EmilyM2 Posted November 17, 2018 Report Share Posted November 17, 2018 Hi! I am new to the community, but so thankful for this amazing resource! I have a Duncan 1029N. It’s an over engineered manual kiln with a kiln sitter for anyone who’s not familiar. This kiln has three zones, four elements each. Only my bottom four elements are turning on during firing. If interested, I’ve attac the wiring diagram. Has anyone here replaced the 4300 fixed interval switch and 4600 repeat timer switch themselves? I have a tech I can call out to do it, but I’m wondering if it’s something I can do myself. I found the directions online (specific to Duncan) for how to do it. But when I talked to the tech about it, he definitely heavy sighed. Is it just a big pain because they’re at the bottom of the control panel? Will I need special tools? Thank you for any feedback you can offer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 17, 2018 Report Share Posted November 17, 2018 Switches are easy to replace. There's generally just a nut that threads over the knob stem. Getting to everything may be a pain, but the actual changing won't be difficult. Before you go changing them, though, you should figure out exactly where the problem is. Using a multi-meter, track the power from the power cord to the elements and find where it's actually dead. There are a lot of possible dead points in there. If only the bottom elements are coming on, then (according to this wiring diagram) the problem probably isn't either of those timer switches because those switches feed to both the bottom and top sections. You'll need to get in there and see if you have power coming out of those switches, then follow the power and see if it's coming out of each relay or switch on down the line until you find the spot it's dead. That said, this wiring diagram seems really odd to me. For starters, I've never seen a kiln with elements ohms graded like that. Second, if I'm reading it correctly (and it is difficult to read), the middle elements are going straight to the sitter, with no switches or anything. That means the middle section would be on full blast as soon as you push push the power button on the sitter. In that case, you would only have the middle section dead if there was a broken element. Just check for continuity between the top and bottom element of each section to see if there's break. Have you confirmed that the kiln actually matches the diagram? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyM2 Posted November 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2018 Hi Neil, thank you. I will perform those tests. The kiln was actually designed with no control for the middle elements as you said. There is no breakage on the elements, but most of them are old and give weak output. Still I’m only looking to fire earthenware so I’m hoping to get by for now. However, I do need to figure out why the middle and top zones are not turning on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 17, 2018 Report Share Posted November 17, 2018 That's a goofy design for sure. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyM2 Posted November 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2018 One of the timers is dead. But I’m not sure about replacing it. I paid little for the kiln and putting more $ into it... My other mystery is why the center bank of elements are not turning on when are a wired directly to the kiln sitter, I’m afraid if I do the timer, there’s a secondary problem, as well. I may cut my losses here. When buying a used kiln— What would you absolutely want to know from seller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 26, 2018 Report Share Posted November 26, 2018 Replacing a switch would be worth it if everything else is in good working condition. If power won't go through the middle section, there could be a dead element, since they're wired in series. Could also be a sitter problem if power doesn't go to the other elements, too. It's more about the condition of the kiln than what the seller can tell you. As bricks age they get yellower, so even if they're in really good condition as far as chips and breaks go, look at the color. if they're getting yellow then they've been fired a lot and won't insulate as well and will be more brittle. Find out what the element resistance should be and check the elements with a meter to see if they need replacing. If it needs elements, that can run $325 or more for a set. Check out all the wiring and see if it's getting brittle or discolored, and see if the terminals are corroded. Wiring is cheap to replace, though. Also, get a brand that's still being made, and check on element prices for that model. Some elements run as high as $90 each, which gets really expensive when you need a set. make sure it's set up for the voltage and phase of your electrical service or you'll have to rewire it and possibly change the elements, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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