Is this kiln worth repairing?

[TaraB]

Hi All,

I am a newbie to this community, but I was hoping someone might be able to give me some advice whether or not a secondhand kiln I have acquired is worth investing to restore it. It is a K6 Tetlow which was sold on behalf of another seller, therefore there was very little information about the kiln available. It doesn't have much/any accessories but I picked it up for good price, so I thought it was a gamble worth taking. The plug has been cut off, so I will need to get that fixed before anything else, but  what I am mostly concerned about is the overall structure of the kiln, and whether it looks too rusted/worn. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance,

Tara

[neilestrick]

Kilns are generally worth repairing if the bricks are structurally sound. Are the bricks in the door really loose? What about the roof bricks? Doing brick work in this type of kiln is a lot more complicated than a top loading round kiln. Does the controller/switch work? Make sure you wire it up according to local codes.

[TaraB]

Hi Neil, 

Thanks for your reply. The bricks aren't loose at all on the roof or the door. There's only a couple of loose ones around the edge at the front. Unfortunately, I won't know if the controller works until we get the plug fixed and are able to switch it on. 

Thanks

[Bill Kielb]

16 minutes ago, TaraB said:

I won't know if the controller works until we get the plug fixed and are able to switch it on. 

 

Wow! It looks like that says 15 kw, if so (hard to read) it draws like 63 amps on single phase 240v. Definitely make sure your electrician looks closely. The relay in there appears to be 2 pole so pretty sure it is single phase. If correct -this  kiln has lots of power!

[TaraB]

Hi Bill,

It is tricky to read but I'm sure it says 4.8kw which i think is how it originally comes. It's single phase, 240v, 20 amps.

Tara

[Denice]

Hopefully someone who is familiar with the kiln will help with some information.   You will need to buy shelves and stilts,  you can buy a extra shelf and put it on the bottom of the kiln for a new bottom cover.     You will probably need new elements but you have to get it working  before you can even figure that out.  Denice

[TaraB]

I am crossing my fingers the elements don't need to be replaced, but I'm not holding my breath. I have a Duncan kiln which fires to cone 8 but it has little ability to manually control and I find it fires too quickly for bisque. In saying that, I'm not sure its worth spending hundreds of dollars on replacing the elements for the Tetlow (they're about $250 each here in Aus.) just to gain a slower bisque. Hmm. I guess I will make that decision once I know if its necessary to replace them.

Thanks for your help.

Tara