Amanda Hummes

Big explosions,  work wasn't entirely dry.   I work with slabs and coils and will end up with some thick areas.   If I only have one piece that I am concerned about I will stick in my kitchen oven and dry it for awhile at the ovens lowest temperature.   Your a newbie and probably should use the preheat control,  but you also need to learn when your piece is completely dry.  Some potters put the pot against their cheek and if it feels cold then it is still wet.   Denice

What Denice said. Explosions are caused by moisture. Even totally dry pots contain some moisture, which must evaporate out before it turns to steam and blows apart your work. When water turns to steam it expands 1700 times in size, so it's a powerful force. With thin pieces, the regular ramping rate of the kiln is slow enough to avoid explosions. But if you have large or thick pieces, it takes longer for that last bit of moisture to evaporate, so you need to do a preheat.

I moved this strand here so that it would be where most of the recent questions about new kilns and kiln firing is posted now. Sounds like you may have a calibration situation, and at the same time need help with the firing cycles @Amanda Hummes. @neilestrick who is very knowledgeable about kilns and firing will probably post in on this soon.
Welcome to the forum, we hope you find many of your answers to questions here. Enjoy the journey!
 
best,
Pres

@Amanda Hummes What exactly made the first two firings unsuccessful?  Explosions? Cracks?

Hi Amanda, congratulations on your new kiln, but sorry to hear you lost some work.
If the pieces exploded you should definitely put in some preheat time.
I fire a lot of student work, some of it not quite dry, and err on the side of caution. Eight hours preheat is my usual. If it’s all my work, it’s totally dry, and I know how thick every piece is, I still preheat for four hours. I’ve done less time successfully, I’m just so over blowing up pots that I don’t fool with it anymore.