Trin-Kit kiln repair

Hello out there…I just unearthed my ancient Trin-Kit
kiln (which I thought the movers had lost years ago) and I"d love
to use it again. Trouble is, the cord is missing. The ones they
sell at Home Depot don’t look as though they would be heavy-duty
enough , and they’ve driven the small hardware places out of
business. Does anyone know where i can get a proper cord for the
old Trin-Kit kiln? I would be eternally grateful. Dee

You might try Thompson enamel. they carry small kilns----see
their web site catalog for specific or email them your
request. if that fails, try some of the ceramic suppliers, as many
of them carry small kilns. Alma

    Hello out there................I just unearthed  my ancient
Trin-Kit kiln  (which I thought the movers had lost years ago) and
I"d love to use it again. Trouble is, the cord is missing. 

Dee; If you can’t find an original cord for the kiln… Take it to a
reputable electrical supply house and they can put a tester on it
and make one to fit it right there…

Hello Dee, When you went to Home Depot did you look only at their
repair cords or = did you go the their wire section? The wire
section has many sizes of = wire, I’m sure you can find one suitable
for the amperage/voltage your = kiln requires. Once you have that,
just step down to the plug area and = choose a suitable plug,
assemble at home, and you’re ready to go.

Mike DeBurgh
MD Designs.

Hello Dee: As per your question of a cord for your kiln . . .an
electrical supply house can, as Dallas Richardson says, supply you
with the appropriate cord. But there is a possibility that you will
find a metal label on the kiln someplace that tells the amperage that
the kiln draws. This is crucial A too-small cord for a
kiln drawing probably 1700 amps will overheat and can easily start a
fire as the insulation on the cord melts, the bare wires spark, and
burning plastic drips on whatever is beneath. A cord rated for the
appropriate amperage is one thing, but also, you need to be able to
plug in to a wall recepticle that can handle the amperage. Trial and
error with a simple radio or lamp will help you find out which
breaker or fuse goes to the line you’ll plug into. Whatever you do,
if the kiln blows a fuse or pops the breaker, don’t try to put a
heavier fuse or breaker in. The wiring probably won’t handle it. If
that’s the case, you’ll need to call an electrician or do some
research yourself on electrical wiring. Most household wiring, if
it’s not too old, can handle 1700 amps. Small electric space heaters
draw about 1500, and a hair dryer can use 1200.

David L. Huffman

Off-the-shelf “outdoor” or “air conditioner” extension cords might
be heavy-duty enough; it is their internal wiring size that really
matters. Advances in insulation materials have allowed the overall
size of some cords to be reduced while maintaining their
current-carrying capacities and Underwriters Laboratories listings.
Please, always get “UL listed” cords and wiring! Even depot-style
stores have spools of listed single-conductor wiring in large sizes,
so you can build a custom high-capacity cord using 3 or 4 conductors.
Rather than take more space here, anyone interested can email me
directly for advice on determining wire size needed for a given
electrical load. (You will need to tell me the wattage and voltage
of the device.)

Please be very, very careful! Thousands of tragic fires annually
stem from wiring mistakes or deficiencies. I am a do-it-yourself
advocate, but if you have the slightest doubt about this consult a
licensed electrician or get this done at an appliance repair center
that works on electric ovens.

Also be careful where you connect such devices - overloads may cause
the wiring inside the walls of your house to heat to a dangerous
level before a circuit-breaker trips or a fuse blows. Don’t skimp on
materials or professional help - is your property or life worth less
than the money you would save?

Sincerely!
Michael Miron
@mmiron

Does anyone know where i can get a proper cord for the old Trin-Kit
kiln? 

Hi Dee, I had a trinkit kiln in the past and had the same problem.
I eventually found an appliance cord at a hardware store, the kind
used on older waffle irons, and steam irons for that matter. I found
that I went through the cords though, the heat eventually makes them
brittle and fall apart. Fortunately the cords are fairly inexpensive
so it was worth it at the time. Good luck, Lisa

Lisa Hawthorne
studio.art@att.net

Dee, if you live in California you might check with Orchard Supply
Hardware…they usually have everything Home Depot has and they are
very helpfull. Good luck, Kelly

Hi Gang,

I found that I went through the cords though, the heat eventually
makes them brittle and fall apart.  

If you’re experiencing this problem, you’re using the wrong size
cord. The cord you’re using is too small. You need to use a cord
with larger size conductors.

Never having seen the kiln in question, I don’t know how much
current (amps) it draws. But I’d hazard a guess that it’s at least
15 amps. Anything less would almost be to light to the job. If it
were me, I’d look at the nameplate on the unit. The required voltage
and amperage is usually listed on the nameplate. They’re usually
near the spot where the cord comes out of the unit.

If you can get a cord that’s rated for more amperage than the unit
requires, get it. Undersize cords don’t provide the current carrying
capacity the device needs, as a result, the device doesn’t operate
as designed & the cords get hot. In a severe case you’ve got a
safety hazard. Left on in an unattended mode, a too hot cord could
start a fire.

Dave

The Information David gave you contains an error. It looks like a
Wattage figure is being used instead of an amperage figure. The
average all electric home has a 200 amp service. Not even an averge
size manufacturing plant would have 1700 amperage service. Read on
and I can tell you how to calculate for the proper size wire. I will
also tell you how to avoid the calculations. So if all you want to
know is what size wire to buy, then just skip to the bottom part of
my comments.

Dee, If you will look at the name plate of your unit you will find
either a wattage figure or an amperage rating. If the rating is in
amps, then buy a cord accordingly. A number 12 copper conductor is
rated at 20 amps. A number 14 gage copper conductor (wire) is rated
at 15 amps. You should be able to find these size wires at your
local hardware. However, most extenstion cords are 16 or 18 gauge
(too small for what you want), and if it an inported (cheap) cord, it
may be even smaller. Stay away from these cheap cords. I suspect you
have been using an18 guage wire.

If the nameplate has only wattage then use this formula to calculate
the amperage. Divide the wattage by the voltage rating. For instance
1700 watts dividied by 120 volts would draw a amperage of 14 amps.

Most home electrical outlets (I am assuming this a 120 volt unit)
are rated at either 15 amps or 20 amps. The electrical code says that
a circuit should be loaded to not more than 80 percent of the
capacity. In the 14 amp example you would need to connect to a 20 amp
circuit (20amps circuit times .8 = 16amps capacity for circuit). The
circuit rating can be determined by the looking at the fuse or
circuit breaker rating. This of course assumes the electrician fused
the circuit with the proper size fuse.

I assume from the advise given that this unit is an 115 or 120 volt
unit. If this is the case, just buy a #12 copper cord and it will
work with any 120 volt outlet in your house. No calculations
needed!!!

Buy a 3 conductor cord. This cord will have a black, white and green
wire. The green wire is a grounding wire. It connects to the case
(frame) of your Kiln. The purpose of this green (case) wire is in
case the entergized wire or heating element comes in contact with the
frame of your kiln. This wire bleeds off the current and keeps you
from touching an entergized frame and receiving a shock Buy a
properly rated plug to go with your cord.

Go to an electrical supply house and buy your wire and plug. They
will walk you through this. In fact many of these places would
install the cord for you.

I have not followed this thread and may be duplicating information
you already have been given. At any rate I have given you more info
that you really wanted!! Forgive me. Contact me off line if this
does not answer your question. I work for an electrical utility.

Joe Dowe
@Joe_Dowe_TelepakDr. E. Hanuman Aspler
Webmaster

support@ganoksin.com

		[ G a n o k s i n . C o m ]
    The Information David gave you contains an error. It looks
like a Wattage figure is being used instead of an amperage figure 

Joe Dowe is absolutely right! I meant wattage. Watts = Volts X
Amps, I think. Thanks for that correction, Joe. And thanks,
especially, for providing us with the rest of the in your
post. It’s been a while since I wired my own pole barn (and yes, I
did get it passed by the inspector). I’m saving your post for future
reference.

David L. Huffman