Mermaid Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Hi! I am (hopefully) purchasing a used cress kiln fx23, 240, 25 amp, model 7912 today. Automatic not digital. It comes with it's own cord and the special plug needed to wire it. I would only be using this occasionally at first, then possibly once a month. Can anyone give me an idea how much electric it would cost to run through one whole cycle? And what size breaker would be best? I have 30amp breakers and new heavy duty 220 cord wire. And I have never used a kiln before...so if anyone can recommend a good YouTube channel for learning I would love that! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Welcome to the Forum, Mermaid...Your cost per firing depends on your cost for electricity per kilowatt -hour. If you were to run the kiln at full power for 9 hours at 20 cents per Kw-hr, it would cost about $11. You won't be doing that because your firing schedule is a gradual build-up to full power. 25 amps x 240 volts = 6000 watts = 6Kw x 9hours =54KW-hrs x$.20=$10,80. The 30 amp breaker should be adequate. You might be able to get a user's manual from Cress where you will find their instructions for operating the kiln manually. Hope this helps and good luck on your journey into the mud! JohnnyK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchmss Posted January 18, 2019 Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Make sure that your 220 wire is sized appropriately to handle the amperage flowing through it. Just because a dryer runs off 220 does not mean you can plug right into that receptacle with your kiln. The temperature you are going to be firing to, the distance the outlet is from your main panel, and the amperage of the device are the 3 factors that will determine what size wire you need. For example, my electric oval kiln called for a #8 wire, but because I was over 40' from my main panel, I needed to go down to a #6 wire. There are plenty of charts online to break this down for you, and cress would surely answer any questions you will have, and the information may be in the manual (if it comes with one?). In summation, if you arent sure, or confident in your electrical knowledge, consult a pro! My big oval (more than twice the size of you kiln) costs me about $10-12 to fire to bisque temps. If I was going to take it to cone 6, probably closer to $25, to cone 10 probably around $45-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mermaid Posted January 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2019 Yes, it came with 2 different types of the original manuals, and I will be picking them up when we go get the kiln today. I'm looking forward to reading them cover to cover and we will be getting an electrician to help us out. So good to hear from experienced kiln users! And glad to know using the kiln wont cost much at all. THANK YOU ♡ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Digital kilns cycle on and off to control rate of climb, so they're gradually 'on' more and more as the firing progresses. One method of calculating how long they're on, and therefore how much electricity it'll use, is to say that it will be on 25% of the time during the first 1/4 of the firing, 50% of the time during the second 1/4, 75% on during the third 1/4, and 100% on during the final 1/4 of the firing. So if you math it all out, you come up with the kiln being on 62.5% of the time total. From there you can math it out based on your cost per kilowatt hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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