Sweeney Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 but it does engage at high. it’s a paragon a66b. my best guess is that my switch needs to be replaced, but i’d like a second opinion. does this sound right or is there something else i should be looking at? thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 Is this kiln new to you or has it been performing well for you before until now? Have you opened the control tower to look at the switch? What does the back of the switch look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeney Posted November 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 (edited) I’ve had the kiln a little more than a year and I fire once a week and it’s been working great this whole time. I moved recently and the first bisque fire (in the new place) seemed to be going ok but it reached temp before I switched it to high and plugged it up (after candling for 4 hours on low and medium for 3 hours) That seemed weird and out of ordinary but everything looked great so I started a ^6 the next day. after about 16 hours it hadn’t reached temp so I turned it off and assumed I needed a new element in my extension (I replaced the main kiln elements recently but not the extension) I decided to not use the extension and fire just the main unit and suddenly it won’t engage—but only at low and medium—i can hear the hum of the kiln turning on at high. i took the panel off and the wires look fine but I don’t know much about electricity. they seem connected well. could it be my kiln sitter? Edited November 22, 2022 by Sweeney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 22, 2022 Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 If everything works on high then it's not a Sitter problem or an element problem, so most likely a switch problem. Depending on how old the switch is, you may be able to find a replacement online cheaper than from Paragon. Kiln switches are not made specifically for kilns, so just do a Google search of the part number on the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeney Posted November 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2022 yea the kiln is from 1977 and I was lucky enough to be the first one to ever fire it and that was just last year! so everything is pretty old. i’ve been looking up switches on amazon but there’s so many different kinds. I’ll see if I can find a serial number on my old one! thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted November 25, 2022 Report Share Posted November 25, 2022 (edited) On 11/22/2022 at 4:58 PM, Sweeney said: I moved recently and the first bisque fire (in the new place) seemed to be going ok but it reached temp before I switched it to high and plugged it up (after candling for 4 hours on low and medium for 3 hours) That seemed weird and out of ordinary but everything looked great so I started a ^6 the next day. after about 16 hours it hadn’t reached temp so I turned it off and assumed I needed a new element in my extension ( Since you have moved and this kiln requires special electric which includes a neutral in addition to the two 120v phases it is possible your new receptacle does not contain the required neutral. I would suggest confirming you have proper power. Your symptoms indicate you do not have a neutral. Paragon has parts, is still in business and has your wiring diagram and manual for your kiln in their archives. https://corp.paragonweb.com/support/kiln-wiring-diagrams/ Edited November 25, 2022 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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