AndyL Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I do firings in a Computer Controlled L&L Kiln. So far we haven't had an Electrical Brownout in the heatwave here. If this happens midfire (bisque or Glaze) will I have problems? I'll fire to^06 for Bisque and ^6 for glaze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobg Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Andy, It would not affect your pottery, you can just refire it. But, it's possible it could damage your kiln. I know we've lost food freezers in brown out. I would contact the manufacturer and check with them about what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I dont know if brown outs hurt the actual kiln. I've found when the power goes off, it won't start up or keep trying to start by itself. Mine just flashes PF for power failure and all elements are off. You should use witness cones so you can tell how far into the firing you got. Without them you won't realize it if you indeed got to temp before it happened. Your bisque firing should be fine. Your glaze firing should be fine too if you refire it to the right temp. Some potters low fire glazes when they have to travel to another location to hire fire it and their results are fine. I have a kiln load waiting to go but our temp here is over 100 and I can't bear the thought of the heat! Cold snap coming next week ... Only 92 ... So i will fire then. : > ) I will time the firing to peak overnight in the hopes that power demand is down then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 I have a computer-controlled L&L kiln too, and it can handle a short-term power outage or a brownout. I once had a 20 minute power outage while firing, when the power came back on, the kiln just resumed firing. The control panel read "ErrP" and the current temperature alternately for the rest of the firing, just to let me know there had been an interruption to the power. If the power goes out for an extended time, the kiln will shut off and the control panel will read just "ErrP". If that happens during a bisque firing, I wouldn't worry at all, just refire the pots. For a glaze firing that depends. Some glazes and clays can be refired, but some won't be the same. Mea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted July 23, 2011 Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Cold snap coming next week ... Only 92 ... So i will fire then. : > ) best, .......................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing Earth Creations Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 I fired my first bisque firing in new L&L yesterday. It was in the middle of the firing when a thunderstorm moved in and I was wondering what I'd do if the electricity went out. Thanks for posting the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnold Howard Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 It would not affect your pottery, you can just refire it. But, it's possible it could damage your kiln. I know we've lost food freezers in brown out. I would contact the manufacturer and check with them about what to do. A spike in electricity, sometimes caused by lightning, can damage a digital controller. If the spike is severe enough, it can even burn out the elements along with televisions, computers, etc. That is why I unplug my computer at home during thunderstorms. Sincerely, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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