Skutt KilnMaster Kilns Manufactured between 2000 and 2006 - Manual (Page 33)

Questions
and Troubleshooting
How can I correct a value that’s been
incorrectly typed before pressing Enter?
Clear the display by pressing all zeros,
then enter the correct digits for the step
you are programming. A cone number
incorrectly entered is not corrected this
way. After pressing 0000 and Enter, the
screen will again ask for a cone number.
Enter the correct cone number and contin-
ue entering other data. Press Cone Fire.
Enter the correct cone value and press
Enter
for all other questions. Press Start
when you are satisfied that all values are
correct. See pages 19-22 for detailed
instructions.
How can I change only one value for a
complicated Ramp/Hold firing profile
without reentering the whole program?
Use the method for entering a new pro-
gram, but press Enter for every value that
will remain the same. Make a change in
the value that is incorrect, then continue.
See pages 23-25 for detailed instructions.
How can I change the firing profile dur-
ing the firing process?
Press the Stop key. This will stop the fir-
ing. Use either the Cone Fire mode or
Ramp/Hold mode to input the new firing
profile for the remaining portion of the fir-
ing. Press Start to resume the firing. The
controller will automatically determine
where to enter the program (based on the
current internal temperature) to proceed
with the firing. See pages 19-22 for
detailed instructions.
How can I fire my kiln with prepro-
grammed instructions for a certain cone
number?
Set the kiln in Cone Fire mode where the
only entries are cone number, firing speed
and hold time.
How will I know what the temperature
of a given Cone will fire to?
Proper heat work is a factor of both time
and temperature. Using visual cones is the
most accurate way to ensure proper firing.
The built-in Cone Table gives firing tem-
peratures based on optimum firing condi-
tions. According to Orton’s information, a
Cone 04 with a heating rate of 80˚ F will
produce a final temperature of 1935˚ F
when fired in Slow Mode. A heating rate
of 200˚ F will produce a final temperature
of 1954˚ F firing in Fast Mode. As men-
tioned earlier, firing at a slower rate usual-
ly results in ware with fewer problems.
K ILN P ROBLEMS
The kiln shuts off too early.
The kiln can be restarted if the cones on
the shelf indicate an under-fired load.
(This should be used only if you were pre-
sent when the kiln fired off.) The cones are
no longer accurate if they have cooled
much from the time of shut off. To restart
follow these steps.
1. Press Cone Fire or Ramp/Hold to
view the firing just completed.
2. Press Enter to accept any of the seg-
ments that are correct until the point
where the cone number or final firing
temperature is requested.
3. Program in a hotter cone or higher fir-
ing temperature. You could also add a
few minutes of hold time at the final fir-
ing temperature.
4. Press Start after the reprogramming is
complete. The kiln will begin firing
based on current temperature and will
fire to completion using the newly pro-
grammed data.
Helpful hint: If the firing is just slightly
underfired, program 5 minutes of hold
time at the final firing temperature. This
will allow the sections of the kiln that are
somewhat cooler to catch up to the hotter
sections.
The kiln says CPLt but the kiln won’t
cool off.
Check to see if elements are still glowing
inside the kiln. This may indicate that a
relay has stuck and needs to be replaced.
Unplug the kiln and contact your distribu-
tor for further information.
At night I see a blue flash coming out of
the control box when it clicks. Is it seri-
ous?
The flash occurs when the contacts open
causing a small arc. This is a normal
occurrence and should not be a concern.
I pressed a cone number but the new
cone number is not displayed.
After entering new values for any step in
programming, it is necessary to press
Enter
.
I programmed a Ramp/Hold profile and
when I pressed Start, the alarm sound-
ed.
Review the program to insure that all seg-
ments of the profile have a value entered.
Also, check the alarm to see if a value has
been entered that is lower than the room
temperature. The default setting for the
alarm is 9999.
The kiln is plugged in, but there is noth-
ing on the display.
First check your circuit breaker to ensure it
has not tripped. If the circuit breaker is
okay, check the fuse. The fuse is located
on the bottom of the KM-1 Controller and
on the lower left side of the kiln mounted
controller. Turn the knob a quarter turn
counter-clockwise to remove the fuse.
Check the fuse wire, and if broken, replace
the fuse. If the fuse is smokey, replace it.
After the fuse is replaced, if the new fuse
blows, check for other possible causes. A
blown fuse may be caused by a short in
the circuit or a power surge.
(More overleaf.)
31