- Keep glazes away from the elements and kiln sitter mechanisms. Regularly vacuum debris from the inside of your kiln.
- Keep elements pinned to prevent them from sagging outside of their grooves.
- Use witness cones regularly to monitor the health of your thermoucouple. If cone performace starts to drift, itmay be time to replace your thermocouple.
- Old relays tend to stick in either the "on" or "off" position. If stuck in the "on" position, kilns will fail to cool. If stuck in the "off" position, kilns may not reach temperature.
- If firing times start to lengthen, elements may be reaching the limit of their useful life. They may need to be replaced.
- If the kiln fails to fire, elements or feeder wires may be broken. The elements and wires become brittle after years of heating and cooling cycles.
- Power cords should be checked regularly to insure they are not pressed against a hot surface of the kiln, which may lead to them shorting out.
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