TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS FOR L&L KILNS
troubleshoot-general.pdf
REV: 4/15/2017
Page 14
2017
L&L Kiln Mfg, Inc. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 856.294.0077 F:856.294.0070 [email protected] hotkilns.com
2.) Make sure the elements are wired properly. Check the
wiring diagram.
EASY-FIRE ERROR MESSAGES
See this for a complete description on the web:
hotkilns.
com/error-codes.
You can also see more information in
the instruction manual in the CONTROL section: Appendix
E in DYNATROL 700 INSTRUCTIONS FOR L&L KILNS.
Error codes can appear at any time during the firing. They
always refer to a problem that, if allowed to continue, could
end with unknown or even disastrous results.
Errd
,
Err1
,
ErrP
and the
FAIL
message make the most
frequent appearances.
Errd
means there is a temperature
difference of more than 50 degrees between the zones.
Err1
indicates that the kiln is climbing too slowly in an
Easy-Fire program.
ErrP
indicates that there was either
a very quick power outage (
ErrP
will flash along with the
temperature and the kiln will still be heating), or there was a
longer power outage (
PF
will be the only thing in the display
and the kiln will not be heating).
FAIL
refers to a specific
thermocouple failure. It will appear after displaying a ‘
tC
’
(thermocouple) number
1
, 2 or
3
.
Errd
1) If the kiln was just re-assembled and
Errd
is the error
code, then double-check that the element connection wires
go to their proper power relays and that the thermocouple
wires are connected to the proper zones.
2) If you are sure the kiln is set up properly, nothing is out of
place and none of the thermocouples are partially out of the
kiln, then one of the following situations may apply:
3) You were firing with the lid open and you got
Errd
either while the lid was open or right after you closed
it. For drying with the lid open, only about two inches is
needed to adequately vent off water vapor. This is plenty
if all the peep holes are open. The DynaTrol will attempt
to compensate for the heat loss, and it usually can. The
trouble may happen when you close the lid. The elements
in the top of the kiln are already much hotter than the ones
nearer the bottom due to their need to compensate for the
heat loss from the top. When you close the lid it can take
as long as eight seconds for the DynaTrol to respond to the
rise in temperature in the top of the kiln, and shut off those
elements. This can quickly cause an uneven temperature
in the kiln, which will usually result in
Errd
(possibly
an
Err2
in a smaller kiln
-Err2
is when the entire
kiln temperature is more than 50°F over the hold time’s
temperature for longer than 18 seconds).
4) There was a lot of air being exhausted from your kiln
when
Errd
appeared. If a vent system pulls too much air
from just one point in the kiln, say, to down-ramp the load
very quickly to a lower hold time for crystal formation, an
uneven temperature can result. The firing will go slowly as
it will be difficult to compensate for the heat loss; eventually,
however, the
Errd
(or
Err1
) can appear.
5) Something is too close to, or is touching,
TC#
in the
kiln. Allow almost an inch between everything for thermal
expansion. Fix and re-fire the kiln.
6) A thermocouple wire has melted against the kiln case.
The wire must be replaced.
7) A thermocouple is about to fail. Perform a physical
inspection if possible, or just re-start the kiln and monitor it
carefully.
8) Element(s) just burned out. Perform an ohms test for
more information.
9) A relay has just failed. Perform a voltage test.
10) There is a bad connection point somewhere. This will
become more of a possibility as the kiln ages. Examine all
points carefully for melting, corrosion, and discoloration.
Err1
1) If
Err1
is the error code on the screen when you
check on the firing, then for some reason the kiln could not
generate enough heat to counter the heat loss. If the kiln
can get no hotter (even though all the elements appear to be
on and the program is not holding), then
Err1
is what you
will see. If one of the elements or one of the circuits in the
control fails while the kiln is at a high enough temperature
then it will probably display an
Err8
code (which means
temperature is falling when it should be rising)
Err1
or
Err8
can mean either you need new elements or a
new component in one of the circuits. An ohms test and a
voltage test can tell you which it is. If you recently changed
locations, power supplies, elements, or did any repairs,
then closely examine what changed between your last
successful firing and this one. There may be some other
issue besides bad elements or a bad component.
2) A new location can mean a 208 volt power supply rather
than a 240 volt supply (about 25% less power).
3) In re-wiring the power supply you may not have used
thick enough copper wire (line, conduit and connection
points will be very hot).
4) The elements are the wrong resistance. Check new
elements with your multimeter just to be safe. Mistakes can
happen.