Glen Seelenbrandt Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 I picked up a kiln (Duncan Studio 1020-2) from a Craigslist user back in April and have bisque fired no problem several time, but cannot seem to get it to ^5 or ^6 for glaze firing. I had an electrician check out my wiring so I know I am getting 240V and 30 amps from the box. Also, all my elements report the correct amount of resistance at each element, each group, and entire kiln. All the elements glow red except for about 4 inches on one element near the top. I also have a few crumbly bricks on the top row (where elements are not glowing and on the other side of the entry point to the box). Hoping someone can point me in the right direction for the next steps of troubleshooting. I can post pictures too if that might help. Much appreciated! Glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 What is the max temp for this kiln on the plate? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 What is the max temp for this kiln on the plate? Mark Mark, I googled the manual, according to manual its cone 8. 2300F. Glen, I have had a similar issue. I had a test kiln that I ended up buying and then selling(to a glass user who used it at 1700F) that was rated cone 8 as well. I couldn't get it past 2075F. All the elements were perfect and had no wear and all the meter readings were perfect. Also, I don't know if the manual I am looking at is outdated or what, but it says it should be on a 50 AMP breaker, and pull 40 amps. Maybe I am misreading it, its hard to see. https://books.google.com/books?id=gidZbPXyJbgC&lpg=PA5&ots=VhVAZjyMl7&dq=Duncan%20Studio%201020-2&pg=PA26#v=onepage&q=Duncan%20Studio%201020-2&f=false- page 28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Bridge Pottery Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Sure looks like it should be 40 amps on that table. Where did you get your element resistances from? The value that they should be? Maybe somebody swapped them out for a lower firing kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Seelenbrandt Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Thanks Guys! The plate on the kiln says 30 amps as does the manual I have. The resistance reading for the elements were taken where the element meets the connector and the reading was right around 3.7 which is what the manual suggests. Likewise the resistance reading was around 15 for each set. I picked up a pyrometer recently so I am curious to see how hot it actually gets. The glazes are melting, but they are all brown and muddy looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 This kiln must be very small to get to 2300 with 30 amps. I could see it taking forever. Gotta love seeing that meter wheel spin fast. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 How hot can you actually get too? Its possible if your getting to like 2100 you can easily get cone 6 out of that by holding the kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 How hot can you actually get too? Its possible if your getting to like 2100 you can easily get cone 6 out of that by holding the kiln. You'd be soaking for 3-4 cones, which is a lot, and some glazes will not respond to that. Plus you'll be putting a lot of stress on the elements. I wouldn't rely on it as a long term solution. Call Paragon, who handles Duncan kilns now, and see if that elements resistance is correct. According to the manual I saw, it should be pulling 40 amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 How hot can you actually get too? Its possible if your getting to like 2100 you can easily get cone 6 out of that by holding the kiln. You'd be soaking for 3-4 cones, which is a lot, and some glazes will not respond to that. Plus you'll be putting a lot of stress on the elements. I wouldn't rely on it as a long term solution. Call Paragon, who handles Duncan kilns now, and see if that elements resistance is correct. According to the manual I saw, it should be pulling 40 amps. I fire to 2165 with a 10 minute hold, then several holds as I cool down. I end up with a nicely bent cone 6 and beautiful glazes, so I thought it might work... However, I didn't think about the huge difference between 2100 and 2165 so yea, I can see that being terrible result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Bridge Pottery Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 I have a 30 amp, 60 litre internal volume kiln that gets those temps easily. It is very small though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Seelenbrandt Posted September 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Is it possible that despite the fact that the plate on the kiln says 30 amps, that is actually 40 amps? I too have seen documentation in later manuals (not the one I have) that lists Model 1020-2 as 40 amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 It is possible when Duncan made that kiln they thought 30 amps would be sufficient, then later on after a lot of people who fire cone 6 had problems they increased the amperage requirements, to make sure it got enough juice to heat it. This is just pure theory, but who knows anything is possible. Best thing to do would be to call Paragon as Neil said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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