L&l New Kiln

[123pop]

Our studio bought a brand new L&L kiln  in Oct 2014.  We have 78 firings on it and just got a E1error indicating the elements are shot.  Any comments?

[perkolator]

Have you visually inspected the elements to see if there are any breaks? You can also do an Ohm test.  Could also be wiring or a relay inside control box.

I recommend you go look at L&L tech section of their website and read through their troubleshooting knowledgebase.  Even if you don't learn the exact problem, you'll learn a lot about your kiln and how it operates.

78 firings is pretty good!  Mostly firing low-fire?

[neilestrick]

Error 1 simply means that the kiln is not heating up as fast as it should. It could be that the elements are shot, but it could also be a broken element, a dead relay, a bad thermocouple, a loose connection, or just a fluke. At 78 firings your elements should still be plenty good unless you're doing very long, slow, hot firings with holds. I would first check that you didn't have one element fry out. The easiest way to do this, since it can be difficult to find a break, is to check the element resistance, which will also tell you if the elements are worn. Instructions HERE. If the resistance in one section is way off from the others, then there's a break in one of the elements. If they are all good, then you need to check the flow of electricity from the power cord to the elements and see if there's a break in the flow somewhere. If you're not comfortable with using a meter, then do a Vary-fire program with one step to 1000F at a rate of 9999. When you start the kiln it will turn all the elements on full blast. After a few minutes you can check to see if all the elements are glowing. If one element is out, then there's a break in it. If a pair of elements are out, then the relay for that section is dead.