Experience With Aim Kilns?

[KDK]

Hello,

 

I'm considering buying an AIM 1413 electric kiln. I'm very limited by my electrical situation as to the type of kiln I can get. The reason I'm looking at the AIM 1413 is because it can run on two 15 amp, 120 volt circuits. It has *two* cords and needs *two* 15 amp outlets.

 

Does anyone have experience with AIM kilns? Are they reliable? Any customer service issues? It's hard to find reviews of these kilns online. I found one that said it doesn't really fire to cone 10 as claimed.

 

My first choice would be a small Skutt kiln, but most of them need #10 wiring, I have #12 wiring and can't re-wire at the moment.

 

Any input would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

KDK

 

 

[Mark C.]

I cannot say a thing about AIM kilns but I will add that your #12 circuit needs to have all the connections tight. Many home circuits are just put together with wire nuts  and gang run box to box and its those connections that will heat up and cause an issue in this scenario with you using all 15 amps to cone 6 or 10. Hopefully yo can get a dedicated run just to kiln with zero connection (no offshoots).This would be the safer move on this kiln.Even with this you need to separate circuits of 15 amps with this kiln. which means two dedicated wire runs.

Why not just run a single circuit of larger wire in conduit to a kiln which makes more sense to me.?

Just having #12 wire still means you need to see if their are branch circuits and not use them and to have two outlets together at kiln on separate circuits which is very unusual.

[Dick White]

I second what Mark just said. Most household 120V outlets are duplex, i.e. 2 sockets so you can plug in 2 things simultaneously but only one actual circuit. It would be extremely unusual to find two outlets together but on separate circuits. Furthermore, such household circuits generally have multiple outlets around the room, perhaps even in several rooms, so that several small things can be used at once. A kiln needs a dedicated circuit because it will be drawing the full capacity of the circuit when it gets to high. Please check the true nature of your electrical capacity before you get sucked down the rabbit hole on this novel "2-cord" kiln.

[KDK]

I cannot say a thing about AIM kilns but I will add that your #12 circuit needs to have all the connections tight. Many home circuits are just put together with wire nuts  and gang run box to box and its those connections that will heat up and cause an issue in this scenario with you using all 15 amps to cone 6 or 10. Hopefully yo can get a dedicated run just to kiln with zero connection (no offshoots).This would be the safer move on this kiln.Even with this you need to separate circuits of 15 amps with this kiln. which means two dedicated wire runs.

Why not just run a single circuit of larger wire in conduit to a kiln which makes more sense to me.?

Just having #12 wire still means you need to see if their are branch circuits and not use them and to have two outlets together at kiln on separate circuits which is very unusual.

Thanks for the reply, it's helpful. I didn't know that #12 home circuits aren't always tight and that two separate outlets might be running on the same circuit. Sounds like I'd still need an electrician to come out and look at the wiring for this AIM kiln. (I can't do any re-wiring per HOA rules.)

[KDK]

I second what Mark just said. Most household 120V outlets are duplex, i.e. 2 sockets so you can plug in 2 things simultaneously but only one actual circuit. It would be extremely unusual to find two outlets together but on separate circuits. Furthermore, such household circuits generally have multiple outlets around the room, perhaps even in several rooms, so that several small things can be used at once. A kiln needs a dedicated circuit because it will be drawing the full capacity of the circuit when it gets to high. Please check the true nature of your electrical capacity before you get sucked down the rabbit hole on this novel "2-cord" kiln.

Thanks, this is helpful. Again, I didn't know about two separate outlets running on the same circuit. When I asked AIM about this via their web site, they didn't reply. I also asked an online store that sells these kilns about the "two outlets" deal and they gave me a five word answer, literally, which didn't help at all. I appreciate this forum.

[Mark C.]

(A kiln needs a dedicated circuit because it will be drawing the full capacity of the circuit when it gets to high. Please check the true nature of your electrical capacity before you get sucked down the rabbit hole on this novel "2-cord" kiln.)

In residential wiring  dedicated circuits are more rare.

You will need a decanted circuit -actually two of them.

​This circuit in a house can be say the refrigerator or an electric  heater. Never are there say one outlet in a room unless its a high amp drawing appliance -say a laundry room circuit for a electric dryer or washer.

Keep in mind kilns use all the amps that they are rated for whereas most things do not.

The trouble with a kiln on a circuit that has other outlets is when you are firing and you use say your 1500 watt hair dryer-then you have exceeded your circuit amps and a breaker should trip off or worse yet a fire starts in the wires in the wall.

 

HOA rules are something I know zero about ,but you could float the idea by the board and see if you can get an exception. 

[Denice]

I have a AIM test kiln for 15 years and haven't had any problems with it.  Mine is just a test kiln so the interior is 8x8 inches, it takes a 15 amp outlet my electrician ran a separate circuit for it and a heavier wire.  Denice

[Mark C.]

The key point here is

(Mine is just a test kiln so the interior is 8x8 inches, it takes a 15 amp outlet my electrician ran a separate circuit for it and a heavier wire.)

[KDK]

(A kiln needs a dedicated circuit because it will be drawing the full capacity of the circuit when it gets to high. Please check the true nature of your electrical capacity before you get sucked down the rabbit hole on this novel "2-cord" kiln.)

In residential wiring  dedicated circuits are more rare.

You will need a decanted circuit -actually two of them.

​This circuit in a house can be say the refrigerator or an electric  heater. Never are there say one outlet in a room unless its a high amp drawing appliance -say a laundry room circuit for a electric dryer or washer.

Keep in mind kilns use all the amps that they are rated for whereas most things do not.

The trouble with a kiln on a circuit that has other outlets is when you are firing and you use say your 1500 watt hair dryer-then you have exceeded your circuit amps and a breaker should trip off or worse yet a fire starts in the wires in the wall.

 

HOA rules are something I know zero about ,but you could float the idea by the board and see if you can get an exception. 

Thanks, Mark. This is all good info. I'm "electrically challenged" (this applies to both my electrical knowledge and my electrical wiring), so I do appreciate learning these things. Sounds like I need to bring an electrician into the picture.

[KDK]

I have a AIM test kiln for 15 years and haven't had any problems with it.  Mine is just a test kiln so the interior is 8x8 inches, it takes a 15 amp outlet my electrician ran a separate circuit for it and a heavier wire.  Denice

Thanks for the feedback about the AIM kiln. I was looking at their smaller test kilns, too, and didn't think I'd need heavier wire for those (I have #12 wire).

[Denice]

I  told my electrician that I thought the #12 wire was heavy enough but he did some quick calculations in his head and said he thought it was pushing it.  I trust him, he is the best electrician we have ever had.  He almost had his electrical engineering degree when he had a family emergency.  His dad had a air conditioning, heating and plumbing business, he took it over and has a masters certification in those also.  I would check with your electrician, our electrician may have been overly cautious,  he was wiring our new house and considers us family.   Denice

[neilestrick]

Having two separate power cords on one kiln sounds like a super shim-sham way to run a kiln, and may not even be up to code. You'll need two outlets that are on separate circuits. Most standard household outlets in a room are all on the same circuit, so it's really not a good solution.

[KDK]

I  told my electrician that I thought the #12 wire was heavy enough but he did some quick calculations in his head and said he thought it was pushing it.  I trust him, he is the best electrician we have ever had.  He almost had his electrical engineering degree when he had a family emergency.  His dad had a air conditioning, heating and plumbing business, he took it over and has a masters certification in those also.  I would check with your electrician, our electrician may have been overly cautious,  he was wiring our new house and considers us family.   Denice

Thanks, again, for the warning about the wiring. I was hoping I wouldn't have to re-wire for a 15 amp kiln. I spoke with a kiln consultant in my area who thinks it should be okay. He said California has strict electrical codes. But I don't have an entirely good feeling about either the 2-cord AIM kiln or running any kiln on a non-dedicated circuit. It would just be my luck to start an electrical fire! These replies will definitely help me make a decision.

[KDK]

Having two separate power cords on one kiln sounds like a super shim-sham way to run a kiln, and may not even be up to code. You'll need two outlets that are on separate circuits. Most standard household outlets in a room are all on the same circuit, so it's really not a good solution.

Thanks for the reply. There's not much info out there on the 2-cord kilns, I appreciate the feedback I'm getting here.