g-bus Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hi folks, I purchased two used kilns from somebody that basically buys out estate sales and then sells the stuff off, so got a decent deal (I think). I plan to sell one and keep the Skutt 1027. Bricks are in OK condition but I plan to do some repair on them, however doesn't seem like any need replacement. It obviously needs new elements, so that's a given, but my main question is about the power cord. Looks like it was maybe touching the kiln while it was on so the sheathing is a bit melted in one spot. I opened up the control box and disconnected the power cord and things look to be in pretty good shape but there is some corrosion on some of the connections so thinking I might as well replace most of the wires and connections while I'm at it. But I digress, so back to the power cord. I took it down to one of the local electrical supply shops and they didn't have a replacement for it (not really trying to spend $90 for a replacement from Skutt). It's a 2 6AWG/1 8AWG cord. Any reason I couldn't just get the appropriate sized wires individually and buy some flexible conduit/sheathing for it? Be a lot easier to just pick that up from the good ol' local big box store, but I want to make sure it's rated for the kind of use it's going to be needed for. The plug seems OK but I figure I might as well replace that while I'm at it as well. Anything else I should consider replacing while I've got this thing taken apart? Here's probably a better question: since some of the elements are damaged and/or missing, how is the best way to test to see if it will still power up properly before I start dropping a bunch of money into it? I do have the proper electrical outlet installed for it. If it seems like it's not going to be worth it financially I might just see if I can sell it to someone trying to do a gas conversion and put the money towards something newer, but considering I got both kilns for $400 I figure even if I have to put in another $400 it's still probably a pretty decent deal. Thanks for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 A few points that you need to be aware of. The cord that came with your kiln has a rating on it as to what kind of cord the sheathing is rated for.This rating is usually in a letter code within the string of numbers on the jacket.I could read mine in the am but you can also read yours. You got the wire size but missed the rating of said cord. Some cords on other applications for example may say SJ in the numbers(this cord is used on flexable larger power tools)-so goggle the letters( try SJ as an example) and see what kind of sheathing/temp rating it has.You will need the same. If you use a new cord it should have the same rating-all wire is rated with temp ratings depending on the jacket-individual wires or multipules say in a cord.You need a good undersatnding of these factors to do this right Now if you want to forget the cord you will need to use armored flex cable to leave the control box with wire that has a rating like THHN on the jacket. Not grey plastic conduit which can melt with heat.If you are very confortable working with this material you can wire it direct (forget about a plug) this is the best way as you will not have plug issues later. You could also cut the wire on the downside (towards plug) and wire it into a metal box stripping the wire at the melt cover- run the flex aromor cable to your wall box and pull in some wire(this is your cheapest solotion) I suggest an electrician for all this unless you are an electrician. Once its ready to power up then you can test it and get on with part two of your question. I will leave that part to another Let us know what your cord says? mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-bus Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Thanks for the info so far. Sorry, I guess I probably should've listed all of the info for the power cord. 6 AWG 2/C 8AWG 1/C Type ST 105° C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Kiln power cords are rated for 105C. The #6 wire at the home center will only be rated for 90C. You can either order a new cord from Skutt (or any other kiln manufacturer), or build your own. Go to Mcmaster.com and search SEOOW Cords. They are nice and flexible, and rated to 105C. For a single phase kiln you'll need a #6, 3 wire cord for a 1027. You'll need a NEMA 6-50 plug to go with it, which will be cheapest at Home Depot or such. If any of the other wires are at all crispy or browned, replace them. If any connections are corroded, either clean them up with emery cloth or a wire brush, or replace them. Don't even mess with trying to repair bricks that only have cosmetic damage. Mortar won't hold well, and the breaks won't affect the performance of the kiln. Bricks that have broken element grooves should be replaced when you replace the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-bus Posted April 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 Thanks, that's pretty much what I was wondering, if the wiring was rated to a specific range. The one that is/was on the kiln is a 2/6 and 1/8 (the 8 ga being the ground), but I assume going with all 6 would be fine. Plug is different too, but I figure that isn't really a big deal either. Is it safe to assume that all of the other wiring is pretty standard, since it's not carrying the kind of load that the power cord is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 The rest of the wiring is smaller than the power cord, but it is all insulated, which is typically hard to find at the home center. A new wiring harness from Skutt is cheap, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-bus Posted April 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I knew the wire is a much smaller gauge but wasn't sure if it was insulated the same. I've got of bunch of various sizes of wire laying around the house so was wondering if I could just use some of the appropriate gauge, but I kind of figured it would require something that could tolerate the temps they'd be in proximity to. Also, this doesn't really seem to use a wiring harness, just individual wires, but I think they could all use replacing, just to be safe. The current plug on it is a 10-50, rather than a 6-50. Not sure if this was a modification by a previous owner or if it is just a really old model. Should I just switch it to a 6-50 when I replace the cord? Figure it wouldn't hurt to have a more modern setup there, especially if the outlet were to be used for something else in the future. The outlet I had installed is a 10-50 to match the current cord, as I was assuming that whatever plug was on the kiln was the correct one. But from what I understand it seems this is a pretty old configuration and may not ground properly, at least on the original versions. I couldn't find any dates on it anywhere but imagine the serial number could be some sort of clue there. Thanks again for all of the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I think those older skutts did not ground well-most where three wire plugs. Two hots and a neutral. Using a newer 4 wire everything would be a good upgrade.Call skutt on the wiring harness for details in terms of your older kiln model. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 22, 2015 Report Share Posted April 22, 2015 I think those older skutts did not ground well-most where three wire plugs. Two hots and a neutral. Using a newer 4 wire everything would be a good upgrade.Call skutt on the wiring harness for details in terms of your older kiln model. Mark No neutral is used on Skutt kilns, or most others for that matter. It's a 3 wire system- 2 hots and a ground. On some small kilns a neutral is used when the two hots are split so that each section of the kiln runs on 120 volts. But on larger kilns, each section runs on the full 240 volts, so no neutral is needed. I would go ahead and replace the plug so everything is new, and go with the 6-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 It has been some time since I was in my skutt wiring (at least a year) and got mixed up with my recent wire job on my 50 amp wielder outlet. Thanks for the clarifacation. mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.