PARAGON DTC 800 KILN

[Lilloloris]

Hello, I just received as a gift this kiln by an old craftman who doesn't use it anymore, 
I can't find so much about on line, just a really barely readable manual from the official website.
I just wanted to know if someone have a similiar one, or know something about it.
Like how many degrees can it reach, what should I do to know if it is in good condition before using it ?
thank you so much everyone

 

 

[Bill Kielb]

The last picture has the model number on it. A bit blurry but max temp looks like 2000 degrees (cone 01) so probably not a kiln for clay. Search paragons website for the model number ….. or post a clear picture of the equipment tag. The DTC 800 is the model of the control. Is it tropical where you are located? If the craftsman is still with us, I would ask him what he used it for as well.

Edited September 30, 2022 by Bill Kielb

[Dana Stripe]

 

On 9/29/2022 at 9:29 PM, Bill Kielb said:

The last picture has the model number on it. A bit blurry but max temp looks like 2000 degrees (cone 01) so probably not a kiln for clay. Search paragons website for the model number ….. or post a clear picture of the equipment tag. The DTC 800 is the model of the control. Is it tropical where you are located? If the craftsman is still with us, I would ask him what he used it for as well.

Bill I would think cone 01 would be ok for low fire.

[PeterH]

6 minutes ago, Dana Stripe said:

Bill I would think cone 01 would be ok for low fire.

Does the plate indicate a realistic firing temperature, or the maximum that can be reached with a full-spec power supply and new elements? 

I've seen a lot of recommendations that you need a cone 10 kiln to regularly fire at cone 6.

[Bill Kielb]

28 minutes ago, Dana Stripe said:

Bill I would think cone 01 would be ok for low fire.

Maybe, I think a clear picture and model number lookup  likely answers the questions. Max temp generally means absolute top or design limit so firing to 1945 f (cone 04) probably hard to do if not brand new. A lookup of the model on Paragons website possibly provides the best info.

Edited October 4, 2022 by Bill Kielb

[Dana Stripe]

45 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said:

Maybe, I think a clear picture and model number lookup  likely answers the questions. Max temp generally means absolute top or design limit so firing to 1945 f (cone 04) probably hard to do if not brand new. A lookup of the model on Paragons website possibly provides the best info.

Interesting comment my Skutt kiln says the max temp is 2250/cone 6 and I fire it to cone 6-7 regularly with no issue.

[Bill Kielb]

@Dana StripeMost kilns will not do it. Generally a cone 10 kiln will get you 150-200 fittings at cone 6 before the elements wear by 10% or more and you simply can’t make cone 6 temperatures without a controller error or poorly fired glaze. Also your controller ought to be limited to 2250 peak temperature from the factory so getting to cone 7 would be tough. You have a rare performer. What model Skutt and how many watts?

Edited October 4, 2022 by Bill Kielb

[Dana Stripe]

On 10/4/2022 at 5:22 PM, Bill Kielb said:

@Dana StripeMost kilns will not do it. Generally a cone 10 kiln will get you 150-200 fittings at cone 6 before the elements wear by 10% or more and you simply can’t make cone 6 temperatures without a controller error or poorly fired glaze. Also your controller ought to be limited to 2250 peak temperature from the factory so getting to cone 7 would be tough. You have a rare performer. What model Skutt and how many watts?

Bill refer to this post about my Skutt 231-18 kiln. 

However, even before I converted it to a digital kiln it fired to cone 6 with a manual kiln setter no problem at all.  I suspect your correct in the 150-200 firings but that's typical for almost anyone that mid fires regardless if its rated a cone 6 or a cone 10 kiln (firing to cone 6).  Also, supporting this fact is that Skutt sells the same elements  for my 231-18 (70's era cone 6 rated) and KM1018 ( modern cone 10 rated).   Also the two kilns are rated with the same watts, the main difference being 2.5" brick for the cone 6 vs 3" brick for the cone 10.   

Also I have no problem getting to a cone 7 with just adding a 5-10 min hold on a cone 6 firing (~2235F).

Edited October 7, 2022 by Dana Stripe

[Bill Kielb]

3 hours ago, Dana Stripe said:

However, even before I converted it to a digital kiln it fired to cone 6 with a manual kiln setter no problem at all.  I suspect your correct in the 150-200 firings but that's typical for almost anyone that mid fires regardless if its rated a cone 6 or a cone 10 kiln (firing to cone 6).  Also, supporting this fact is that Skutt sells the same elements  for my 231-18 (70's era cone 6 rated) and KM1018 ( modern cone 10 rated).   Also the two kilns are rated with the same watts, the main difference being 2.5" brick for the cone 6 vs 3" brick for the cone 10.   

Also I have no problem getting to a cone 7 with just adding a 5-10 min hold on a cone 6 firing (~2235F).

Yes, you guessed it watts per cu ft of available load plus watts per sf to offset shell surface losses. Most kilns have about 110% brand new and after wearing 10% they need element replacement to make it. Cone 6 kilns often have less than their counterparts. This is the norm, not a lot of kilns are made with 115% capacity new. So you are indeed fortunate. Reaching cone 7 with a hold makes total sense this way. Operating your elements at top temp though with a hold will shorten their life a greater percentage than just normal operation.  How much is relevant to how over designed the kiln is. At 3 watts per square inch, life is short. 3.5 w / sq in, better, sort of typical. 4 watts per square in- you are in the longevity bonus range.

L&L has great published data comparing the loading as well as the effect of 3” brick

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by Bill Kielb

[neilestrick]

3 hours ago, Dana Stripe said:

I suspect your correct in the 150-200 firings but that's typical for almost anyone that mid fires regardless if its rated a cone 6 or a cone 10 kiln (firing to cone 6)

A cone 6 kiln firing to cone 6 will only get maybe 50 firings before the elements need to be replaced. Once they wear even a little bit, the kiln can no longer reach its max temp. In a cone 10 kiln firing to cone 6, the elements can wear a lot more before they need to be replaced. If your cone 6 kiln is getting more firings that that, then it is probably under-rated.

3 hours ago, Dana Stripe said:

Also the two kilns are rated with the same watts, the main difference being 2.5" brick for the cone 6 vs 3" brick for the cone 10. 

Brick thickness is often the determining factor on the max temp rating of a kiln.

3 hours ago, Dana Stripe said:

Also I have no problem getting to a cone 7 with just adding a 5-10 min hold on a cone 6 firing (~2235F).

Kilns are either rated to a max temp or a max cone without holds. With holds all kilns would be cone 10.

There isn't some government oversight committee that puts out rules for max temp ratings of kilns. Every kiln manufacturer has their own system for deciding, and there is a lot of variation from brand to brand depending on what they consider to be an acceptable speed at which the max can be achieved. I've often seen kilns listed as cone 10 with the same specs as other brands' cone 8. The general rule of thumb as a customer, though, in order to get maximum element life you should be firing 3-4 cones below the max rating of your kiln.