:'( Hi all,
I have received delivery of my brand new Paragon SC2 kiln this week. Oh the anticipation! Today I finally got time to sit down and switch it on - after having spent the earlier part of the week studying the gruesome instructions (eek lots of techno-babble!) and reading the very helpful guidenotes on F-H on starting up and setting programmes etc.
Well, guess what..... the %$£*&%%%%%% thing doesn't even switch on! I am extremely unimpressed.
My husband has checked the garage plug socket (the socket works just fine when other things are plugged into it, checked the fuse in said kiln plug - it's fine, but no electricity seems to be running through the kiln. It's DEAD. Absolutely nada power. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Any thoughts ?
(The way I fell at present, if the kiln hadn't cost so much £ in the first place I would gladly smash it to smithereens with a baseball bat right now!)
I'd contact whoever you purchased it from and have them talk you through it. It should definitely switch on at the very least. Programming it is sometimes a devil!!!
Guess what Billie, the man from Cherry Heaven is on honeymoon! He's just returned my call from a message I left on his shop ansaphone. He's away for another 10 days. He suggests I call USA and speak to Laura or John at Paragon, which I have just done.
Laura in USA suggested I get a voltmeter(?) (happenstance I don't carry one of those around with me in my handbag!) and she could run though some checks with the (666) SC2 kiln powered up. I tried to explain that a) we don't own a voltmeter ??? , b) when you spend £600 on a brand new kiln you don't expect to have to pay an electrician to bring a voltmeter to check it over and get it to work and c) we have managed to check the fuse in the plug, in the back of the kiln next to the hole where the lead goes in and also have checked the power socket on the wall for power - which does work with my tumble drier plugged in. It appears I will have to wait for Robin to come back from his own personal heaven to Cherry Heaven to get it sorted. It's complete pants ! (Sorry for the petulant ranting) :-X
You could try opening the controller up and taking a peek. Mine had a connection that had worked loose in transit, it was fairly obvious. The manual should tell you how to open it up.
How frustrating for you Mand!
I know occasionally that things don't work, even when they have been checked prior to despatch, but it's still a huge disappointment when it happens.
Aw mandy, what a pain! how come there is always something that stops us from doing what we want right away! I'm sure that best thing to do is wait for Rob to get back from his holidays, it might only take longer & cost you more money if you take another route, you might invalidate your guarentee if you open it up yourself???
but congratulations to Petra & Rob for getting married, way to go guys ;D
Thank you for your soothing words laydees. :-* I think you're right there Vicki. I might well invalidate my guarantee if my husband starts poking about inside the back of the kiln. We really don't know what we're looking for anyway. I've waited this long to get my kiln ("KILL" as my son calls it - well, it certainly IS dead as a dodo! ;)).
Bye for now :-[
Aaaaaaargh!! How annoying! Is the implication from Laura that the SC2 may not run off your house electricity supply because the voltage is too low?
Hmmmmmm..... Well, if you've plugged it into a wall socket and not an extension lead there should be no problem. Other than doing the obvious checks you've done already, I'd be hesitant about touching it further because of invalidating the guarantee (unless Robin, or someone from Paragon is talking you through checks). Could you try it in a different socket just to be absolutely sure? I know you say the tumble drier is working OK through the socket you've already tried, but.... :-\ I'd try another one to prove to myself I wasn't going mad :)
It's probably something to do with the controller... I bet you're throwing murderous looks in the kilns direction, aren't you..?
ps (Congratulations on the nuptials Robin and Petra :D)
I'd wait until they get back and go for a straight replacement.
Hi, I don't think you invalidate the guarantee if you unscrew the control panel, as you have to do that if you want to switch between deg C and deg F, but it might be best to ask them first. As Mary says it is likely to be just a very obvious disconnected cable behind the control panel (sounds like something like that since it is completely dead) . It would be strange if the transformer is gone since it is a new kiln.
There is a fairly thorough step-by-step fault-finder section in the manual. Do you know anyone who might have a voltmeter? There are quite a few diy-ers and general tool fans out there who are not electricians, but still own a voltmeter (my husbond is one of them).
I don't think it is your plug, but you may want to try another as Billie suggests.
What a shame that you should have such a bad first-time experience with your sc2. I've had mine for 5 years now, and have never had any problems (knock-knock to head). Good luck with your quest!!
Any kiln-experts online who can help a damsel in distress???
i know this is too obvious for words, but you have checked the little silver switch at the back?.. the wires run through there and if they are duff connections you will not get juice tot he rest of the transformer etc?..
??? 8)
It doesn't have a little silver switch on the back! ???There's just the black electric cable and a little round back fuse cap next to it which screws in and out. The glass fuse bulb is intact and so is the wire inside it. I have screwed the bulb back in securely and tried the power switch on the front again, but it's dead. (Yes Billie, I want to bash it up and kick it over and jump on it. :-\ But that would be rather silly of me. And it would hurt. Lots.)
Rob has emailed me this am to say that he's sending City Link to collect it on Monday and he wil repair it on Tuesday - I told him not to worry about work stuff and enjoy his honeymoon. My beads can wait another week.
Ho hum, off to get my beasties from school. TTFN
Sorry Mand, not really able to help here as it is a direct Paragon guarentee issue and it looks like Rob has got it in hand now anyway.
Hope you get sorted O.K.
Lee
Oooo!!
I bought one a few weeks ago, and haven't even switched it on yet! A little aprehensive, so was waiting a while.
After your trouble, I think I'll switch on tonight and make sure it's ok.
Hope you sort it all out.
:o Yes, I think they're a scary piece of kit, which is why it took me from Mon - Thurs to read all the bumf and search the links on FH for annealing advice. :P It's all rather technical isn't it?! I just wish I'd just plugged it in and switched it on the same day of delivery but my water softener unit bust the same day, and I had that to deal with! So all in all, it's been an expensive week this week. :'(
Husband has returned home after acquiring a voltmeterthingie from Mapllins, but I don't think he knows what to do with it! Eek! I keep telling him that Rob is sorting it. ::) (I think my DH is related to the firm BodgetnScarper.....)
Oh and good luck with your kiln ;) Hope it has power. There is some really helpful advice under kilncare on how to batch anneal and anneal as you go. It sort of makes sense, but until I can actually get my control panel lit to say "Idle" and "ramp" etc I won't know. Let us know how you get on then Vicki. TTFN
Mand, I wouldn't reccomend your hubby does anything with that voltmeter what-so-ever!!!!!!!!
The way the SC2 is wired, (unless they have altered it very recently) when you remove the back plate you also remove the protective earth from the kiln which means hubby could be messing around in a metal kiln with no earth. If it is that it is a loose wire and Hubby knocks it against the frame then....booooom!
Leave it to Rob if you want my advice!!!!!
Hmm, maybe I should get him to increase his life insurance policy then!!! ;)
But seriously, thanks for your sage advice Lee. I've just told him what you've told me and he's promised not to touch it. We'll let Rob expertly examine it and I'm sure he'll spot the problem quickly and will have it sorted in no time.
Thanks.
Mand
I had problems with my SC2 when i first had one and John at paragon couldn't have been more helpful In the end I had to return it and have another one delivered at no extra cost and no trouble with new one. Very frustrating but all resolved in the end. Hope you manage to sort out your problems soon!
Well, the kiln's back in it's box and I've just taped it all up ready for City Link to collect tomorrow to take back to Rob. :( Ho hum. Just have to wait and see what he says now.
Yipee! My "Kill" is back and it works! DH has got it on a burn off. Yahoo! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Good ole Rob!
I got mine from him, and he was great :)
So pleased you managed to sort it out, I know how you felt when it wouldn't work having had the same thing happen! It reinforced my faith in human nature that it was all sorted so quickly.... happy beading! :)
ooooo, exciting!! ;D
hi everyone
well, having been 'on call' many days from 7:00 until 22:00, i did indeed honeymoon with petra. however, after looking after 15 guests for a week we just managed a (sunny) weekend in torquay - with our four-year old and our dog.
the kiln in question had an internal push connector that pushed on and, for some reason, came off during shipping. it was fixed as soon as i could manage and i'm sorry it coincided with our visit to the penguins.
i'd like to clear up a few things, contrary to 'advice' that appears from other kiln suppliers. paragon kilns are simple to use, robust, versatile, inexpensive, and easy to repair. most repairs can be done with a philips/pozidriv screwdriver.
we're the prime UK distributor for paragon kilns, advance kilns, the kitiki minikiln, and the ultralite. we're happy to supply you if you want to resell.
i'm happy to talk anyone through repairs. a multimeter costs 9.95, is easy to use, and you can use it to test other things: bulbs, batteries, toys, fuses, christmas lights ... the outlay might be better than any delay sending the kiln back, especially if it's over a weekend.
using a meter is simple, just don't wave the prongs around when the kiln is on. i'm happy to explain to anyone how the programmer, thermocouple, relay, and element work together. there are programming and repair videos on www.electrickilns.co.uk - click 'more ...' then 'tv'. or call me on 01929 4577137. it's easier to talk about kilns on the phone rather than by email. if you need/want to send the kiln back, just call or email: mail@cherryheaven.co.uk.
we have a low number of failures/faults with Paragon kilns but, to put this in perspective, a kiln runs at up to 1290C, not 250C like your kitchen oven. it's a bright orange/red inside. things expand/contract. paint discolours. firebricks get hairline cracks. it's a tool not a gift box.
using your kiln is pretty easy. like your tv, don't just press buttons at random. remember it's hot, and, if you take it apart, unplug it.
thanks
rob
Wow - someone who'd actually trust me to do some initial fault-finding/repair myself!! I'm impressed, Rob, and will be calling if in need of advice. So far, though, my little paragon sc2 has behaved very nicely indeed ;D
so has mine which i got from cherry heaven, its been a little star :D
Quote from: julieHB on July 03, 2008, 08:42:06 PM
So far, though, my little paragon sc2 has behaved very nicely indeed ;D
mine too & if anything does ever go wrong with it I only have to drive for 10 minutes to get it looked at....I'm never going to take mine apart, I'd lose bits & cock it up :D
hi
people have an irrational fear of electricity. ok, don't stand in a puddle, don't touch a water tap whilst touching an opened kiln, wear trainers, and don't poke the kiln inside just to see what happens. worst case, most people just get a jolt.
i have never heard of anyone getting a shock from a kiln: a toaster is more dangerous and you can cause more damage with a strimmer, a wallpaper steamer, an angle grinder, etc etc etc.
i'm happy to tallk to anyone during an attempt to test or repair a kiln - 01929 477137. yes, you might need a £9.95 voltmeter, but it's a handy thing to have around.
over the years, lots of people have successfully repaired their own kilns, especially as there are videos on www.electrickilns.co.uk. if you can fit a towel rail or wire a plug, you're half way there.
if you want to send a paragon kiln back:
call me before 11:00. pack it in a box. it'll be picked up by city link. if i get it the following morning it will usually be returned to you on the following day.
over 5 years, we've sold 000s of kilns. re spares: about 15 sc2 muffles (elements in a ceramic box) and 4 other elements, 2 programmers, 13 thermocouples, and 5 relays. 5 kilns were replaced by paragon due to a minor temporary manufacturing problem. a good reliability record?
petra's sc2 has run faultlessly for 4+ years during continual classes in Art Clay and for extended personal use.
thx
rob
Yep, Rob does 5 star customer service. One very happy customer. ;D