Roberta12 Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 Hi all, I started a slow glaze load cone 6 this morning at 10. e23t L&L. My calculations would have had it completed at 7 -7:30. I just spent a bit of time in the shop rather surprised that it's not finished yet. Watching the temp, and I noticed that the #1 relay is staying on and #2 and #3 are clicking on and off like usual. I have been watching the temp on the #2 tc and I checked the ramp speed. It goes between 56 and 80. According to the book it should be around 120. It seems to be struggling to get to 2200. It will get to 2201 2202 2203 then drop back down. First question, does that sound like a relay issue? Second question, if it continues to struggle, will I be ok to shut it off? The glazes I have in there are pretty stable. I think they would be ok. Thoughts? Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 roberta, check all three temperatures to see if there is a huge discrepancy just as part of the total picture. might help you to decide to shut it down or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted July 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 @oldlady Alice, It was 15 degrees cooler on #1 tc but it did finally come to temp and was completed by the time I went back out to the shop. Instead of 8.5 or 8 hours 45 minutes, it was 10 hours. My gut tells me it is probably that #1 relay. I checked back on my notes and the last time I changed that relay was March of 2019. I am also going to check the top set of elements. Thanks for weighing in! Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted July 18, 2021 Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 glad it was something simple. we have the same kiln model but i am not as aware as you are and do not fire on a regular basis. i have changed the elements maybe 3 times and i have had new relays since 2003 or so. they are still wrapped from the shipping date. how do you determine when you need to install new ones? i did not know that the clicking sound could be a warning sound. is that the only determining factor? hope neil is reading this, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted July 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2021 @oldlady my clue for relays is usually a complete fail. Or the particular set of elements won't heat up. I do the paper test to see if the elements are getting "juice" and go from there. Changing a relay is the simplest of maintenance jobs in my opinion. On my kiln if I push the #8 on the control panel while it is going I get a little dot that says whether the relay is on and off or not on or staying on. Last night, #1 was staying on. 2 and 3 were clicking on and off. And the fact that the ramp temp was low makes me wonder what all is going on. We changed TC and elements in January. Except for the top 2 elements. They had been changed in early 2020 because of a glaze spot that had burned it out. When it came time to change the other elements my service tech said since the top elements were fine, not to change them. (cost saving measure) but I am going to look at them carefully when the kiln is opened. So glad it's not a push for a show or something right now. Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.