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kiln question from 3 to 6 relays a good idea?

updated fri 6 jan 12

 

gina mars on thu 5 jan 12


Hi All, I was wondering what other potters would do in this situation. =3D
Our kiln is getting old, it's
a coneart 1027 and has a computer on it and 3 relays. We use this kiln =3D
for glaze cone 6 firings.
Recently the repair guy who comes from afar, suggested changing the =3D
relays to 6 saying the kiln would last longer.
He will also change the elements which he does once a year, the elements =
=3D
are on the bottom too
and it's a hassle for my coworkers. Also, he says that sometimes relays =3D
go bad quickly. i don't understand
why this would happen, we change the relays usually not the kiln guy. We =
=3D
are slated to have this done next week and
our budget is really tight. Any suggestions?
Gina Mars
www.marspottery.net

Arnold Howard on thu 5 jan 12


On 1/5/2012 12:15 PM, gina mars wrote:
> Recently the repair guy who comes from afar, suggested changing the relay=
s to 6 saying the kiln would last longer.

A relay can fail quickly if a wire connection is loose. As long as the
connections are tight and you don't have long soaks in your firings, the
relays should last a long time.

Doubling the number of relays will make them last longer if they are
wired so that only half the amperage as before goes through each one.
The higher the amperage, the faster the relay contacts wear out.

Nevertheless, if your relays are serving you well, I wouldn't change the
design. Also, modifying the wiring could void the UL listing.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com