Problem with Kiln Not Firing

[dacaldera]

Hello,

 

I'm new to this forum and happy to become a part of the community.

 

To start off with, I recieved a small kiln (11"W x 11"L x 9"H) from a friend and have been firing bisque in it. I am a noob at fiing, so this has been all new to me. The kiln is a CRESS brand kiln with a kiln sitter and has a "firing duration" knob. (See attached image) It also has a thumb wheel that automatically progresses from 0 to 10 which controls the heat intensity. When I fire bisque, it takes about 5 - 6 hours to fire to cone 06.

 

The problem occurs when I try to highfire to cone 6. I put the cone in the kiln sitter and set the time knob to about 12 hours, but it is not enough. Then, the heat intensity thumb wheel seems to get stuck at level 4, so I have to manually ramp it up to 6, and then to 8, and then to 10 every few hours. Finally, when it is at level 10, it stays that way for about 6 hours, and the cone does not drop. I keep returning to a kiln full of porous wares and an un-triggered kiln sitter. Is there something that I am doing incorrectly?

 

I am really enjoying being able to creat and fire my own ceramic objects and would really like to make this kiln work. I have purchased plenty of kiln shelves and posts for this kiln and would like to prevent having to buy a new kiln of a different size. Could the kiln that I am using be malfunctional? If so, would it be the coils, the kiln sitter controls, or the electrical box that is to blame? Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

 

 

I am attaching a few fotos of the kiln for reference.

 

 

 

P.S. Can anyone tell me what that yellow-orange button on the panel does? I always have it pressed and lit when firing.

 

Thanks,

 

Daniel Calderon

[Mark C.]

There are better electric experts than me to advise-but this is my guess

I am assuming you have that large black knob turned to at least 15 hours at start of fire as that will turn off kiln and over ride all other controls.-Try setting the hour black knob to the highest point-20 hours-that way it will keep kiln on the whole time till cone setter drops and stops fire when it should. Sounds like the 12 hours on black knob is not enough time to get this to cone 6.

Mark

[Lucille Oka]

Some times the cone sticks when it starts to melt. You can try this, on the KilnSitter posts just where the junior cone sits, using a small soft brush apply a thin coat of kiln wash and let it dry. When you are ready to fire set the cone, see if this helps.

[Woody Sheep]

Hello,

 

I'm new to this forum and happy to become a part of the community.

 

To start off with, I recieved a small kiln (11"W x 11"L x 9"H) from a friend and have been firing bisque in it. I am a noob at fiing, so this has been all new to me. The kiln is a CRESS brand kiln with a kiln sitter and has a "firing duration" knob. (See attached image) It also has a thumb wheel that automatically progresses from 0 to 10 which controls the heat intensity. When I fire bisque, it takes about 5 - 6 hours to fire to cone 06.

 

The problem occurs when I try to highfire to cone 6. I put the cone in the kiln sitter and set the time knob to about 12 hours, but it is not enough. Then, the heat intensity thumb wheel seems to get stuck at level 4, so I have to manually ramp it up to 6, and then to 8, and then to 10 every few hours. Finally, when it is at level 10, it stays that way for about 6 hours, and the cone does not drop. I keep returning to a kiln full of porous wares and an un-triggered kiln sitter. Is there something that I am doing incorrectly?

 

I am really enjoying being able to creat and fire my own ceramic objects and would really like to make this kiln work. I have purchased plenty of kiln shelves and posts for this kiln and would like to prevent having to buy a new kiln of a different size. Could the kiln that I am using be malfunctional? If so, would it be the coils, the kiln sitter controls, or the electrical box that is to blame? Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

 

 

I am attaching a few fotos of the kiln for reference.

 

 

 

P.S. Can anyone tell me what that yellow-orange button on the panel does? I always have it pressed and lit when firing.

 

Thanks,

 

Daniel Calderon

 

[Woody Sheep]

Interesting. This was my first kiln. I do not use it anymore, as my production outgrew its capability. It is very small. That;s the key, it is so small it uses only about $1.50 in electricity to heat up. You should not be having any problem with heat. You should have a problem with it heating up to fast. Ok, a couple of points:

 

I had both of the problems you describe. First the Thumb-wheel - clay dust got into the thumb-wheel and caused it to stick. All I could do with it was blow it out with compressed air and liberal use of WD40. It worked. Unfortunately the thumb-wheel is the key to using this kiln. If it doesn't work, you are back to the old school of manually adjusting the temperature. By the way, I also gave up on the timer and just set it to max.

 

The previous response about using the kiln wash on the kiln setter is a VERY good idea.

 

Mine does not have a yellow button. I have to assume it is just another safety to get power to the unit.

 

This is important. You are going to have to spend some $$ and get a Pyrometer. I use a Fluke and a ceramic probe - about $200 for the set. You have to know what the temperature is doing. There is a plate on the back side that you take off that exposes a small hole that the pyrometer goes into. Then you have to sit down and babysit the kiln all day during a firing. Record the temperature every half an hour and graph it. That's the only way you will know how the kiln is working. Once you know how the kiln timing works, you just set the alarm on your watch to warn you when to go down and watch the Kiln setter. Please note that electric elements do burn out. A cone 6 kiln only gets 60 firings before the elements need replacing.

 

So time to check the elements. Don't be scared. This is a simple electric circuit. To check the elements, take the 4 small screws off that hold the panel to the kiln. The entire control panel comes off. Watch for the kiln setter. There is along rod that slides into the kiln., don't bend it. There are a couple of wires that connect to the elements. DRAW A DIAGRAM so you can put the correct wire back to the correct pin.They should be a standard electrical slip connection. Just pull them off. Then take a small wrench or screwdriver, undo the elements, use an OHM meter and test each element individually. I believe there are two elements in this kiln. They should be both the same. (Sorry I can't remember what the resistance reading should be, you will have to Google it) If you do need replacement elements they are fairly inexpensive for this kiln, about $120 from Euiclid. They are easy to replace. Its a good kiln and it will work. (By the way, I am converting mine to a propane RAKU kiln.) Its just getting old and needs a little TLC. Good luck.

[justanassembler]

The first thing I would do, before spending time sitting and watching a pyrometer would be to call cress, find out what the resistance on each of your elements SHOULD read, and check the elements. That will take you all of twenty minutes and a 10.00 radioshack multimeter (which you'll want anyhow!) and I would bet that elements failing is your issue.

[neilestrick]

The wiring system on these Cress kilns is the most convoluted, confusing thing I have ever run into. When they work, they're great. But when they don't, they are difficult to diagnose. Call Cress directly at 800-423-4584. They will be able to help you much better than any of us here. No other kilns have this system.

[dacaldera]

Hi Woody,

 

Thank you for your thorough input. It has been more than helpful. I will be buying some WD-40 and compressed air this afternoon for that stubborn thumb wheel. And yes, it is great that this kiln cost about a buck-fifty per firing. That is one of the reasons i'm sticking with this little kiln! About that pyrometer, I suppose that it may be a worthwile investment for tracking kiln temps now and in the future, but the steep price tells me that I just might have to hold off a bit longer before I actually get one (though baby-sitting a kiln sitter for 16 hours sounds like a good time to play with clay uninterupted!). Well, i'm really looking forward to fully firing some wares, and when I do I will post some pics for fun.

 

Thanks again,

 

Daniel