Kiln issues
 

Having problems with the my kiln...an evenheat kingpin
it willl heat up to about 400 and crap out... Error 1 on me....I turn it back on...and it makes to to 500 and error 1's out on me...reset again...and will got to about 600 and error out......Oh we made to garge temps Ya! no...drop and error.......... see the issue? I am cracking works/ people paid orders that Needs to go OUT over here!.... :oops:

And this isnt like a once in a while issue...it's like driving me nuts for weeks now.

looked up the manual
this is what I am told.....
Err1
–Error 1 indicates the temperature in the
oven is rising slower than 15°F/hr during an up ramp. If this rate continues for 8 minutes, the firing will be stopped.
Err1
may be an indication that elements are worn or defective or that a relay has stopped working"

AND IDK what the hell that means. manual offers no how to know if it's the elements vs relay ...or how to fix replace either. Kiln isnt that old like 4 years now and yes been used ..least every day....but craps surely these last longer then that.

Suggestions here?? Helps. like Serious helps Im trying to purchase a house here and Major biz purchases are NOT an option atm NOR is a major drop in income cause the Bloody kiln wont get up to temp to strike and anneal so I can make orders.... I dont think the bank would understand that. (bit stressed please ideas!)

I had a problem once because the screws that clamp the thermocouple to the wires. If you have a continuity tester or ohm meter you can check that the thermocouple looks like a short. Only do this after dicnonnecting one of the wires to the controller. You might be able to see if the thermocouple is broken inside the kiln

Unplug it and check all the connections you can get at to wiggle.


Heating and cooling cycles can cause bolts and nuts and connectors to work lose over time.

Also look for corrosion.

All of the above at the heating elements, relay contacts, SCR and I would even look at the power cords and plugs at the wall.

If its a big one with 220 vac you could have dropped one of the power lines feeding the outlet so I would also check and turn off and back on the circuit breakers.


Thermocouples usually have pretty fine wires connecting to the controller and if some of the fine wires break it can fool the controller into thinking the kiln is not warming up like it should.

Have you called the company? Yeah, I remember its a holiday. Fudge.

I have had to replace my relays three times on my Scutt over the last 10 years. Twice, I was getting the same symptoms as you.

Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, this is the Evenheat Kingpin 88, listed as a metal clay kiln?

From what I can see in the manual, it says the elements are located in the left and right walls. Perhaps you can put an oven thermometer or some other method to see if one of the walls is getting hot and the other not. That would help troubleshoot. Assuming that each element has its own relay, it would not tell you whether the problem is an element or a relay, though. (OK, since there is only one relay, this might help determining if it is an element. The elements are in parallel, so another possibility is the wiring between the elements. See diagram linked below. There are jumpers between E1 and E3, and E2 and E4.)

Hopefully it is a relay, since the elements are embedded in the walls.

Never mind, there is only one relay
http://www.evenheat-kiln.com/pdf/wir...in-88-120V.pdf

If you can get it to temperature, then, in my opinion, it is sounding less like relays and elements than the thermocouple/thermocouple connection. (I guess that's being hopeful, because by Evenheat's info, it is sounding like elements, but hopefully Eric's experience with relays is correct because embedded elements are expensive.)


More Evenheat information, which you might already have:

Kiln Fires Too Slowly
Elements are wearing out. Elements age when fired and increase in resistance. Firings gradually take longer, and longer until the kiln will not reach temperature. Replace all elements. High firings wear the elements out faster than lower firings.

Make sure all elements are firing. You can check this by carefully lifting the lid while the kiln is on to make sure all elements are glowing. In some kilns, especially automatics, the top and bottom coils appear to become hot quickly while the center elements appear to be slow in becoming hot and are less bright. Do not touch the elements when doing this!!

Voltage too low. As voltage falls so does power. Check voltage while under load for a more valid reading.

Improper operating voltage. Check rated voltage (printed on nameplate) against the measured voltage. A kiln designed for 240V will be slower when connected to 208V.

Voltage may vary in certain areas due to heavy electrical use. This is especially true in the summer with a heavy demand for air conditioning and refrigeration.

Long runs of wire from the main service can cause lower voltage, which lowers power.

High amperage draw of the kiln could cause a voltage drop at the kiln. While rare, this would indicate that the electrical service supply transformer is not capable of supplying the desired power.

Service wired incorrectly. The kiln may have inadvertently been connected to 120V instead of 208 or 240V. (It's happened)

Loose connections between fuse box and kiln.

Aluminum wire has been known to cause some problems. We do not recommend aluminum wiring.

Here's some pricing:
http://www.evenheat-kiln.com/pdf/ret...-clay-kiln.pdf

Hopefully not this, since these are the elements
Kingpin 88 Replacement Muffle
#00314.100
$279

Thermocouple For Kingpin 88
#11639.000
$11

For TAP, Set-Pro & RM Models
#11801.200
$35

Yup it was the relay working as it should now :)

Cool!