HT oven/SSR question

J

Justin King

Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
1,533
I am almost finished with my 110v HT oven, I am hoping to fire it up this week. I am getting ready to build the enclosure for the PID and electricals, is there any reason why the SSR should not be mounted outside the enclosure? It has an LED indicator light that will not be visible if it is mounted inside. This dosen't seem like a big deal but why is it there if you are supposed to mount the thing where you can't see it? It also seems to me that the SSR/heat sink could use all the air circulation they can get and they will get more if mounted outside the box.
Any help will be appreciated.
 
markb said:
Good idea to keep live electrical components enclosed for safety.
Click to expand...

I agree 100% with this principle. The SSR has a plastic cover which covers the terminals, so it is arguably self-enclosed. The LED indicator just made me wonder. I appreciate the reply.
 
Heat is another problem with SSR's, and they should be mounted to a heat sink if possible to prolong life. FWIW, I have mine mounted on the back of my oven to a heat sink with the plastic cover on, but it's not enclosed.

--nathan
 
How much amperage draw does this 110 oven have? I'm asking because I may build one on the future and don't want to excede the wiring in my shop.
 
GrizzlyBear said:
How much amperage draw does this 110 oven have? I'm asking because I may build one on the future and don't want to excede the wiring in my shop.
Click to expand...

Mine is built with a 1750watt/15amp element. This is a bit higher than all of the factory-built 110v ovens I have seen, which usually have @1440-1550 watt elements. My house circuits are 20amp, I went with the 15 amp element because I have a 15amp router speed control that I can use to reduce the wattage once the oven is up to temp, and hopefully minimize temp. bounce, which may be a concern with the higher wattage element. I have a feeling this may be why the factory units use a lower wattage.
 
Hmmm, would 220v be more efficient? I wired my shop for 110 with the possibility of adding a 220 outlet later for a HT oven.
 
220 is better for a HT oven.

Justin if you are running a PID you won't need to do anything to smooth it out the PID should be able to keep you with in 1 degree once it is up to temp. Usually they overshoot a little bit then settle down but, this can be adjusted too. If I set mine to 1500 it will usually go to 1505 then quickly down to 1500 and stay between 1499 and 1500 as long as I want. If I wanted I could set it on 1495 wait til it was settled than easily set it to 1500 and it would never over run and I am running 220v and 20 amps for 4400 watts.
 
Could we see some pictures I'm about to build one myself, How big did you build it, How many bricks did you use.
Thanks Anthony
 
I have not gotten an upgraded account yet so I can't post pics but I am planning to change that soon. Until I have fired it up I don't want to talk it up too much but I did take a few pics in progress that I will post when it is up and running.
Some basic specs, I built it 18" deep, 6" wide and 4-1/2" high inside. The chamber is built with 2-1/2" firebricks, except the top bricks which are 3" thick (I already had these), I used 16 bricks total. I layered up 1/2" thick inswool around these for an additional 2" of insulation on the bottom and sides, and 2-1/2" on the top. The outside dimensions of the body are 22" long, 15" wide and 14-1/2" high. The door adds another 2-1/2" to the length.
I should have it fired up by this weekend, I will update this thread when I do.
 
Do not use the router control, if you set your PID up properly you will not need it. as the kiln gets close to temp the PID starts cycling the power

-Page
 
So does the PID limit the wattage, or use a pulsed current to level out the temp? I am still trying to figure out the ins and outs of my PID.
 
I fired it up last night with no problems, I have some Satanite on the door that needs to cure out so I only ran it up to 850 F., but was surprised how fast it got there. I am, of course, going to give it more intensive test-drive today, I will update this evening.
 
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