Brand new SC2 kiln which seems to be a duffer!

[Mand]

  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!)

[Billie]

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!!!

[Mand]

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)

[Mary]

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.

[Zeldazog]

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.

[Vicki]

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

[Mand]

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

[Billie]

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  )

[Shirley]

I'd wait until they get back and go for a straight replacement.

[julieHB]

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???

[glassworks]

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?..

[Mand]

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

[Lee - Kilncare]

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

[Im a glassy babe]

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.

[Mand]

  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.  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.....)