HELP... KILN CRAZY
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2003 2:45 pm
Help? Suggestions???
Anybody out there from SKUTT?????
Kiln: Skutt 1414 (coffin)
Problem: Error message #4... manual says that's a software problem. "Program rramping down and temperature more than 50 degrees above last hold temperature. Error must persist for more than 18 seconds before error is triggered."
Situation: last night around 9 pm, all was well. I'm slumping an 8" diameter circle that's about 3/8" thick. Supervised the slump & all was well. Crashed to about 1150 & went home. This morning: I go to the studio to open the kiln to finish to room temp... & the controller says "ERR4." Temp. still at about 1005F. Double-checked the program (#2) I used... & it was all programmed in correctly. Thinking maybe the problem is just with #2, I switched to #3 and programmed in the anneal program, giving it a slight ramp up first in case the controller needs to ramp up before it will ramp down. Here's what I reprogrammed into #3: Remember, start temp. is 1005. 4 segments. R1 AFAP to 1015 Hold 1 minute. R2 AFAP to 980 Hold 90. R3 50/hr to 900 Hold 45. R4 100/hr to 700 Hold 1 minute. THen off.
Here's what happened: went to 1015. the controller display said it went to R2, but if fact raced up to 1024. So I turned it off, double-checked the program, & then turned it back on. Now the display read 1024F, and also said the program was completed. Pressed the off button.
Next, I peeked inside... the top elements are off. But the side elements are moderately aglow. I left it plugged in and raced home to call Skutt (it's Sunday PLUS holiday so of course nobody's there) & then my distributor... Cline's, as the manual instructs. Nobody can really help me there, but I had to make sure.
SO. at the moment, the kiln's still hovering around 1000F (I hope), and I'm thinking of trying this: Unplug the kiln, plug it back in , and hope it resets itself like computers sometimes do.... If it IS a software problem, maybe it'll at least get my piece annealed properly. Even if it seems to be working, I'll have to check it often as it anneals, just to be sure. Only other thing I can think of: turn it off, & hope for the best.
Anyone????
Thanks,
OnlyHappensToMeOnHolidaysGirl
Anybody out there from SKUTT?????
Kiln: Skutt 1414 (coffin)
Problem: Error message #4... manual says that's a software problem. "Program rramping down and temperature more than 50 degrees above last hold temperature. Error must persist for more than 18 seconds before error is triggered."
Situation: last night around 9 pm, all was well. I'm slumping an 8" diameter circle that's about 3/8" thick. Supervised the slump & all was well. Crashed to about 1150 & went home. This morning: I go to the studio to open the kiln to finish to room temp... & the controller says "ERR4." Temp. still at about 1005F. Double-checked the program (#2) I used... & it was all programmed in correctly. Thinking maybe the problem is just with #2, I switched to #3 and programmed in the anneal program, giving it a slight ramp up first in case the controller needs to ramp up before it will ramp down. Here's what I reprogrammed into #3: Remember, start temp. is 1005. 4 segments. R1 AFAP to 1015 Hold 1 minute. R2 AFAP to 980 Hold 90. R3 50/hr to 900 Hold 45. R4 100/hr to 700 Hold 1 minute. THen off.
Here's what happened: went to 1015. the controller display said it went to R2, but if fact raced up to 1024. So I turned it off, double-checked the program, & then turned it back on. Now the display read 1024F, and also said the program was completed. Pressed the off button.
Next, I peeked inside... the top elements are off. But the side elements are moderately aglow. I left it plugged in and raced home to call Skutt (it's Sunday PLUS holiday so of course nobody's there) & then my distributor... Cline's, as the manual instructs. Nobody can really help me there, but I had to make sure.
SO. at the moment, the kiln's still hovering around 1000F (I hope), and I'm thinking of trying this: Unplug the kiln, plug it back in , and hope it resets itself like computers sometimes do.... If it IS a software problem, maybe it'll at least get my piece annealed properly. Even if it seems to be working, I'll have to check it often as it anneals, just to be sure. Only other thing I can think of: turn it off, & hope for the best.
Anyone????
Thanks,
OnlyHappensToMeOnHolidaysGirl