Kiln Wiring 3Phase To Single Phase

[neilestrick]

Excellent. So here's why I'm so confused- their web site lists that kiln has being 45 amps at 240V 1P. Your kiln was rewired to supposedly work on 240V 1P, but he says it's going to pull 67 amps, or 56 without the top element. So clearly he didn't have you rewire it to the specs for a 240V 1P kiln. Most likely you need to change the elements to get it to the correct specs. Unhooking an element is not an acceptable solution, IMO, because you then you are likely to have a cold spot in the kiln, especially since this kiln is not all that powerful to begin with and is only a single zone kiln. You might be able to get away with it if it had zone control.

 

240V and 208V kilns use different elements. Volts x amps = watts. Watts are what heat up the kiln. So different voltage = different watts. The 208 volt elements in there are going to run hotter than they should, and probably burn out before they should.

 

You have a couple of choices:

1. Leave it as is with the top element unhooked and see how it fires. It may run cold at the top. If it works, great, go ahead and fire it until those elements burn out. Then go to option 2:

2. Call JenKen and see about getting the proper elements for a 240V 1P kiln and have all the elements working as they should and the kiln at factory specs.

 

Either way call JenKen and see what they say about this. It should pull 45 amps, according to their web site. Of course, there's also the chance that they previous owner put in some high powered elements or something like that. It is odd that it would be pulling 45 amps at 3 phase (according to the serial plate), and also 45 amps at single phase (according to the web site). I would expect it to pull closer to 30 amps at 3 phase.

[augal]

thank you for your help. 

[neilestrick]

thank you for your help. 

 

My pleasure. Let us know how it goes.

[No Longer Member]

.Either way call JenKen and see what they say about this.

 

...and whatever you do, don't talk to the same person you spoke with there last time...

[TLDinNC]

Hello all- could someone please explain to this newbie the difference between a 1 phase and 3 phase kiln? Is one preferred over another? Thank you!

[neilestrick]

Hello all- could someone please explain to this newbie the difference between a 1 phase and 3 phase kiln? Is one preferred over another? Thank you!

 

Basically, when hooking up a kiln, single phase kiln use two hot wires, 3 phase kilns use 3 hot wires. The benefit of 3 phase is that you can get the same wattage (watts are what heat up the kiln) with less amperage. That means smaller wires, which are easier to deal with, and you can get more appliances hooked up before you max out your breaker box. A kiln that pulls 48 amps on single phase will only pull about 28 amps on 3 phase (divide the single phase amps by 1.73, the square root of 3). So in a 200 amp breaker box you could hook up 4 single phase kilns or 7 three phase kilns. But you don't really get to choose. It all depends on the electrical service you have at your studio. Residential buildings are usually 240 volt single phase service. Commercial building are often 3 phase, 208 or 240 volts. You have to order your kiln according to what your service is. The voltage of a kiln can be changed by changing the elements, but the phase requires wiring changes in the control box. You can hook up a single phase kiln to a 3 phase breaker box by using just two poles instead of 3, but you cannot hook up a 3 phase kiln to a single phase box. Neither one is cheaper to operate, because you're paying for watts, not amps.

[TLDinNC]

 

 

 

Hello all- could someone please explain to this newbie the difference between a 1 phase and 3 phase kiln? Is one preferred over another? Thank you!

 

 

Basically, when hooking up a kiln, single phase kiln use two hot wires, 3 phase kilns use 3 hot wires. The benefit of 3 phase is that you can get the same wattage (watts are what heat up the kiln) with less amperage. That means smaller wires, which are easier to deal with, and you can get more appliances hooked up before you max out your breaker box. A kiln that pulls 48 amps on single phase will only pull about 28 amps on 3 phase (divide the single phase amps by 1.73, the square root of 3). So in a 200 amp breaker box you could hook up 4 single phase kilns or 7 three phase kilns. But you don't really get to choose. It all depends on the electrical service you have at your studio. Residential buildings are usually 240 volt single phase service. Commercial building are often 3 phase, 208 or 240 volts. You have to order your kiln according to what your service is. The voltage of a kiln can be changed by changing the elements, but the phase requires wiring changes in the control box. You can hook up a single phase kiln to a 3 phase breaker box by using just two poles instead of 3, but you cannot hook up a 3 phase kiln to a single phase box. Neither one is cheaper to operate, because you're paying for watts, not amps.

. Thank you, Neil! At some point I'll be purchasing a kiln for my home studio so I'm trying to soak up as much info as possible.

[Mark C.]

In our area most industrial sites (old lumber mills -heavy equipment shops state colleges ) all had three phase. Most residential areas do not have 3 phase

on the poles .So most homes could not hook up a three phase kiln.