TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS FOR L&L KILNS
troubleshoot-general.pdf
REV: 4/15/2017
Page 8
2017
L&L Kiln Mfg, Inc. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 856.294.0077 F:856.294.0070 [email protected] hotkilns.com
sandpaper until no more than l/l6 of an inch gap is found
at any point along seal. Note that the gap at the top will
definitely appear larger than any gap you see between the
kiln sections. This is partly because the lid actually bows
down in the center of the lid when it heats up and the edges
consequently rise slightly. Just check for an UNEVENESS
in this gap which will cause an excessive heat loss.
2) If door/lid is excessively cracked or worn or has holes in
it this may cause drafts in the kiln. Replace lid.
See the TROUBLESHOOTING AND FIXING BRICK
PROBLEMS section in the TROUBLESHOOTING tab
of your instruction manual or
hotkilns.com/brick-
troubleshooting
Elements
1) Elements may have differentially changed in resistance
which will also have an effect on uniformity. The three
zone control mostly compensates for this but there are
limits. Check element resistance (see section at end of
this Troubleshooting Guide called “CHECKING ELEMENT
OHMS”).
2) Empty the kiln. Then turn kiln on using a fast program
like FAST GLAZE until elements are red. Open the door
carefully and observe the elements to see if they all seem to
be glowing about the same amount. CAUTION: The power
does not turn off when you open the lid. Be careful not to put
your hand inside the kiln while it is on. Dangerous electric
shock could result if you touch an element.
RUN AN EASY-FIRE DIAGNOSTIC
There is a useful diagnostic program within the DynaTrol on
Easy-Fire Kilns. This is handy to use when your kiln is first
delivered and set up to make sure it was done properly. It
can also be useful in seeing if an element has burned out.
To use this diagnostic program enter the following sequence
when the display says IdlE.
1) Press
OTHER, 4, 4, 3.
2) Keep pressing
OTHER
to cycle through the menu
options until you get to
dIAG
and then press
ENTER
.
3) Open the lid of your kiln. You will see each zone of the
kiln turn on for one minute each, starting with zone #1, the
top zone. The control will display
OUt1
, then
OUt2
,
then OUt3 as it cycles through this sequence. CAUTION:
The power does not turn off when you open the lid. Be
careful not to put your hand inside the kiln while it is on.
Dangerous electric shock could result. This will tell you
if the kiln sections are in the wrong order or if the wires are
somehow crossed in the control panel. If this is the case the
zones will not turn on in the proper 1, 2, 3, order.
Loading
The Dynamic Zone Control of the EASY-FIRE kilns can
compensate for many uneven loading situations. The
SCHOOL-MASTER kilns, however, do not employ Zone
Control so pay particularly close attention to the following
steps.
1) If you are having a problem with uneven firing try to vary
the way you load it to match the firing characteristics of the
kiln. For instance if it typically fires hot at the top them put
more weight in the top to absorb that heat. You can discern
how your kiln fires in each section by using cones.
2) Be sure to put posts under the bottom shelf. The bottom
shelf should be at least 1/2” to 1-1/2” above the floor of the
kiln.
Firing with Cones
1) Run an empty kiln with three cone packs top- middle
- bottom. This will tell you if the load contributes to the
problem.
2) Try using cone packs in all sections (top, center, bottom)
of the kiln during loaded firings and keep records of what
happens. See the TROUBLESHOOTING KILN FIRING
WITH CONE PACKS in the LOG, CONES,TIPS, CERAMIC
PROCESS tab or
hotkilns.com/troubleshooting-cones.
EASY-FIRE Thermocouple Offsets
Thermocouples can drift in their accuracy over time and this
can happen at different rates for each thermocouple. If one
thermocouple reads at a different temperature than another
thermocouple this can cause uneveness in the kiln. You may
need to adjust the offsets to trick the kiln into firing hotter or
cooler in certain zones. Read about Thermocouple Offset
in section 9.9 of the DYNATROL 700 INSTRUCTIONS
FOR L&L KILNS in the CONTROL section of the Instruction
Manual and the and the CALIBRATING THE CONTROL
section in the BASIC OPERATION OF L&L KILNS WITH A
DYNATROL 700 in the OPERATION section of the manual.
Also see this:
hotkilns.com/calibrating-kiln.
ONE-TOUCH Thermocouple Offsets
Thermocouples can drift in their accuracy over time and
this can cause inaccurate firings in the kiln. You may
need to adjust the offset to trick the kiln into firing hotter
or cooler. Read about THERMOCOUPLE OFFSET in the
OPTIONS Section of the OPERATION OF L&L KILNS
WITH A ONE-TOUCH™ (Deg F) in the OPERATION tab
in your instruction manual. Also see this:
hotkilns.com/
calibrating-kiln.