Growin' Granny Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 I have a new (to me) kiln and today I did my first glaze fire in it and it seems to have shut off quite early compared to other electric kilns I've used. The kiln is an Evenheat, over 10 years old but never fired when I bought it, and I've fired one bisque in it with no problems. I used the automatic setting to fire to ^6. I started the kiln at 1:00pm and checked it intermittently, logging the following times/temps: 2:30 / 728, 4:00 / 1360, 5:30 / 1774, 6:30 / 1900. I then got busy and didn't check it again until 8:00 when I found it off and cooled down to 1400. Although it was packed pretty loosely, it doesn't seem likely to me that it could have reached ^6 and cooled off that much between 6:30 and 8:00. I do have witness cones in it (which I wasn't able to see), so if they show that it didn't reach temperature, would I refire to ^6 as if I were firing the ware for the first time? I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thanks, Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAY Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Next firing put the witness cones in front of the peepholes, and watch them -with safety glasses. This advice applies to ALL "new" kilns, until you are confident that they perform as desired. Cones are the ONLY reliable measurement of time/temp. The rest are just fancy thermometers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 I agree with Day, but you haven't unloaded it nor opened the lid yet to know what happened. A let us know what it looks like first before we give advice, If you need to retire, put a fresh con pack in there at try again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growin' Granny Posted June 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Next firing put the witness cones in front of the peepholes, and watch them -with safety glasses. This advice applies to ALL "new" kilns, until you are confident that they perform as desired. Cones are the ONLY reliable measurement of time/temp. The rest are just fancy thermometers. Thanks, I did use witness cones and I use a welding mask but still wasn't able to see them, although I could see them before I started the kiln and thought they were positioned properly (waving at Ginger, my teacher/mentor . Just opened the kiln and it didn't even reach ^5. I'm going to reposition the cones and program it myself rather than using preset cone program and see what happens--and set a timer to check it more frequently as it nears temp. I'll post an update later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Did you get an error code on the controller? If it didn't get to temperature you should have an error code, or the thermocouple needs to be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growin' Granny Posted June 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Did you get an error code on the controller? If it didn't get to temperature you should have an error code, or the thermocouple needs to be replaced. No error code...it's possible that I made a mistake putting the program data in it, although I thought I was being careful. The refire will tell more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen B Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Check coils first by turning on the kiln with the top opened. If they are not all heating, you just won't get to cone 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growin' Granny Posted June 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Kiln just shut off...9 hours including soak time. Now, that seems more like it ! Couldn't see the cones again (what *is* the trick?!) even with welding green lens. Tomorrow the cones will tell the story but I'm pretty sure all went well. I'm inclined to believe that yesterday's problem was likely operator error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAY Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 The welding lens may be too dark. Here's a "trick" to try: When everything is red hot, blow into the peephole. It will momentarily cool the cone pack enough to see it. All the other advice about elements, thermocouples, etc is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atanzey Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 There was a recommendation on here to use an LED flashlight to view cones. I've had mixed results with that myself - getting the beam and my eye aligned with the peephole is a bit of a problem. But it's another thing to try! I fire a gas top-load kiln so looking down from the top is easy enough, and it is amazing how it changes the visibility in the kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 If there was any problem with the elements, relays, etc, you should have had an error code. There's a good chance you programmed it wrong. Once you start the firing, push the 'Review Program' button to make sure you programmed it correctly. You can even check it at the end of the firing if there is a problem again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growin' Granny Posted June 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 If there was any problem with the elements, relays, etc, you should have had an error code. There's a good chance you programmed it wrong. Once you start the firing, push the 'Review Program' button to make sure you programmed it correctly. You can even check it at the end of the firing if there is a problem again. Thanks you all for the suggestions. I'm pretty sure it was operator error...I think I programmed it incorrectly or a part of the sequence didn't register, although I was (or thought I was) very careful. My kiln is probably the granddaddy of the electronics as there isn't much of a program or review program. All I can do is press the 'Select' key repeatedly. And there are only two error codes: EEE means a thermocouple problem and Err2 means invalid data detected and unit is forced to shut down. However, the second firing went perfectly, the cones look exactly as they should and my glazes look better than in any previous firings...I'm very happy with the results and so thrilled to finally have my own kiln and be able to control my own firings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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