neilestrick

In the first instance, it should be able to handle the 108F/hr ramp just fine. I ramp my kilns at 200F/hr to 200F for preheating and it works. It could be that it overshot just a little bit but was still happy since it was still within the acceptable parameters, or more likely that you put in a hold time of minutes instead of hours. It happens. I've done it myself. It's hours to the left of the decimal, minutes to the right. In the second instance, it skipped the hold because you were already hotter than the hold temp. It will not cool to get to a temperature unless you program it to cool.

If wind is an issue, all you can do is put up some wort of barrier to block it. You could put some cinder block along the base of the kiln to block whichever side the wind tends to blow from. You don't want to seal off the entire bottom, though. The burners need air, so just block a side or two.
If it's not getting to temp, then you need to adjust the settings. Assuming everything is set up properly, a common cause of failure to reach temp is trying to use too much gas. More gas does not necessarily mean more heat. How is this plumbed- natural gas or propane? Where are the air flaps on the burners set- how far open? Is there a pressure gauge on the gas line?

I have never seen such a thing. I'm wondering if there's a grill cover or AC cover that would work.

For anyone needing 10 gallon buckets, Brute buckets have always been my choice because they last forever and I could get them locally, but a few years ago they redesigned them and they are pretty awful now. The issue is not durability, but rather they changed the design of the bottom of the bucket and now they're really difficult to stir and get the thick stuff off the bottom. They used to just have a simple hump in the middle, but now they have 3 (4?) bumps on the bottom that make it impossible to maneuver a stirring stick and get the bottom stirred well. I was at one of the local community colleges a month or two ago and they had just purchased about 2 dozen of them and filled them with glaze before they realized the change and they were NOT HAPPY. Plus they couldn't justify the expense of replacing them all with different buckets so they are stuck with them.
A friend of mine has some of the Carlisle Bronco 10 gallon buckets that are available on Amazon, and they have a good bottom and are priced much lower than Brute, and you can get them shipped for free with Prime. There are others available online, but the shipping cost is usually a killer since they're bulky.
10 gallon buckets are difficult to move around the studio, so unless you can leave them in one place I recommend putting them on a dolly. I made some simple dollies by glueing up 2 layers of 3/4" plywood to make a 1 1/2" thick slab, cut it into octagons that are just a bit larger than the bucket, and put 4 blocks around the edges to hold the buckets in place. For casters I got cheap 2" casters from Harbor Freight. They've worked well. With the price of plywood  as high as it is right now I would probably use MDF or OSB instead. Whatever you use, paint it to protect it from the wet glaze. I have seen some dollies available online for as little as $25, but they appear to be pretty flimsy plastic that I wouldn't trust with a full 10 gallon bucket of glaze. Glaze weighs 11-12 pounds per gallon, so you want something beefy. Tipping over a 10 gallon bucket would be an incredible mess!

I have never had a 5 gallon bucket fail at the bottom. I have had them crack where the handles attach, though. That's lots of fun when you pick up a full bucket and the handle snaps off. It usually takes years and years before that happens, though. Plastic gets brittle over time. I've had lids collapse inward when stacking, too. But never a leaky bottom.

If the kiln is working properly then you should not need to stagger the shelves. I've never fired a gas kiln with the bottom shelves staggered. I think the main concern is getting enough space around the shelves for the kiln to breathe properly. You should have at least 2" clearance between the shelves and any walls. My other concern is the the floor grid flu is so close to the  burners, which could be pulling heat right out the flue before it ever has a chance to circulate in the kiln. If this were my kiln, I would set the bottom shelves up about 2" off the floor, and block off the space under the shelf along the burner ports.

If you're using a white clay body, you'll find that many glazes are unaffected by reduction, or affected very little. With a brown clay body you're going to get more interaction between the body and the glaze, which will result in a different look even if the glaze itself isn't being affected by the reduction. Test, test, test.
I've got a couple of glazes that I used at cone 10 reduction for years and years, converted them to cone 6, and they are indistinguishable from the original when used on a white body or a speckled brown body when fired in oxidation.

The amount of gas used to get to cone 6 is roughly the same as the gas used to get from cone 6 to cone 10. So yes, you will use a lot less gas.
I think there are two main reasons for this. First, there are far more people firing cone 6 than cone 10, so you're going to see more comments by them. Second, people come to forums for help finding solutions to problems. All the folks who aren't having problems are not posting about it on forums.
If you fire at cone 6, keep in mind that most all commercially available glazes are formulated to fire in oxidation. That doesn't mean that they won't do some amazing things in reduction, but you'll have to do some testing to see how they'll react. Cone 10 glazes can be lowered to cone 6 with the addition of some frit, often as little as 3-5%.
Brown clay bodies will take some testing, too. If it's a dark body in oxidation, it will probably not be suitable for reduction. Light brown bodies will go dark. White stoneware bodies may go gray, just like at cone 10.
https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Five-Reasons-to-Convert-Cone-10-Reduction-Glazes-to-Cone-6
Georgies cone 6 glazes in reduction
 

It's not a great situation, but it may not be that bad, either. The primary concern is the control system, which  definitely should not get wet. Once all the electrical parts dry out and you power it up you'll know what parts survived and what didn't. The bricks just need to dry out, assuming the mortar in the lid and floor slabs didn't soften up and come apart. You'll want to dry it out ASAP, and do it with the lid open so you don't grow mold in it. I've seen a kiln that was kept closed up for a few weeks after getting wet and the entire inside was black with mold, including between the outer body bands and the brick. Ideally you want to get it running and take it up to 200 degrees or so and hold there for a few days so it dries completely.

For anyone needing 10 gallon buckets, Brute buckets have always been my choice because they last forever and I could get them locally, but a few years ago they redesigned them and they are pretty awful now. The issue is not durability, but rather they changed the design of the bottom of the bucket and now they're really difficult to stir and get the thick stuff off the bottom. They used to just have a simple hump in the middle, but now they have 3 (4?) bumps on the bottom that make it impossible to maneuver a stirring stick and get the bottom stirred well. I was at one of the local community colleges a month or two ago and they had just purchased about 2 dozen of them and filled them with glaze before they realized the change and they were NOT HAPPY. Plus they couldn't justify the expense of replacing them all with different buckets so they are stuck with them.
A friend of mine has some of the Carlisle Bronco 10 gallon buckets that are available on Amazon, and they have a good bottom and are priced much lower than Brute, and you can get them shipped for free with Prime. There are others available online, but the shipping cost is usually a killer since they're bulky.
10 gallon buckets are difficult to move around the studio, so unless you can leave them in one place I recommend putting them on a dolly. I made some simple dollies by glueing up 2 layers of 3/4" plywood to make a 1 1/2" thick slab, cut it into octagons that are just a bit larger than the bucket, and put 4 blocks around the edges to hold the buckets in place. For casters I got cheap 2" casters from Harbor Freight. They've worked well. With the price of plywood  as high as it is right now I would probably use MDF or OSB instead. Whatever you use, paint it to protect it from the wet glaze. I have seen some dollies available online for as little as $25, but they appear to be pretty flimsy plastic that I wouldn't trust with a full 10 gallon bucket of glaze. Glaze weighs 11-12 pounds per gallon, so you want something beefy. Tipping over a 10 gallon bucket would be an incredible mess!

I find top loaders to be easier on my back than front loaders. I think it all depends on where your back hurts.

If the kiln is working properly then you should not need to stagger the shelves. I've never fired a gas kiln with the bottom shelves staggered. I think the main concern is getting enough space around the shelves for the kiln to breathe properly. You should have at least 2" clearance between the shelves and any walls. My other concern is the the floor grid flu is so close to the  burners, which could be pulling heat right out the flue before it ever has a chance to circulate in the kiln. If this were my kiln, I would set the bottom shelves up about 2" off the floor, and block off the space under the shelf along the burner ports.

If the kiln is working properly then you should not need to stagger the shelves. I've never fired a gas kiln with the bottom shelves staggered. I think the main concern is getting enough space around the shelves for the kiln to breathe properly. You should have at least 2" clearance between the shelves and any walls. My other concern is the the floor grid flu is so close to the  burners, which could be pulling heat right out the flue before it ever has a chance to circulate in the kiln. If this were my kiln, I would set the bottom shelves up about 2" off the floor, and block off the space under the shelf along the burner ports.

I have never had a 5 gallon bucket fail at the bottom. I have had them crack where the handles attach, though. That's lots of fun when you pick up a full bucket and the handle snaps off. It usually takes years and years before that happens, though. Plastic gets brittle over time. I've had lids collapse inward when stacking, too. But never a leaky bottom.

I have never seen such a thing. I'm wondering if there's a grill cover or AC cover that would work.

It'll be fine.

If the controller is saying the firing is complete, then you've got a stuck relay. Not at all unusual. You'll have to unplug the kiln to get it to cool down.

I find top loaders to be easier on my back than front loaders. I think it all depends on where your back hurts.

It's not a great situation, but it may not be that bad, either. The primary concern is the control system, which  definitely should not get wet. Once all the electrical parts dry out and you power it up you'll know what parts survived and what didn't. The bricks just need to dry out, assuming the mortar in the lid and floor slabs didn't soften up and come apart. You'll want to dry it out ASAP, and do it with the lid open so you don't grow mold in it. I've seen a kiln that was kept closed up for a few weeks after getting wet and the entire inside was black with mold, including between the outer body bands and the brick. Ideally you want to get it running and take it up to 200 degrees or so and hold there for a few days so it dries completely.

It's not a great situation, but it may not be that bad, either. The primary concern is the control system, which  definitely should not get wet. Once all the electrical parts dry out and you power it up you'll know what parts survived and what didn't. The bricks just need to dry out, assuming the mortar in the lid and floor slabs didn't soften up and come apart. You'll want to dry it out ASAP, and do it with the lid open so you don't grow mold in it. I've seen a kiln that was kept closed up for a few weeks after getting wet and the entire inside was black with mold, including between the outer body bands and the brick. Ideally you want to get it running and take it up to 200 degrees or so and hold there for a few days so it dries completely.

Far more glaze issues come from firing too fast vs firing too slow. Speeding up a bisque can prevent the burnout of organics, and speeding up a glaze firing can prevent good melt. If you were to speed up a firing, the final 200F degrees should still be kept slow to ensure good burnout and good melt, but below that you can really do whatever your clay can handle. I don't think crystobalite is an issue with most commercial bodies. I never slow down during quartz inversion and never have any issues with any of the stoneware and porcelain bodies we use in my studio. In an electric kiln, speeding up the firing will not save you much, if anything, in terms of firing costs. Yes, the firing will be shorter, but the elements will be using more electricity to fire faster. Plus the cost per pot of firing is really very low in most cases. Unless you have a small kiln, cooling times are where the real slowdown happens. Saving an hour in my big kiln won't make enough of a difference in the total cycle time to matter, because cooling can take 30+ hours.

The amount of gas used to get to cone 6 is roughly the same as the gas used to get from cone 6 to cone 10. So yes, you will use a lot less gas.
I think there are two main reasons for this. First, there are far more people firing cone 6 than cone 10, so you're going to see more comments by them. Second, people come to forums for help finding solutions to problems. All the folks who aren't having problems are not posting about it on forums.
If you fire at cone 6, keep in mind that most all commercially available glazes are formulated to fire in oxidation. That doesn't mean that they won't do some amazing things in reduction, but you'll have to do some testing to see how they'll react. Cone 10 glazes can be lowered to cone 6 with the addition of some frit, often as little as 3-5%.
Brown clay bodies will take some testing, too. If it's a dark body in oxidation, it will probably not be suitable for reduction. Light brown bodies will go dark. White stoneware bodies may go gray, just like at cone 10.
https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Five-Reasons-to-Convert-Cone-10-Reduction-Glazes-to-Cone-6
Georgies cone 6 glazes in reduction
 

The amount of gas used to get to cone 6 is roughly the same as the gas used to get from cone 6 to cone 10. So yes, you will use a lot less gas.
I think there are two main reasons for this. First, there are far more people firing cone 6 than cone 10, so you're going to see more comments by them. Second, people come to forums for help finding solutions to problems. All the folks who aren't having problems are not posting about it on forums.
If you fire at cone 6, keep in mind that most all commercially available glazes are formulated to fire in oxidation. That doesn't mean that they won't do some amazing things in reduction, but you'll have to do some testing to see how they'll react. Cone 10 glazes can be lowered to cone 6 with the addition of some frit, often as little as 3-5%.
Brown clay bodies will take some testing, too. If it's a dark body in oxidation, it will probably not be suitable for reduction. Light brown bodies will go dark. White stoneware bodies may go gray, just like at cone 10.
https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Five-Reasons-to-Convert-Cone-10-Reduction-Glazes-to-Cone-6
Georgies cone 6 glazes in reduction
 

The wobble in the large pulley shouldn't affect anything. I've seen that in many wheels. If you're getting a rhythmic knock then it's most likely related to the belt, either a flat spot or a bump. Another possibility is that something in the belt system is loose and slipping. Check all set screws and such. If all else fails try a new belt.

oh my.  have wanted one of these for some time, and finally got it all together to make one.  16" by 16" by 2".  cannot really believe how fast the water is absorbed and the clay is ready for wedging.  I cover the batch with a cardboard box, and flip the clay when one side gets a little stiff.
hesitated to make one because I could not find the absolute recipe for plaster to water--i mean there were instructions on the bag of plaster, but one needs to be a mathematician or something!!!  had 16 pounds of plaster and finally came up with 5 quarts of water, and it is perfecto.  thought I had better do something before the clay that needed recycling got out of control.
starting to think I will throw with the Nara porcelain going forward, and handbuild with the red and black clay just to keep things simpler going forward.  may need another plaster bat for the white clay.  getting used to the L and L kiln, firing to cone 5 instead of 6, as it seems a bit hot based on the witness cones and the end work.  thank you for all the advice and kind words~~