Be sure to test the voltage before the run has been installed so you know what you are working with Power cords The industry name for the supplied power cord on many L amp L kilns is Nema 6 50P for all single phase 208 220 and 240 models drawing less than 50 amps A few exceptions are the later G models GD GT GQ and GS with the 30 amp four prong plug This is a Nema 14 30P plug The Doll kilns and other 120 vac kilns use Nema 5 15P plugs for up to 15 amps and Nema 5 20P plugs for 15 to 20 amps The three phase Easy fire kilns use a 15 50P cord Various types of 30 amp plugs are used on the Libery Belle kilns To get the appropriate receptacle just substitute the P at the end of the Nema code for an R P for plug R for receptacle Page 41 2004 L amp L Kiln Mfg Inc P O B 1898 Boothwyn PA 19061 P 610 485 1789 F 610 485 4665 E sales hotkilns com www hotkilns com GENERAL L amp L KILN TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE Diagram of a NEMA 6 50 receptical The hole shown at the top is t
112. very fussy about the final result you can have the kiln sitter do the shut off automatically Just be sure to be near the kiln when it is supposed to stop Kiln Sitters are not fool proof devices REMEMBER They need periodic cleaning and adjustment Safety Note Unplug disconnect the kiln from power if you are working with it How the Kiln Sitter Timer works A The timer A The timer is a limit timer counting down the hours you set it for until it reaches zero at which point it turns off the kiln regardless of what is happening with the cone device This part of the device is usually thought of as a back up for the shut off part Note some people do not like this feature and disable it by removing the wires that power the timer motor troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 B The shut off mechanism This is a bit more complicated There is a set of contacts similar to those in a power contactor except there is no electro magnetic coil to be energized There is a spring loaded button with a slot cut around it on the outside of the kiln sitter that when pressed pushes the electrical contacts together This allows electricity to pass through to the elements There is a spring loaded sliding flat piece of metal that is forced into the button s slot once it is pressed in which keeps the button from popping back out There is a hinged weight hanging off of the front directly over the button When the weight hangs all t
113. wires together with the thicker plastic type insulation over that The entire circuit needs to keep troubleshoot general pdf 3 1 2004 Rev 4 0 this same type of wire from the pyrometer to the thermocouple There can be no sections containing other types of wire like copper or alumel where chromel should be There is a polarity as well The chromel side is generally referred to with the color yellow and a positive designation The alumel side is referred to with the color red and a negative designation If the polarity is reversed the pyrometer will read in reverse temperatures will decrease when they should be increasing Accidentally doing this will not damage anything if the problem is fixed promptly Note that we use a special high temperature TC extension wire inside the Easy Fire control cabinet Cones measure heat work Cones are not temperature measuring devices They measure how much heat has been absorbed by the ware in the kiln which is the result of the combination of time and temperature A particular piece of clay needs a certain amount of time at a specific temper ature to properly fire it lower temperature if the time is longer higher temperature if the time is shorter An example of this would be if you added about a 20 minute hold to the maximum temperature of a cone 6 firing you would be able to lower that final temper ature by about 20 F An hour hold time would mean a final temperature of about 40
114. with your voltmeter for continuity CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers 4 Make sure fuses or circuit breaker is the proper amperage and type See wiring diagram for details 5 Test for voltage at the main power supply as close to the kiln as possible CAUTION This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity and its dangers 6 CAUTION If you have a 208 volt rated kiln and are trying to run this on 240 volts you will create a dangerous situation This is dangerous because the kiln will draw more amps than it is rated for which will overload the power wires and other compo nents and could cause a fire Chances are the circuit breaker will trip or the fuses will blow first 7 Check voltage to the kiln MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT USING A 3 PHASE KILN ON A SINGLE PHASE CIRCUIT Internal Wiring 1 Unplug kiln or turn off at circuit breaker or fused disconnect and open up panel CHECK VOLTAGE TO BE SURE Make sure that all the wires inside the control panel are connected See photograph on page 2 and also the Wiring Diagram Specifically look at the wires that go from the power connection block to the on off switch then to the control fuse and then to the control transformer Short Circuits Do all the following with the kiln unplugged 1 Check for short circuits Look for any signs of burnt wires This might indicate a short circuit

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