Potclays Gold kiln GK 250 TRUCK

[Kelly Sheesh]

Hi all,

We have recently bought a GK250 truck kiln from potclays and had it shipped to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We have enough power load to operate our three kilns :

1.   Rohde Ecotop 60 

2.   Rohde KE 480 S Series 

3.    Potclays GK 250
 

The potclays GK250 has stopped firing mid way through the initial firing to 1000 celsius. The controller wasn't switching back on either. After consulting with the electrician, we were advised to replace a blown fuse. We did and the kiln was working again. Since, we have managed to fire 2 bisque firings to 980 Celsius successfully, but unfortunately it stopped working again and failed to finish the bisque cycle. We are unsure what temperature it failed at and are waiting for it to cool to see the state of the work inside. I am still waiting to hear back from potclays.

Has anybody used potclays kilns before? Has anybody experienced anything similar? I know it is not a power issue as we fire the Rohde KE 480 successfully which uses the same power as the potclays GK250 (32 kW).

Do you think the surrounding area of the kiln being too hot could effect the fuses? I am struggling to think of a reason this is happening.

Just a quick note, the fuses replaced were exactly the same as the ones provided by potclays so I know that isn't the issue especially that it managed to complete two firings after they have been replaced.


Any feedback would be great.  

[Bill Kielb]

4 hours ago, Kelly Sheesh said:

Just a quick note, the fuses replaced were exactly the same as the ones provided by potclays so I know that isn't the issue especially that it managed to complete two firings after they have been replaced.

Fuses that blow indicate the current or amperage draw in the machine exceeded the design. This can happen due to defect or shorted condition or it can also happen if the operating voltage is higher than the design or for three phase loads, perhaps improper load distribution. The likelihood of defect in a new kiln or an electrical short after several successful firings is probably pretty low. Higher voltage than the designer anticipated is definitely something to actually measure and confirm as well as phase distribution if this is three phase kiln.

I other words, I would suggest  measuring and thoroughly confirming all the electrical aspects first before concluding the machine has a defect. The fuse blows to protect the equipment from excess current so something is truly incorrect or defective.

[neilestrick]

Are the fuses that are blowing on the kiln or on the electrical panel?

What size are the fuses, and how many are there?

What is the voltage and phase of your electrical system?

If it's shutting down due to the controller getting too hot, I would not expect a blown fuse to be the problem. If the fuse is blowing partway through a firing, then it's not due to a short, but rather due to excessive amperage draw.