Genboomxer Posted September 16, 2019 Report Share Posted September 16, 2019 Hi Forum Folks, So this happened today - I bought a used kiln this weekend and was very excited to get it up and running. It is a Cress FX23p, 20 yrs old, and the elements, bricks, etc. are in excellent condition. I loaded it up, plugged it in, followed the instructions and everything. The kiln sitter button would not engage. I repeated everything several times; nothing. Power was fine. Lights stayed on as long as I kept a finger on the button. Timer was turning. All settings correct, but the button still did not engage and stay put. I called Cress and was forwarded to their Tech Support voicemail. I left my number and a brief explanation of the problem. Then I went to the webs... came here to the forum but found no previous post on this problem. Fortunately I found my answer elsewhere and was able to get it up and running easily. Turns out I made a couple of mistakes: 1) I didn't plug the kiln in and try it before buying. That would have probably made me negotiate a lower price, or walked away, since I would have discovered the problem sooner. 2) I didn't consider that the kiln, although garage kept, had been sitting uncovered for a few years so that a significant layer of dust and dirt accumulated around the wiring and switches of the kiln sitter. Long-sh story short, I took the panel off and removed the muck. The problem was that dirt/dust accumulated between the kiln sitter panel and the weighted mechanism that holds the button in place during firing. Once cleaned and a couple of judicious squirts of WD-40 later, it is humming and heating like it should. Just wanted to post this for others in the community that are considering buying a used kiln. If any experts out there have more words of wisdom for me, please do not be shy. BTW - still waiting for the Cress tech to call me back. ;-) Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted September 16, 2019 Report Share Posted September 16, 2019 the problem could have been the mud tube that some wasps build in stored machinery. fortunately, the wasps in my kiln room chose a rafter and not my kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genboomxer Posted September 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Oldlady - One of my other hobbies is beekeeping. Wasps are not on my "nice" list already, they serve no purpose other than to aggravate, so I'm glad they've left us both alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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