Masonm Posted October 8, 2023 Report Share Posted October 8, 2023 I recently picked up an old front loading kiln (small) made my fire masters with a paragon stepless switch for 120v. It's marked as model 9 673 120v 14amps and it seems to be an old kiln. The connections are corroded and I have turned it on and it does work. I was wondering what the maximum temperature I could reach is? I want to reach 2200F but as of now it barely pushes 2050. I was thinking maybe its due to a huge gap in the door when its really hot letting out heat? Maybe it cant even reach 2200F in the first place? If its not meant to go to cone 6 is there a way for me to upgrade the amperage with new parts? Maybe if theres new connections for the wiring it can reach cone 6? Also, the back panel where the controls are seems to be a powdery white substance and im worried about it being asbestos. I have no idea what to do/try so i'm open to hearing what anyone has to say about it. I have some photos attached to give more insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masonm Posted October 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2023 (edited) Also - my paragon stepless switch controller is rated for 120v and 15 amps, but the power cord says 14 amps on it. Can I simply just upgrade the power cord and connect it up for 1800 watts instead of 1680? As long as the switch is rated for it shouldn't it be okay? The difference in the one amp upgrade would technically mean going from cone 1 to cones 6-8. Edited October 8, 2023 by Masonm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 9, 2023 Report Share Posted October 9, 2023 Can you please post more pictures? I would like to see the whole kiln, the door gap you mentioned, the white poweder, and the Paragon controller. Increasing the power of the kiln would require new elements. Since this kiln is no longer made, that would mean getting custom elements made, which can be done by Euclids.com in Canada. Increasing the power would increase the amperage, which means that you may have to upgrade all the wiring and switches and power cord to accommodate the higher amperage. Lots of ifs and maybes, and if you don't know anything about electrical systems and/or kilns then I would maybe not jump into a project like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masonm Posted October 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2023 I see, I will attach a video of the entire kiln and a close up photo of the controller tomorrow when its light outside again. I will have to run the kiln again to show the door gap when its hot. I'll attach a google drive folder because I could only send 1000kb of total room for photos on here. I guess I wont upgrade the kiln because that does sound like a project not meant for me. But what I want to understand first is why the kiln says 14 amps even though the cord is 15 amps and the controller says 120v 15amps. Is it because of the elements? I also want to know if at 120V 14 amps/15 amps it can even reach cone 6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masonm Posted October 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2023 https://photos.app.goo.gl/rcGGxwFSBfG7gfPo7 Here are the photos. I am super concerned with the white powdery substance on the back of the kiln it really looks like asbestos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 9, 2023 Report Share Posted October 9, 2023 Power cords, wires, etc, come in different sizes and can handle different amperages. 12 gauge wire is rated for up to 20 amps. 14 gauge wire is rated for up to 15 amps. There is no 14 amp wire, you just need wire that can handle the amperage. It's okay (and good) for the wire to be rated to a higher amperage than what's going through it. The amperage draw of the kiln is determined by resistance of the wires (ohms), which is determined by the thickness and length of the wires. Ohms Law: Watts = Volts x Amps Amps = Volts / Ohms Ohms = Volts / Amps So as the ohms increase, the amperage decreases. As the amperage decreases the wattage decreases, and watts are what you need for the kiln to get hot enough. I don't know if the kiln can hit cone 6 or not. 14 amps seems a bit low for that size kiln, though. The panel on the back of the kiln may very well be asbestos. It could also be insulating silica board, but it would have to be tested to know for sure. All of the wiring and terminal hardware should be replaced. The switch can be replaced with any general purpose 120V infinite switch that can handle 15 amps. You can get them on Amazon for about $25. The elements look to be in good condition, but you'll want to measure their resistance with a multi-meter to see if they're worn or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masonm Posted October 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2023 Thank you so much. I think before I do anything ill be getting the backboard tested for asbestos because if its asbestos ill be considering it a complete loss. If its not asbestos I will be replacing my controller and the wiring connections which should help. Do you think with the current setup that my kiln actually runs on 15 amps instead of the posted 14 amps (since the controller is rated for 15 amps)? Can I test the amps and voltage with a multimeter and check using ohms law? Sorry for the slew of questions but thanks for being thorough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 10, 2023 Report Share Posted October 10, 2023 The kiln pulls however many amps the serial plate says, in this case 14 amps. Switches, like wires, are rated for up to a specific amount of amperage- 15, 20, 30, 40, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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