buying (slightly) used jen ken -- your $.02??

MarlaS · Post by **MarlaS** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:26 pm

i'm wavering over buying a used 28" jen ken advertised on the board (w/ the RTC 1000 digital controller) for my 1st kiln, but my profound ignorance about kiln mechanics makes me leery of buying something used.... i was told it's only been fired up a couple of times, & the seller's willing to deliver it to my door. when i called CDV (where it was originally purchased) i was told that any damage of concern would be pretty obvious even to me. y'all agree? any other advice or questions i should be asking??? any specific requests i should make regarding how this puppy should be packed before it makes the trek in the truck to atlanta???

(and would it be reasonably safe to fire this thing in a ventilated garage only 8 feet from my gas-fired water heater???)

thanks for the help......! marla

Tony Serviente · Post by **Tony Serviente** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:54 pm

Marla-If the price is attractive to you, and is significantly less than brand new I would go for it. One of my kilns is a 28" Jen Ken and it is still doing daily firings after 14 years. Kilns are basically big toasters, and in many ways less complicated, so there is not a great likelihood of hidden damage. If it is not banged up on the outside, and the elements are intact on the inside, it will probably be fine. The controller is another story, but you will know whether it is OK with the first firing. If the seller warrants it to be working, it will be easy to verify within a day. As to the proximity to the water heater, it sounds safe, but you should get the opinion of your local utility company. Any gas fired appliance will have a safety to shut off the flow of gas in the event of a pilot outage, which should mean that there will be no gas buildup to worry about, but that is if the safety works. If it does not, the kiln may pose a risk, but then so would turning on a light switch in the garage, or even static electricity. I think the risks are very small. Good luck.

Judy Schnabel · Post by **Judy Schnabel** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:21 pm

Marla,

I agree with Tony regarding the kiln. I don't think it needs any special "packing" to be transported by its present owner to your home. We actually drove to Lakeland to pick up two of our 28" Jen Kens. Randy and Mike loaded them (two separate trips months apart) into the back of our van and we were off. These kilns are workhorses and I personally believe you will get many years of happy firing from the kiln.

You're fortunate to be in the right place at the right time with some bucks.

Happy firing.

Judy

MarlaS · Post by **MarlaS** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:45 pm

thanks, judy & tony.... the price is about 2/3 of the new cost, so i figure it ain't too bad a deal (& for once i'm thanking the IRS). good suggestion, tony, about asking the utility company. i have friends whose kilns are fired next to their parked cars, so i'm not terribly concerned, but don't want to be stupid, either. marla.

BillBrach · Post by **BillBrach** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 8:37 am

Marla,

This seems like overkill for a first kiln, but on the other hand, you know you will never have to replace it for lack of size.

One of the things you NEED to investigate before buying this kiln is if you have enough power or breaker panel space, to be able to run it.

According to the Jn-Ken paperwork, that kiln pulls between 36 and 45 (depends on the model) amps at 240 volts. This is a SIGNIFICANT amount, similar to an electric range with all burners and the oven on.

Some power panels don't have the excess power available, ESPECIALLY in older homes.

Also, you might ask the seller WHY they are selling it. Of course, you may not get a straight answer.

Bill

dee · Post by **dee** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 1:56 pm

BillBrach wrote:Marla,

This seems like overkill for a first kiln, but on the other hand, you know you will never have to replace it for lack of size.

One of the things you NEED to investigate before buying this kiln is if you have enough power or breaker panel space, to be able to run it.

According to the Jn-Ken paperwork, that kiln pulls between 36 and 45 (depends on the model) amps at 240 volts. This is a SIGNIFICANT amount, similar to an electric range with all burners and the oven on.

for my jenken 28" model we had to have a larger breaker box put in as our house is as old as i am and had what was probably the standard at the time plus the 240 v line installed after the breaker box upgrade - however this should increase the value of the house

i haven't noticed alot of difference in the utility bill unless i fire 2x/day for most of month ;P
D

MarlaS · Post by **MarlaS** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 2:02 pm

thanks, dee....i'm printing these emails (plus manuals) for the electrician..... don't know if it's a good thing or not, but my house isn't quite as old as me...!
marla

dee · Post by **dee** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 2:15 pm

marla wrote:thanks, dee....i'm printing these emails (plus manuals) for the electrician..... don't know if it's a good thing or not, but my house isn't quite as old as me...!
marla

lol you can always call jen ken and get the electric specs in plain english, that's what i did ;P i hate dealing with the manuals ;P while having to have the breaker box upgraded was very expensive, i know it was worth it over all and now when i can afford another large kiln all i need is to have the line put in

D