Paragon Lid/Door Safety Switch - Manual

· Wear firing safety glasses when looking into the peephole of
a hot kiln.
· Do not open lid or door until kiln or furnace has cooled and
all switches are off.
· DANGEROUS VOLTAGE! Do not touch heating ele-
ments with anything. Disconnect kiln or furnace before ser-
vicing.
The safety switch on your kiln turns off the heating ele-
ments when the lid or door of the kiln is opened. (The digital
controller will continue to operate.) When the lid or door is
closed again, the elements will turn back on.
Indications that the safety switch is out of adjustment:
■
The run light on the controller is lit but the elements do not
heat.
■
The safety switch turns off the elements part-way through
a firing due to expansion of the door or lid at high tempera-
tures.
We have included instructions for adjusting three types of
lid/door safety switches:
The Tilt Lid
Safety Switch
Top-loading kilns use the tilt
switch to turn off power to the el-
ements when the lid is raised.
The switch is mounted at the
back of the lid.
1
Program the kiln to fire at full
rate so the elements will turn on
and stay on without cycling.
(Please consult your manual to
program a full rate.) After the
kiln has fired for about a minute,
have someone raise and lower
the lid. Do you hear a clicking
noise when you raise the lid?
(The relays click when they turn
the elements on or off.)
2
If you do not hear the relays
click, close the lid and lift the tilt
switch housing by hand. You can
usually adjust the tilt switch by
bending the housing up or down
slightly.
3
If you still do not hear the re-
lays click, remove the screws
from the switch cover with a ¼”
nut driver. Lift off the cover.
4
Remove the 2 screws that se-
cure the tilt switch. Remove the switch. (Note how it is aligned
so you can reinstall it correctly later.)
5
By tilting the switch, you should hear the relays turn on and
off. If you do not hear the clicking, then disconnect the power
to the kiln and look for a disconnected wire. If the wiring is
okay, replace the switch. (You can also test the switch with an
ohmmeter. See instructions on the next page.)
6
Adjusting the tilt switch
changes the distance the lid
opens when the elements turn
off. You removed the tilt
switch in step 4. With the
switch out of the way, you now
have access to the bolts that
hold the switch mounting
plate. Loosen the 2 bolts.
7
The 2 mounting holes are
enlarged so that you can adjust
the angle of the switch
mounting plate. Raise
the back of the mount-
ing plate to increase
the distance the lid
travels before the ele-
ments shut off. Raise
the front of the
mounting plate to de-
crease the distance.
Make only very small
adjustments.
8
Tighten the bolts in the switch mounting plate.
9
Reinstall the tilt switch. Repeat step 1 to test the lid.
10
Reinstall the tilt switch cover.
The Door Rotary
Safety Switch
The door rotary
safety switch is
mounted on top of the
door hinge shaft.
1
Use a ¼” nut driver
to remove the screws
from the door switch
cover. Lift off the cover.
2
Program the kiln to
fire at full rate so the elements will turn on and stay on without
cycling. (Please consult your manual to program a full rate.)
After the kiln has fired for about a minute, open and close the
door until you hear a clicking noise. (The relays click when
they turn the elements on or off.) The elements should turn off
when the door is opened 1” - 2”.
How to Adjust the Paragon
Lid/Door Safety Switch
©2007, by Paragon Industries, L.P. IM-235/2-07
Adjust switch mounting plate.
Remove the tilt switch screws.
Loosen switch mounting plate.