Knowledgebase and FAQs
Ventilation
Kiln vents typically run on their own power supply, but for safety, they’re sometimes wired with the kiln and ambient fan to a single upstream switch to ensure all systems run together—an optional vent control feature is also available for kilns with DynaTrol or Genesis controls to automate this process.
While there are no specific engineering specs for hood vents over kilns, the hood should be placed as close as practical to the kiln—typically just above the raised lid height—to ensure effective fume capture without creating a bump hazard, and pairing it with a Vent-Sure downdraft vent that exhausts into the hood is also recommended for optimal ventilation.
Opinions vary, but if there's visible moisture—like condensation on a mirror near the peepholes—even with the vent on, it's best to prop the lid open about 1/2" for the first few hundred degrees to help release moisture from the kiln.
First, all the peepholes must be plugged, the lid adjusted properly, and any other holes into the kiln plugged as well for the vent to work properly.
An electric kiln atmosphere rich in oxygen will make elements, kiln-sitters, and thermocouples last as long as possible. All the materials used in L&L kilns like to be in oxygen.
L&L does not recommend drilling holes in the kiln lid for venting, as existing gaps and peepholes provide sufficient airflow, and adding holes can structurally weaken the lid without offering meaningful venting benefits.
Operation
Turn on kiln switch.
Press any key to clear ErrP from display.
During a hold (soak) period, you can add time in 5-minute increments or increase the temperature in 5-degree increments by using the UP key—making real-time adjustments easy even in One-Touch or Custom Programs.
Resetting the Bartlett High Limit Control
Cone Offset adjusts heat work in your kiln
Plug Peepholes in the kiln to prevent drafts.
Automatic kilns and even manual kilns shut off by the use of cones are never as accurate as the human eye. 99.999% of time this is fine.
The ultimate in precision firing is achieved by using the DynaTrol to control the ramping of the kiln (both up and down) but using a witness cone and your eye to control when the firing stops.
A thermocouple offset adjusts how the kiln interprets temperature readings—raising or lowering firing temperature slightly—allowing you to fine-tune results based on witness cones or top-to-bottom variation, and can be set through the control menu on Genesis, DynaTrol, or One-Touch controllers.
What they are, how to find them, and when to use which setting.
Use cone packs in all sections (top, center, bottom) of the kiln and keep records of what happens.
Achieving even firings relies on using a control like the DynaTrol or Genesis with Dynamic Zone Control, proper loading that allows air circulation and doesn’t block elements, optional upgrades like powered bottoms for dense loads, a powered downdraft vent like the Vent-Sure, and regular maintenance to ensure all elements are functioning evenly.
To ensure matching temperature readings between two devices, they must use identical thermocouple types and styles, be inserted to the same depth and location in the kiln, and be exposed to similar radiant heat, or else differences—sometimes hundreds of degrees—can occur due to variations in wire gauge, sheathing, or surrounding kiln load.
The controller can only tell you how many times a firing has been started since the kiln was brand new.
There are some differences in the 600 series DynaTrol board and the 700 series DynaTrol board.
For pre-2006 DynaTrol controls, if the toggle switch is turned off during a program without pressing STOP first, the screen may blink and go blank when turned back on—just leave the switch on for 30 seconds without pressing any buttons to allow the control to complete its internal start-up sequence.
There are three different ways to control the cooling rate on the DynaTrol.
To check the number of firings on a DynaTrol control:
Press REVIEW PROG. The last items that come up are FIRE and then the number of firings.
Change of Program During Firing: When firing you can alter the program anytime. You must press START/STOP, then reprogram, then press “Start”.
To access the hidden “Other” menu in the DynaTrol, wait until the display cycles through IdLE, tC2, and the current temperature, then press OTHER, followed by 4, 4, 3—this reveals the NOTC setting. Press ENTER repeatedly until you see CYCL, where you can adjust the cycle time (10–60 seconds) to balance temperature control and relay life. To exit, press ENTER twice when you see PCt, and the display will return to normal.
Although a single DynaTrol segment can only hold for 99 hours and 99 minutes, you can achieve a 30-day soak by chaining multiple segments—or combining USER 5 and USER 6 into a 16-segment program—with each segment holding for up to 99.99 hours, allowing a total soak time exceeding 33 days.
This is caused by a loose or not fully connected plastic ribbon on the back of the keypad that connects the keypad membrane to the electronics.
It is possible random segments could be lit on the screen but if that happens (and it is very very rare) it will usually just read gibberish.
To run an EASY-FIRE program, turn on the kiln, select the program, enter the cone number, hold time, and preheat if needed, then press START/STOP to begin firing.
The Preheat feature in EASY-FIRE mode ramps the kiln to 200°F at 60°F/hour, then holds for a user-set time (e.g., 3 hours), but it resets after each firing and must be reprogrammed every time.
If you have a two-section kiln your control should be programmed for two zone instead of three zones.
This is easy to fix but changing the setting in the control.
See how the standard programs are listed in Excell Format
EASY-FIRE TEMPERATURE PROFILES
You may have been programming the cone number by pressing 000 first, then the 5 (or 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 or 10) for the cone number.
The Hidden “Other” Menu in the DynaTrol controller provides advanced settings for thermocouples, venting, diagnostics, custom control behavior, and powered bottom configurations, and is accessed by pressing OTHER → 4 → 4 → 3 while in IDLE mode.
After your kiln has fired press the REVIEW PROGRAM button.
The DynaTrol gets 24V AC power from a transformer fed by L1 and L2; if the control doesn't power on, check the control fuse, then verify 240V input and 24V output on the transformer—if input is good but no output, replace the transformer; if output is good but still no display, replace the DynaTrol.
Distribute your load weight more evenly throughout the kiln or to match the kiln's firing characteristics.
This question gets asked a lot around the holidays.
L&L's official line on cooling the kiln is leave it alone until it reaches 200F, then you can open it and unload it.
There is an option to add time to the end of the program that appears when you enter a program. Usually, there is no need for more than a few minutes of holding at the end.
The outlets are numbered on the side of the control box. In this example below all the outlets are assumed to be numbered 1-5 top to bottom, or 1-4 top to bottom or 1-3 top to bottom.
Remove the lid. Open it first to remove the spring-loaded connections to the front of the lid. Use two people to lower it.
Pinholes and blistering in glaze are often caused by glaze that's too thick or by incomplete burnout of materials during bisque firing, so using a slower bisque program—like the suggested 4- or 5-segment Vary-Fire schedule—can help ensure proper outgassing and improve glaze results.
This program is fine for
slumping, tack fusing, or full fusing, just substitute different top
Very Important! Be sure that the adjustments on the kiln-sitter have been properly set. See the kiln-sitter manual for details.
The kiln will automatically shut off the program after the firing. If you do turn off the kiln with the on/off switch you can force it to shut down but you don't have to.
When in doubt it is almost always better to fire slower than faster. A slower firing allows for more time for water vapor, fumes and gasses to escape from the body of the clay body.
L&L provides Orton firing tip brochures and recommends Orton’s Successful Firing Practices booklet along with other helpful resources like cone charts and kiln maintenance guides; additional books on electric kiln firing are available at Hotkilns.com/books.pdf, and the L&L Knowledgebase offers extensive info on common firing issues and ceramic firing processes.
Slow bisque firing is the safest and most effective way to remove moisture and burn out carbonaceous materials, reducing glaze defects like pitting—while fast bisque can work for thin pieces or certain clays, starting with slow bisque is recommended, as heat-work depends on both time and temperature.
