Pres Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 Hi folks, another kiln question. Over the years I have done a lot of maintenance and repair of kilns in the school district I worked at, and at home. I would say the first level of maintenance is keeping the kiln clean. Using small dust brooms and dustpans is a good beginning place to remove all of the bits that occur during firings. Then there is a first level of repair, replacing bricks, floors, etc. On the stacking kilns much of this is easier than on the solid box kiln that used to be the norm years ago. Then there is entering into repair where you replace elements. This can be scary at first, but following simple steps and manuals can really make it much less of a job than you think, especially if you are handy with tools. This to me is the repairer level where most work occurs. Then you come to repairs where you replace insulators, wiring harnesses and other the setter, or today the controller. I would do all of that but the controller. QotW: When it comes to kiln maintenance/repair, how do you rate yourself? best, Pres Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 I am pretty good at maintaining the shelves, stilts and vacuuming out the kilns. I use to have my kiln repaired for me by the local ceramic supply store, now that my husband has retire he has taken over that job. Now that I think about he didn't start encouraging me to buy new kilns until he took over the kiln technician job. Hmmm I probably could of done it but I have a problem dealing with electricity. My dad had our house wire badly, you could get suddenly shocked anywhere anytime. One time I got a bad shock washing dishes. When I was young the fire department would safety check houses in the neighborhood. My dad would make us hide and not open the door. Denice Kelly in AK, Hulk and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 When it comes to kilns (and I assume this is an electric only thread) I do it all myself. I have a manual electric skutt (no computer) I added a fire rite control that turns it up as fast or slow as I need. I do not fire this much anymore as most pots are bisqued in my gas kilns. I have rebuilt a few of these type of kilns. pretty easy stuff. Same with shelves I do all the maintenance . I never fire over bisque temps in my 10 cubic skutt.I have upgraded to better connectors (not crimps) and leave all switches on high (the fire rite turns the kiln on and off) I did replace some of the jacket a few years ago and have more jackets in a box but have yet to finish the job..I think I fired this once last year.Its cone sitter kiln for turn off with a safety timer.I did repaint all the contol boxes a non skutt color when the red color flaked off with rust. I have upgraded to real stainless screws as well so they do not rust. Any time I work on it I make it better with better materials when I can. Thees manuel kilns are pretty bullet proof and go for a long time without trouble.I have had 3 skits over time (all used) and if I bought new one it would be an L&L. I would hope L&L used better stainless screws and parts. My beef with electric kiln companies is they skimp on quaility on small parts to save a few bucks. The stands are to small and the controls get to hot from lack of space and insulation. The stainless can be of poor quaility as well and rust.Not sure if any manufacture has it all figurted out. I do like the hard element holders of top brands as well this feature alone is worth it in my view as the bricks break out every element change if there is not hard holder. Hulk, Pres and Kelly in AK 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 18 Author Report Share Posted February 18 I phrased things toward Electric @Mark C., but would be happy to have someone bump in with their insights. My only history of firing with a fuel burner is a catenary arch at Penn State during grad years and earlier with loading a box Minnesota type during undergrad. The Cat kiln had to have a bricked up front, and if you weren't careful it could blow out the front. We nearly had that happen on the first firing, but not on the others. Luckily there were T bars laying around so others had problems with it. best, Pres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 Good question. I have 1000 firings on my L&L. My husband and I work together on it, Mostly I could do it myself, replacing elements, thermocouples, wiring etc. But it is nice to have the help. We have even replaced bricks (yes, the one on the bottom ring). And patched bricks. I helped a friend replace bricks and elements on a larger, older L&L. But I have never attempted repair on other brands. Not sure if there would be a lot of difference or not. We are hours away from any sort of help, so we had to do this on our own. L&L has GREAT over the phone, email, support. My hat is off to Rob Battey. He patiently listens to my kiln problems and gives such down to earth sensible advice. Over the phone, and via email. I really appreciate L&L. They have made it possible for me to keep my kiln running. Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 I appreciate the info that L&L has good customer service. I haven't had mine for a year yet, I only have 15 firings on it. I use my other smaller kilns more because I can't wait to fill the L&L. At my age I don't think I am going to get better at waiting. Denice Hulk, Roberta12 and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 I’m happy to say that after a couple of decades in clay, having built several kilns and operated many more, I finally graduated into the class of “Has Successfully Replaced Elements” a couple weeks ago (I completed the “empty kiln to 04/oxidize the elements” firing, but still have to complete the final, “cone 6 glaze fire.” So, I haven’t actually gotten my diploma yet, but am confident.). I have earned many other (self-awarded) certificates over the years. “Scraping Shelves,” “Proper Application of Kiln Wash,” and “The Economy of Angle Grinders,” were earned concurrently over time. “Low Fire Clay in a High Firing” was a crash course. There’s a lot more fuel kiln stuff rattling around in my head than electric. I feel like most of what I’ve learned about kiln maintenance, operation, and repair has been so incremental it’s hard to place myself on a scale. The thermocouple goes out and you learn how to replace it, you don’t have to learn that now. Multiply that by kiln-life experiences and you wind up knowing a lot that most people don’t. We end up being experts by just making things work day after day, year after year. Denice, Roberta12, Pres and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 I am sure I could learn how to repair my kiln if I could just get over my electricity phobia. When I was eight years old I attended girl scout camp, the next week a girl with my name was struck by lighting and killed at the same camp. My parents received sympathy calls for a week. Between my dad's bad wiring and the death of the girl I felt like some day electricity would be the end of me. Denice Pres, Hulk and Kelly in AK 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 Between myself and my partner who is a mechanical engineer, we do OK. I did pay to have a proper power cable socket installed, but everything else we do. For my kiln. A different story for the kiln at the community centre. All I do is batt wash/scrape/vacuum. They pay for an annual "service/electrical check". Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 21 Report Share Posted February 21 Luckily there are a ton of online resources to help people do their own kiln maintenance. It's a lot less daunting than before the internet. Most of the kiln manufacturers have good online videos showing how to test, diagnose, and repair kiln issues. It's a good time to be a kiln owner! Pres, Roberta12, Hulk and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 With both electrical and mechanical skills, I can pretty much do it all... Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyn Patty Posted February 22 Report Share Posted February 22 (edited) I do my best to keep my kilns in tip-top shape myself but I have been VERY LAX at doing replacements and repairs until this past year. Both of my kilns have performed flawlessly since I got them 20 years years ago (10 years of that very hard use, 10 years of very little or no use while they were in storage when I was ill) since I got them and I've really had no issues and needed to replace NOTHING, not even a relay. Two years ago my first relay failed on my small Olympic and that was my first time dipping my toes into replacing of parts. Since then I have dived into gutting and rewiring my kilns and replacing just about everything in the electronic controllers except for the mother boards themselves. I've also obtained patching and recoating materials. With those efforts and vacuuming them out before every glaze firing, I've managed to keep my big Skutt in like new condition. My Olympic is showing more wear - cracked floor and few chips with some discoloration on the outside. But overall they are still almost good as new, still shiny cases! No clue how to rate myself in terms of my so called expertise but man, I'm not afraid to dive into just about anything. As I'm fond of saying "There's a Youtube vidoe for just about everything..." and it's usually true! It doesn't matter if it's repairing a home appliance, your chainsaw, motorcycle, kiln, or your home, the internet is great to walk you through it. Edited February 24 by Hyn Patty I am theTYPO QUEEN! Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 24 Report Share Posted February 24 When my husband started repairing my kilns he would watch the Skutt repair video's just to make sure he did everything right. My dryer quit working several months ago, he didn't want to work on it just wanted to buy new one. We bought Speed Queens because they were so easy to fix, I look up a video and check it out. There is a hidden door on the machine, open it up and there is two parts right in front of you that could cause the problem. He went to the supply store and told them what he was working on, the clerk grabs a part out of big box and says you want one of these they break all of the time. Fixed the dryer for twelve dollars instead of spending three thousand on a new set. Denice Hyn Patty and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted February 25 Report Share Posted February 25 Have done very little in kiln repair/maintenance ...so far, just disassemble, move, assemble a used kiln; rebuild used kiln's sitter; design (credit to several diy postings) and build powered vent; design and build overhead vent; install wiring for new kiln; assemble new kiln; minor troubleshooting of new kiln, aaand periodic vacuuming. So, low rating for Hulk. My siblings and I grew up in a diy household. We took apart just about everything ...an' put most of 'em back together as well. "Learn by doing" is. So is learn from mistakes (which is, imo, thoroughly baked into, endemic in Learn By Doing...). Know a lot? Good-oh, likely a lot of mistakes associated with that knowledge. A problem with knowing, as knowledge grows/widens/expands, so does the unknown - the border, the edges, the area, the vastness of the unknown expands right along with the known - so says the pundits, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 25 Author Report Share Posted February 25 Yeah, @Hulk, the more skills and knowledge you gain seems like there are more skills and knowledge YET to gain! best, Pres Roberta12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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