HT oven/kiln on 110v power?

J

Justin King

Joined
Nov 8, 2009
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Is a 110v HT kiln or oven worthwhile? I do not have 220 in my shop, and do not want to add an electrician's bill to the price of an oven. Has anyone used a 110V unit and have any feedback as far as performance?
 
I recently purchased an even heat 18.5 in 120. It is slow. It took nearly two hours to get to 1850 last night. However since you dont really have to monitor it, it is not really that big of a deal.
 
The difference will be the BTU's that they produce. Each will work and achieve the same temperatures. (The 220v unit simply has two 110v elements so will get to temp faster.)

Gary
 
The 220 volt models will also use about half the electricity if power consumption is a concern.

SS
 
Electric ovens don't produce BTU's They produce watts Btu's are a measure used when you are burning something to make heatlike in a gas oven. Watts are a measure that is used when you are using an electrical resitance to create heat like in an electric oven. It does not matter weather you have a 110 volt oven or a 220 volt oven If it is an 1800 watt oven it is going to heat in X amount of time for a chamber that is insulated with W material and has a volume of Y. 220 volt will NOT use half the amount of electricity to run. It WILL use half the amperage but it will still use 1800 watts which is going to be the same amount of Kilowatts used at the end of the month and the bill is going to be the same. Some companys do use two elements in their 220 volt ovens instead of one but it is beacuse One coil of ten ohms resistance that creates 1440 watts at 120 volts and draws 12 amps will make 2880 watts and draw 24 amps which will more than likely burn out the resistance coil. so by using two coils they double the resistance which keeps the amps the same wich keeps the watts the same. they could just use a single coil with double the resistance but then they have to keep more inventory.

now that my rant is over I will say that I have been using a 110 volt paragon for the last ten years and it works perfectly. I timed it last night while heat treating some 416 stainless and it took twenty minutes to ramp to 1650 degrees and stabilize and another ten minutes to go to 1800 and stabilize. It then took nearly an hour to drop below 400 degrees with the door open so that I could temper the 416 spring clips. It is a 14 inch oven at 1800 watts.
 
Bill Burke said:
Electric ovens don't produce BTU's They produce watts Btu's are a measure used when you are burning something to make heatlike in a gas oven. Watts are a measure that is used when you are using an electrical resitance to create heat like in an electric oven...
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You might want to re-think that statement. British Thermal Units -- units of heat -- are the end product of any oven, regardless of its fuel source. Burning one cubic foot of natural gas will yield 1030 BTU's. One kilowatt-hour of electricity will yield up to 3412 BTU's.
 
I'll let you guys debate the Watts/BTUs argument....:p


My 110v Paragon 14D works great. The fact that I can plug it in anywhere is much appreciated. It heats up quickly. But that is also because the chamber is smaller.

I cannot speak for an Evenheat...have never had one. The ramp-up time seems kinda long. *shrug*
 
wow, yalls heat up a lot faster than mine. I also have a paragon 14, it takes close to an hour to heat to 1475. Wonder if i have a bad element
 
Mine takes about 45 mins to get up to 1450....of course, I don't ramp it at full speed. I slow it down at 1400 so that it arrives at 1450 'gently'. :D

Dan
 
There may be a difference in the wattage rating of the elements, a higher rated element will heat faster. A typical home is 120 v on a 20 amp circuit which will give you about 2400 watts before the breaker goes. I rewired with 220 because I only had one circuit in the shop and with the oven on I really could not turn on any other tool.

I used 120 for a while and then rewired to 220v, but I could have lived with 120 if I had another circuit to plug tools into. You might check and see how many breakers serve your shop area.
 
MeDoctor said:
You might want to re-think that statement. British Thermal Units -- units of heat -- are the end product of any oven, regardless of its fuel source. Burning one cubic foot of natural gas will yield 1030 BTU's. One kilowatt-hour of electricity will yield up to 3412 BTU's.
Click to expand...


In North America, the term "BTU" is used to describe the heat value (energy content) of fuels, and also to describe the power of heating and cooling systems, such as furnaces, stoves, barbecue grills, and air conditioners. When used as a unit of power, BTU 'per hour' (BTU/h) is understood, though this is often abbreviated to just "BTU".



Ok so if Gary was talking btu's per hour then your point is correct. I was taught and use the north american formula but if you want to pick nits then you can use btu's if you want.

My point is that IT DON'T MATTER IF THE OVEN RUNS ON 110 OR 240 VOLTS THEY ARE RATED IN WATTS, SO IF BOTH OVENS ARE THE SAME OTHER THAN THE VOLTAGE. THEY WILL USE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF HEAT AND HEAT IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.

So if you have 110/120 volts in your shop and don't want to / can't afford to put in a 220/240 volt leg then buy the 110/220 volt oven plug it in and use it and be secure in the fact that at the end of the month when you pay the electrical bill that you used/payed for the same amount of electricity and that you will never save enough money by using a 220 volt oven to pay for putting in that 220 volt service.
 
Bill Burke said:
In North America, the term "BTU" is used to describe the heat value (energy content) of fuels, and also to describe the power of heating and cooling systems, such as furnaces, stoves, barbecue grills, and air conditioners. When used as a unit of power, BTU 'per hour' (BTU/h) is understood, though this is often abbreviated to just "BTU".



Ok so if Gary was talking btu's per hour then your point is correct. I was taught and use the north american formula but if you want to pick nits then you can use btu's if you want.

My point is that IT DON'T MATTER IF THE OVEN RUNS ON 110 OR 240 VOLTS THEY ARE RATED IN WATTS, SO IF BOTH OVENS ARE THE SAME OTHER THAN THE VOLTAGE. THEY WILL USE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF HEAT AND HEAT IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.

So if you have 110/120 volts in your shop and don't want to / can't afford to put in a 220/240 volt leg then buy the 110/220 volt oven plug it in and use it and be secure in the fact that at the end of the month when you pay the electrical bill that you used/payed for the same amount of electricity and that you will never save enough money by using a 220 volt oven to pay for putting in that 220 volt service.
Click to expand...

Well said. Having agreed with you there, 220v does make sense when using large motor driven equipment as you lower the amp draw, thus lowering the heating of your wiring and allowing you to run a smaller guage wire than the same load on a 110v circuit.

To the original poster, if you have no 220v in your shop, and no one you know is an electrician, then likely you would be best served with the 110v unit. If you lived in Louisiana, I'd come and run it for you in trade for knife work...
 
hickman1 said:
To the original poster, if you have no 220v in your shop, and no one you know is an electrician, then likely you would be best served with the 110v unit. If you lived in Louisiana, I'd come and run it for you in trade for knife work...
Click to expand...

If I owned the building I would probably install the outlet and run the wires myself and have an electrician I know wire it into the breaker panel, but unfortunately I am a tenant and do not have the liberty without the landlord's consent. I would rather not go there, I prefer to keep my operation as low-key as possible to avoid any objections from said landlord. Being able to use 110v might be a convenience in the future as well, as long as there aren't major performance drawbacks.

Thanks again for all the replies, they have been informative.
 
Dear Heaven

120V will not cost you double the power of 220V

The oven will heat to the same temps as 220V - it will just get there slower and there is no harnm in that as long as you have the piece properely protected.

There are some circumstances where the smaller chamber of the 120v model model is actually more econonical than the 220V (notably tempering).

If your shop has 220V, then use it. The ovens are almost the same cost.

If you don't have 220, then 120V works just fine - just a little slower.

Please don't try to run 2400 watts on a 20 amp circuit. You should only run 80% of rated load - 16 amps on a 20A circuit and 12 amps on a 15a circuit. Evenheat Kilns fall inside these parameters. Some do not. You don't want to explain the difference to your insurance company.

Just don't want to see anyone get burned - literally or figuratively.

Rob!
 
hickman1 said:
Well said. Having agreed with you there, 220v does make sense when using large motor driven equipment as you lower the amp draw, thus lowering the heating of your wiring and allowing you to run a smaller guage wire than the same load on a 110v circuit.
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Yes I quite agree with you here. It works the same as in an oven. If you double the voltage you cut the amperage in half.


Justin if you want a 110 volt oven even heatis making The KH series oven with 14 and 18 inch long chambers that are about 300 watts more power than the 14 inch paragon. Paragon's only 110 volt oven is the km14d. they will both work with standard 15 amp cicuits found in most apartment buildings. both the evenheat ovens use the same heating coils so the larger will heat a little slower.
 
KnifeMaker.ca said:
Dear Heaven

The oven will heat to the same temps as 220V - it will just get there slower and there is no harnm in that as long as you have the piece properely protected.

Rob!
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Rob, The highlighted text above is just not true UNLESS the 110 volt oven is rated at less wattage than the 220v oven. It is the heat generated in a resistance coil measured in watts that heats an oven. In all the comercially ovens that I know of the specifications given show the wattage ratings being the same between the 110 v and 220 volt oven of the same model . if the wattage is the same then the ovens will heat to the same temps at the same rates indifferent to the voltage they are running on.
 
Bill Burke said:
In North America, the term "BTU" is used to describe the heat value (energy content) of fuels, and also to describe the power of heating and cooling systems, such as furnaces, stoves, barbecue grills, and air conditioners. When used as a unit of power, BTU 'per hour' (BTU/h) is understood, though this is often abbreviated to just "BTU".

Ok so if Gary was talking btu's per hour then your point is correct. I was taught and use the north american formula but if you want to pick nits then you can use btu's if you want.
Click to expand...

North American formula? The terms BTU and BTU/h are used in the same manner - and have the same values - whether you are in London, New York, or Paris (though those darned Frogs are more inclined to deal in kilocalories than BTU's).

I wasn't picking nits. You wrote: "Electric ovens don't produce BTU's They produce watts Btu's are a measure used when you are burning something to make heatlike in a gas oven." This is patently false.

My point is that IT DON'T MATTER IF THE OVEN RUNS ON 110 OR 240 VOLTS THEY ARE RATED IN WATTS, SO IF BOTH OVENS ARE THE SAME OTHER THAN THE VOLTAGE. THEY WILL USE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF HEAT AND HEAT IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.
Click to expand...
No argument there. Sheesh, lighten up.
 
Bill Burke said:
Rob, The highlighted text above is just not true UNLESS the 110 volt oven is rated at less wattage than the 220v oven. It is the heat generated in a resistance coil measured in watts that heats an oven. In all the comercially ovens that I know of the specifications given show the wattage ratings being the same between the 110 v and 220 volt oven of the same model . if the wattage is the same then the ovens will heat to the same temps at the same rates indifferent to the voltage they are running on.
Click to expand...

I understand that Bruce. I was referring to the models. The 14" and 18" evenheat 120V KH kilns run 1440 watts. The 14" and 18" 220V run 3120 watts. (more than double). There are other variables as well such as chamber size. My main point was from experience on the Evenheats. The 220 just plain gets there faster at the high temperatures.

I have never seen equal wattage offered between 120V and 220V kilns. Interesting. Which ones?

Rob!
 
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