The Knowledgebase is organized into a series of questions and answers having to do mostly with technical troubleshooting and understanding of kilns.
Although we write this for our own kilns many of these articles apply to other makes - although L&L takes no responsibility for that.
Many Knowledgebase articles have Actions, PDFs and Videos associated with them.
Actions are specific actions for you to take during the troubleshooting or repair process.
Each Action may also have Videos and PDFs associated with it and, in addition, specific Cautions.
How to fix E-5 or Err 5
Possible Reasons for E-5
E- 5 errors read as "Err5" on controls manufactured before 2006
Loading may be uneven- try putting two elements between the bottom two shelves and add more mass to the upper areas in the kiln
Loading may be too close to the thermocouples.
Element(s) out- broken inside the kiln, look for damage or perform a paper test .
Element(s) out- a wire bringing power is burned off.
Element(s) out- the center relay is out. The kiln section's temp may noticeably lag behind at med/ high temperatures. Top or bottom relay failure usually gives an E- d
Thermocouples reading unevenly (from age or loading unevenly or too close to thermocouple).
Different style thermocouples used in same kiln.
Possibly there is an issue with thermocouple readings- like a
thermocouple may be about to fail or have a poor connection somewhere
(typically temp will jump all over the place with a poor connection/
nearly failed thermocouple).
Lid/ Hinge out of adjustment- lid opens a bit in the front when hot.
Press 1,2,3 while firing and see if you see temperature readings jumping around.
Do a paper test to see if all the elements can come on (tiny piece
of paper on each element and watch them while you run a Fast Glaze for a
few minutes)
One way to easily check relays is to look at the kiln elements through the peepholes when the kiln is firing. If you know your elements are OK after having done an ohm test and the elements are not glowing then you should suspect the relays.
Another way to check the relays (or bad elements) is to check the temperatures of each zone by pressing "1", "2" and "3" in sequence and recording the temperatures of each thermocouple at intervals over the length of the firing. If one zone is consistently firing at a lower temperature then you probably have either burned out elements or a bad relay.
If the relay does not make a soft clicking noise when the kiln is turned on try turning the kiln off and on and then restarting the program.
Remove panel.
Set your multi-meter the approximately 24 volts AC. Check the voltage coming into the coil of the Power Relay. You can tell which wires these are because they will be the small wires coming from the control. This test will tell you if you are getting power to the relay coil which actuates the relay. Unless the relay is actuated by the control you will get no output from the power side of the relay.
With panel plugged in and firing check output from Power Relay with your digital multi-meter. The meter should be set to the next highest voltage above 240 volts AC. Output should be approximately the rated voltage of the kiln when it is supposed to be calling for power to the elements.
CAUTION: LIVE ELECTRICITY IS INVOLVED WITH SOME OF THESE TESTS. This test should only be done by an experienced person familiar with electricity.
Carefully examine thermocouple tip. This is the exposed welded joint at the end of the thermocouple that is not covered up by the ceramic tube.
To do this you will have to remove the thermocouple from its protection tube (if it is a kiln that has one of our protection tubes). You can do this with the kiln disconnected from power.
Look for corrosion - especially if it severe. These thermocouple tips will oxidize and otherwise corrode over time. That is normal. There is some point, however, at which the corrosion affects the ability of the tip to work (thermocouples work by generating a small voltage at the tip caused by two different metals reacting to each other).
Make sure the two wires are securely joined. One of the things that can cause an intermittent problem is a bad weld. If the two wires touch each other (even if they are not welded) they may work temporarily. However, if the weld is not secure then the wires could separate when the kiln heats up and cause an intermittent failure.
If the thermocouple tip looks healthy then test the control board.
Open the outer control box. See the Assembly Instructions if necessary.
Using your Multimeter set on Resistance or Ohms, 200, check resistance on the wires numbered 1 and 2 and then again between 3 and 4. These wires are thick black wires that attach to the terminal strip that carry power from the relays to the elements.
If you check the resistance at this point, the values you should get are as follows: 240 Volt Elements: 20.8 ohms, 220 Volt Elements: 17.6 ohms, 208 Volt Elements: 15.6 ohms.
The values should be within 6-12% of the listed values. Typically the resistance increases over time and use, and this makes the power generated by the elements decrease. Depending on the temperature one is firing at, wider variation may not be problematic.
In addition, here are the values for the individual elements: 240 Volt Elements: 10.4 ohms, 220 Volt Elements: 8.8 ohms, 208 Volt Elements: 7.8 ohms. Individual element resistance values are important as a way to provide a means of checking specific element resistance before you put elements in the kiln.
With all power OFF, pace the test leads of the multimeter of the each of two of the terminals marked 1 and 2, 3 and 4, or 5 and 6 on the element terminal strip. Compare the reading you get to the reading you get from the other element terminals. Also check against the wiring diagram for the ohms listing.
JUPITER, DAVINCI
With all power OFF, pace the test leads of the multimeter of the two flat prongs of each section's jumper cord, one on each prong, OR on both connecting wires, at the connection points with the elements. Compare the reading you get to the reading you get from the other jumper cords or connecting wires. Also check against the wiring diagram for the ohms.
Check the tightness of all connections. Do this by wiggling the connector to make sure it is not loose.
Examine all connections for any sign of oxidation or discoloration.
Examine all wires for signs that the wire may have burned.
Make sure all wires are connected to their proper connection point. You may have to compare the kiln to the wiring diagram to be sure of this. This step would be particularly important if a wire has come loose.
Look for any place where a wire may have shorted against the metal case or a component.
CAUTION: Turn power off to kiln form the circuit breaker or unplug the kiln.
