Troubleshooting

Disclaimer 

 Do not perform troubleshooting without approval from the Board. 

 Manuals 

 Bartlett V6-CF Manual.pdf (Jill - Blue kiln) 

 Common symptoms for troubleshooting 

 

 Firing duration is weirdly high 

 Pieces are being fired inconsistently (some are over-fired, others under-fired, within the same firing) 

 

 If you think something is going wrong in the kiln, check the relays first! 

 Relays 

 

 Disconnect power from the kiln 

 Note the wiring (take photos) 

 Remove the relays individually, testing them on the bench power supply

 

 3 terminals will receive power 

 Connectivity when power is supplied should be present through the remaining sets of terminals 

 Verify the relay pinouts to be sure on which terminals are used 

 

 

 Ensure all spade connections are tightly coupled. It should require fairly significant effort to disconnect the relays. Tighten with pliers as needed. 

 

 After replacing needed relays: 

 

 Run a test fire 

 At approximately 100 degrees Celsius, do a paper/heat test on each element to confirm operation 

 

 Kiln elements 

 

 Verify that the thermocouples look okay, not damaged, and no pieces or shelves are too close (this could cause a false positive). 

 Disconnect power from the kiln 

 Open the front control panel 

 Note the wiring (take photos) 

 Remove the screw terminal connectors which attach to the elements 

 Using a multimeter, record the resistance of all 6 elements 

 If any of the 6 elements are more than 10% out of spec, replace all elements (values are recorded below) 

 

 Replacing elements: 

 

 TODO 

 

 After replacing the elements: 

 

 Run a test fire 

 At approximately 100 degrees Celsius, do a paper/heat test on each element to confirm operation 

 

 Jill (blue coneart) expected resistance values 

 

 

 

 Element 

 Nominal 

 In spec range 

 

 

 1 (top) 

 14.2 Ohms 

 12.78 - 15.62 Ohms 

 

 

 2 

 17.9 Ohms 

 16.11 - 19.69 Ohms 

 

 

 3 

 17.9 Ohms 

 16.11 - 19.69 Ohms 

 

 

 4 

 17.9 Ohms 

 16.11 - 19.69 Ohms 

 

 

 5 

 17.9 Ohms 

 16.11 - 19.69 Ohms 

 

 

 6 (bottom) 

 14.2 Ohms 

 12.78 - 15.62 Ohms