Sagging Kiln Element

M

Marc Cooper

Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Messages
60
Hey All

I noticed today that the rear coils in my Evenheat KO 22.5 are sagging out of their grooves.

Normally, I would heat them with a torch and bend them tight so they pull back in place. The problem is, they are at the very back of my Kiln so I can't get at them with a torch.

I'm thinking of trying a little jet lighter to heat them, but I'm not sure if it will work.

They are all at least 1" apart from each other. Should I try to fix them or just leave it as is?

Here they are when hot. I watched them cool and they don't seem to shift as they heat or cool.

Final Question: If the heating coils touch each other, Will they short out?

 
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Yes they will short if they touch. Looks like you are in a pickle. You might be able to take some kanthal wire and staple the sagging parts. If you do it when they are cold, you run a very high chance of the coil breaking and being SOL. That leaves doing it when they are hot. Since it sounds like you won't be able to get the coil red hot with a torch, then your left with rurning the oven on and heating the oven up normally and then shutting off power and staple the hot coils. Of the course the challenge here is you can't stick your arm in there. You may be able to shove a wire hook in the brick with some long pliers but it will probably slip on you and you will chip off a brick or do some other damage.

If it were me, I'd let it go and keep an eye on it, and if it starts getting very close to touching i would staple the coil when it is cold and risk breaking it. If it works, great. If you break it, replace the coil and staple it better than the first coil.
 
Marc Cooper said:
Hey All

I noticed today that the rear coils in my Evenheat KO 22.5 are sagging out of their grooves.

Normally, I would heat them with a torch and bend them tight so they pull back in place. The problem is, they are at the very back of my Kiln so I can't get at them with a torch.

I'm thinking of trying a little jet lighter to heat them, but I'm not sure if it will work.

They are all at least 1" apart from each other. Should I try to fix them or just leave it as is?

Here they are when hot. I watched them cool and they don't seem to shift as they heat or cool.

Final Question: If the heating coils touch each other, Will they short out?
Click to expand...

That coils would not break if you put them back in place ......Do it when they are cold .Question is how to secure them to not fall again ?
 
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Natlek said:
That coil would not break if you put them back in place ......Do it when they are cold .Question is how to secure them to not fall again ?
Click to expand...

I don't have this level of confidence in the coils not breaking. I have done this twice and one time it broke. On a separate occasion I had to reconnect a coil and the live wire when the connection came loose and while messing with the coil lead (the part that sticks outside the oven) I snapped it right off even though I never touched it, I was just putting a new crimp on and it barely bent and snapped.
 
Once fired coils are pretty brittle. You could just make some kanthal "U" pins and pin the coils down where they are to prevent further sagging.
The eventual remedy is to replace the coils.
 
I had this problem in a big way with my home built kiln - I won't bore you with the details why!

First thing I did, with the kiln cold, was to wedge the elements gently back into place with bits of fire bricks and various incombustible odds and ends - (no metal against the element). I then fired the kiln up to red hot and let it cool. Once cool all the wedges etc were removed and the elements had 'set' pretty much in the right place. Then it was just a matter of stapling them securely into the groove with bits of an old element.

Doing a good job of the stapling is not going to be easy unless you can make a special tool to hold the staples or can open up the kiln somehow. I can lift the top off mine and it was still quite tricky putting staples in with pliers.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Once fired coils are pretty brittle. You could just make some kanthal "U" pins and pin the coils down where they are to prevent further sagging.
The eventual remedy is to replace the coils.
Click to expand...
Yes , they are pretty brittle .But here we are talking about coil which is SPRING in some way , get it ? I change hundreds coils and never break one when I get them out ...never. Some of them after fifteen years of work so they are really brittle like glass.
Look how brittle is this one ..... just gentle pressure on the pliers and it will break .
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Now look this pictures , same coil . I can make wedding ring and it will not break :D
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Nice video on subject
 
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I have to do this regularly with my DIY kiln
I pin or staple them in when cold,they aren't that brittle,too brittle to uncoil and straighten but not for a bit of moving around
Next time when I replace them I will staple them thoroughly
 
John mc c said:
I have to do this regularly with my DIY kiln
I pin or staple them in when cold,they aren't that brittle,too brittle to uncoil and straighten but not for a bit of moving around
Next time when I replace them I will staple them thoroughly
Click to expand...
Beauty of DIY kiln is that you can make it in RIGHT way , not EASY way ....And my American friends like to use EASY way ......:) What do you think would coil in this furnace fall out ?

 
Better looking job than my staples alright
Less exposed too so would deal with some if the radiant heat issues too
 
Personally I'd pin in place. If not touching no problem. If I had to replace I'm make sure I pinned way more than I thought necessary
 
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