What to do with old Alpine kiln

[AaronRotchadl]

My partner and I have an old Alpine gas kiln model HF-24 that was given to us when we took over a lease. We're wanting to get rid of it within two months and was looking for some input. Like I said it was given to us, so we're not hellbent on making any money off of it. It was allegedly operational til right before it was delivered. It's been under a tarp, but also been rained on a little bit. When it was delivered, one of the two red electric controllers(?) on the right side got knocked and is crushed beyond fixable(I think). The screen that plugs in(temperature reading I think?) reads "oooo" on the top line when plugged in. We haven't gotten the burner fans to work though. Anyways- Based on what I've read about these kilns I don't think I want to sink any time or money into it.  I'm wondering a few things:

1- Anyone have any idea what it would take to get it running if it's just the crushed box that's bad?

2- If it was just the crushed box that needs replaced, how far would someone be willing to drive to even just take it away for free?

3- If we scrapped it- what useful parts could we save from it? I'm mostly wondering about the powered burners? the fans spin freely so I imagine they're fine, but how much would I need to spend on everything to make them run(variable speed controller and whatever else) to power a smaller ~12 cubic foot gas kiln with natural gas?

4- Are there any actual "bricks" that are salvageable from this?

I know this is far from a complete picture but I appreciate any input! See some photos below and please let me know if you need more information! Thanks!

Edited May 6, 2020 by AaronRotchadl

[Mark C.]

Neil is the expert on this  as he worked for them once

I have seen a few of them restored and a few junked

yours looks in pretty good shape-the controls and fans and burners and conduit  do not look rusted to heck-Pretty clean really .You should 1st keep all rain and weather off kiln-no matter what you end up doing to it.Most folks leave them outside and they did of weather

I can say that it has zero salvageable bricks as they are all covered in hard cement and will be a mess once busted apart.

The kiln inside looks about 90% better than any I have seen so that a great start.

I have seen this kiln turned into a down draft natural draft kiln with burners up thru the floor and a exit flue in lower back wall with at all brick chimney. Thats a big job and costly

My thought and Neil can say whether its possible is just get the burners to work and forget all that fancy controls

you need a new larger tarp and keep it dry. Also make sure you do not smash more stuff so the end user has a chance of doing something with it

Are you wanting to use this yourself or just move it on ???Its value is low very low really maybe less than zero .

Edited May 7, 2020 by Mark C.

[neilestrick]

Looks to be in pretty good condition. The red boxes contain the Fireye  circuit boards, which are the heart of the automatic ignition and flame sensing safety system. Probably the most expensive part of the setup, too. I believe they're still available. As is, it's not entirely safe, and may not meet code, because it doesn't appear to have a high temp shutoff controller. It's not too difficult for someone to make that upgrade to the current system, though. That burner setup isn't ideal, but it will work, as that was the Alpine style for decades. Ideally the burners should be pulled back from the kiln, the burner tube extended, and a proper retention tip put on the end. The ceramic burner tips Alpine used are no longer available. Someone could buy a new burner setup for a couple thousand dollars, or build their own for half that. So if they get the kiln for free, that's a deal. The kiln shelf bag walls should be removed and replaced with stacked hard brick. As you can see, they are warping and cracking the door jambs. The radiants (curved grates) are not necessary and can be thrown out. Alpine stopped using the kiln shelf bag wall and radiants in 2003.

Don't even try to take it apart. Everything is mortared together. Behind the brick is a mixture of vermiculite and cement if it was built in Illinois or Wisconsin. If it's so old that it was built in California, we don't know what's behind the brick and could possibly be asbestos.

As long as the bricks are solid, the kiln should last for many more years. As Mark said, it's really pretty clean for an old Alpine. I bet if you run some ads you'll be able to find someone who would take it off your hands for free. They'll need to rent a fork lift if you don't have one.

[Bill Kielb]

1 hour ago, AaronRotchadl said:

My partner and I have an old Alpine gas kiln model HF-24 that was given to us when we took over a lease. We're wanting to get rid of it within two months and was looking for some input. Like I said it was given to us, so we're not hellbent on making any money off of it. It was allegedly operational til right before it was delivered. It's been under a tarp, but also been rained on a little bit. When it was delivered, one of the two red electric controllers(?) on the right side got knocked and is crushed beyond fixable(I think). The screen that plugs in(temperature reading I think?) reads "oooo" on the top line when plugged in. We haven't gotten the burner fans to work though. Anyways- Based on what I've read about these kilns I don't think I want to sink any time or money into it.  I'm wondering a few things:

1- Anyone have any idea what it would take to get it running if it's just the crushed box that's bad?

2- If it was just the crushed box that needs replaced, how far would someone be willing to drive to even just take it away for free?

3- If we scrapped it- what useful parts could we save from it? I'm mostly wondering about the powered burners? the fans spin freely so I imagine they're fine, but how much would I need to spend on everything to make them run(variable speed controller and whatever else) to power a smaller ~12 cubic foot gas kiln with natural gas?

4- Are there any actual "bricks" that are salvageable from this?

I know this is far from a complete picture but I appreciate any input! See some photos below and please let me know if you need more information! Thanks!

Hard to see the gas trane but it appears to have redundant gas valves so that is a later model. Someone should be able to make this work for hundreds not thousands. For free and the cost to pick it up and take it, Maybe a school or small studio. Interesting in that the radiant panel or make shift bag wall is blocked up about an inch so this was used for reduction firing. Nice kiln! As of a couple months ago I just bought the silly ceramic retention tips, super cheap actually (5-10 bucks As I recall)  so this still can be put together and used as is. Hopefully the fire eye (red thing) is still ok with some surgery on the cover, else a new one cost about 700.00 for the part.

Edited May 6, 2020 by Bill Kielb

[AaronRotchadl]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I feel like I'm always seeking out answers on this forum that have probably been answered many times over.. and I really appreciate you regulars on here who are always giving your time and knowledge to help those of us with less experience. There's a lot of room for tragic error in Equipment Use and Repair and we're all so much better off with y'alls input. 

[neilestrick]

23 hours ago, Bill Kielb said:

As of a couple months ago I just bought the silly ceramic retention tips, super cheap actually (5-10 bucks As I recall) 

Did you get them through Alpine or somewhere else?

[Bill Kielb]

34 minutes ago, neilestrick said:

Did you get them through Alpine or somewhere else?

I believe alpine, a couple months ago. They were so cheap decided not to move the burners out at this point.

[Dixie Baker]

We need a replacement kiln sitter/ temp reader for Alpine gas kiln.  Please help

[Bill Kielb]

1 hour ago, Dixie Baker said:

We need a replacement kiln sitter/ temp reader for Alpine gas kiln.  Please help

Post a picture here if you can. I believe you need the old high limit temperature station. Have you called Alpine or your local kiln tech? It’s not necessarily a job for those who are unfamiliar with gas safety.

[neilestrick]

2 hours ago, Dixie Baker said:

We need a replacement kiln sitter/ temp reader for Alpine gas kiln.  Please help

I assume you mean the digital controller? What you'll need depends entirely on what year it was built. The burner system has gone through a couple of designs, and several different controllers were used over the years. Post a pic of what you've got.

[Saskia Martin]

Hello fellow Alpine kiln people..i am in need of expert advice. I have an eay 1072 updraft model (looks exactly like the one in the photos above posted by Aaron), which (after some retroffitting) i fired successfully to cone 10.  It sat for 10 months& now it no longer works. What exactly happens is: the ignition click sounds& the first (right) burner lights, but then the click for the second (left) burner doesn't occurr, and the fan (small box with dial for air volume control) is not working.  So then the gas just shuts off, as it is supposed to for safety.  Seeking advice on how this issue cod be fixed. Looked at the wiring inside the fan co trol but all appeared to be correct and live. I can provide more details, photos& videos. Also waiting to hear back from Alpine Kilbs. Thank you so much in advance!!! Saskia in California

[Saskia Martin]

Oops i meant 1972 model