Knowledge Center
Verified information on every option, add-on, and controller for the kiln brands we carry, pulled straight from manufacturer documentation. Pick a brand below to see its answers.
Ask an expert · (801) 839-5882Most Jen-Ken ceramic and glass kilns come standard with the Orton AutoFire 3-Key controller (also called the AutoFire Express). It's a simple, no-frills control that stores up to 6 custom firing profiles with 8 steps each. If you want more, you can upgrade to:
Some of the larger production models, like the AF Mega Coil 2422, come standard with the 12-Key controller in a rugged wall-mount box.
Yes. Zone control gives different sections of the kiln their own thermocouples, so the controller can balance heat from top to bottom for more even firings. On a Jen-Ken you can add multiple thermocouples for it, but only with the Orton AutoFire 12-Key controller. It isn't available with the 3-Key or TAP controllers.
Quite a few. Here's what each one is and why you might want it:
One thing to know: kilns with mercury relays can't ship to California and certain other states, so customers there need the solid-state relay.
Jen-Ken gives you a 2-year limited warranty on its standard AF-series kilns. Overfiring damage (going past the kiln's temperature rating) isn't covered no matter the cause, and kiln furniture and the Dawson Kiln Sitter/Limit Timer are excluded too.
Olympic offers four Bartlett Instruments controllers:
And if your kiln has a KilnStar board, you can upgrade it to the Genesis later.
The Orton VentMaster is the downdraft vent Olympic offers. It keeps the kiln under slight negative pressure, pulling fumes out and exhausting them outside while drawing in a little fresh air. Firing times stay the same and airflow actually becomes more uniform. It runs on a 115V (1.1 amp) or 208–240V (0.5 amp) motor at 73 CFM and comes with a 3-foot high-temperature hose. There's also a VentMaster Expansion Kit that lets two electric kilns share one vent, and an Extender Kit that adds three feet of hose. For gas kilns, Olympic builds stainless and galvanized vent hoods instead.
A lot. Here's the rundown:
Yes. Olympic's Electro Sitter replaces an obsolete kiln sitter in any brand of kiln that has one. It comes with your choice of KilnStar or Genesis controller and an attached Type K thermocouple, and it installs right where the old kiln sitter and timer were attached. Units are rated up to 50 amps.
Evenheat offers a full range:
Yes. Evenheat sells a TAP Controller Conversion Kit for kilns with the RM2 or RM3 swing-view control. TAP conversion kits and wall-mount controllers are also available by special order. Just tell us your kiln's make, model, volts, amps, existing controller, and controller box style.
Here's what's available and what each one does:
Evenheat guarantees to the original purchaser that the kiln will be free of defects for two full years from the date of purchase (one year for Evolution Series fiber lids). Add-on options are excluded, though. On kilns with additional product options like controllers, furniture kits, stands, blade fixtures, and vents, the kiln warranty doesn't extend to those items.
Paragon uses Orton/Bartlett-engineered controls:
Yes. The Sentinel Smart Touch can replace the standard Sentry 2.0 12-key controller on any Paragon kiln that came with the Sentry. It lets you edit firings on the fly (skip a step, add segments, add temperature, add time) and can switch a kiln vent or gas-injection flow meter on and off for each program segment.
Paragon has a long list. Here's what each option actually is:
It varies by model and controller. As a guide from Paragon's published terms: the Sentry Xpress (3-key) is warranted for the length of the new kiln's warranty (or 1 year on replacement controllers for older kilns). Dragon, Super Dragon, Iguana, and Viking kilns carry 2 years, and the Sentry controller on those models is warranted for 2½ years. All Bartlett Genesis and Sentinel Smart Touch controllers carry a 1-year warranty. Also note that optional mercury relays aren't allowed in CA, CT, IL, LA, ME, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, NC, RI, VT, and WA. Solid-state relays are the recommended alternative there. Give us a call and we'll confirm exact coverage for your model.
Cress E-Series ceramic kilns ship with Cress's standard electronic control, which gives you 5 preset firing speeds (instead of the usual 3) plus custom programming. You can upgrade to the Prodigy Touchscreen Smart Controller, a full-color touchscreen with ramp-and-hold programming, real-time monitoring, saved custom profiles, diagnostics, over-temperature alerts, and data logging. On the glass side, Cress "Fuser E" kilns use an electronic 3-key controller (4 programs, up to 8 segments each), while the base "Fuser" glass kilns use an infinite-control switch with a pyrometer.
It's Cress's patented downdraft-style vent. It pulls kiln fumes separately from the top, middle, and bottom of the kiln to keep colors from cross-contaminating, and vents them outside by creating slight negative pressure inside the kiln body. The fan turns on automatically when the kiln fires, shuts off when firing completes, then kicks back on at 1000°F and off at 140°F during cooling. It does require a "fan-ready" Cress kiln with pre-installed wiring, uses 4" metal dryer-type ducting (up to about 70 feet with up to 4 sweeping bends, roughly 80 CFM), and it can't be used on every Cress model.
Yes to all three. Cress still builds manual kilns (the A, B, and C models) with a Dawson Kiln Sitter, a mechanical device that shuts the kiln off when a small pyrometric cone melts, plus a limit timer as a backup. Those sit alongside the digital E-Series and the patented automatic "Firemate" models. Most E-Series kilns are 3-zone capable but ship connected for one zone. Zone control gives each section of the kiln its own thermocouple so heat stays even from top to bottom, and you can order it at additional cost when you buy. Furniture kits (full and half shelves plus assorted posts and kiln wash) and heat-reflective stands, which bounce heat away from your floor, are also available. Most E-Series models include a heat-reflective stand.
Per Cress's owner's manuals, your Cress kiln is warranted for three years from the date of purchase to the original purchaser, covering manufacturing defects only. Element coverage during those 3 years is limited to one set (a second set isn't covered), and Cress isn't responsible for damage to the contents being fired.
Aim's digital models come with a programmable digital controller (Bartlett-type on many current models). Aim has also historically offered an infinite-switch manual control with a pyrometer as a budget option, plus a "field kit" stand-alone digital controller that plugs into an existing manual control, so owners can add digital later without shipping the kiln back. If precision matters to you, go with the programmable digital controller.
Here's the lineup:
Aim is best known for compact test kilns like the 44K. The 1316GD lampworking model is digital-only and comes only in 208V or 240V, since it's too large for 120V.
Aim kilns carry a 2-year electrical warranty and a lifetime craftsmanship warranty.
The standard controller on many models is the Novus "Set & Go" PID controller (the N1030T, standard on the HS-360T tempering oven, for example). From there you can upgrade to:
Standard at no extra charge:
Add-ons:
Hot-Shot also does custom-designed accessories.
Hot-Shot advertises "the best 3 year warranty in the industry," though a few individual models (like the HS-360C) list a 12-month warranty. Double-check the exact term for your specific model before you buy.
A manual kiln uses a Kiln Sitter, a mechanical device that shuts the kiln off when a pyrometric cone melts, plus an infinite switch or timer you set by hand. A digital controller follows a programmed ramp-hold or cone-fire schedule on its own, holds temperatures precisely, and shuts itself off. Digital gives you repeatable results, supports preheat and delay-start, and is far easier for glaze and glass work.
A 3-key controller is simpler and costs less. It stores a handful of programs with fewer segments, which is great for straightforward firing. A 12-key controller has a full number pad, stores more programs and segments, supports multi-zone control, and adds features like delay start, preheat, and skip step. Neither is inherently better. It really comes down to your budget and how much programming flexibility you want.
If your kiln is in a room where people spend time, yes. A vent protects your health by removing fumes like carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and metal vapors before they enter the room. A downdraft vent also gives you cleaner firings, brighter glaze colors, fewer glaze faults, and more even chamber temperatures. And most states and localities have venting requirements for kilns fired in public places like schools and studios.
A downdraft vent (like the Orton VentMaster, Skutt EnviroVent, or Cress Clean-Air) mounts under or beside the kiln and pulls fumes directly out of the chamber before they ever reach the room, which also improves the firing atmosphere and can brighten colors. A vent hood hangs above the kiln and captures heat and fumes after they escape. Hoods are useful for gas kilns and for pulling heat out of the room, but they don't improve the atmosphere inside the kiln. Any brand of downdraft vent generally works on any brand of kiln, with one exception: the Cress Clean-Air requires a vent-ready Cress kiln.
A furniture kit is a set of kiln shelves, posts, and kiln wash, and yes, you need one. Firing directly on the kiln floor damages both the kiln and your ware. Shelves and posts let you stack multiple levels so you can use the full chamber. Most kits are matched to your specific kiln model, and wider kilns often include smaller 1"x1" posts to give you more usable interior space.
Almost all homes have single-phase power, so choose 3-phase only if your building actually supplies it (where it's available, 3-phase is generally preferred for smoother, more efficient power). 240V and 208V usually cost the same: 240V is typical for home studios, and 208V is common in schools and large facilities. A 240V kiln fires hotter and faster but needs a dedicated circuit, which most residential panels can handle. Small tabletop kilns run on a standard 120V household outlet. Always confirm what service you have with your electrician before ordering.
The thermocouple is the sensor that reads the kiln's temperature. Type K is the standard, affordable sensor on most kilns. Type S is a platinum sensor that's more accurate and lasts far longer at high temperatures, which makes it a worthwhile upgrade if you fire hot and often or do precision work. Most of our brands (Olympic, Evenheat, Jen-Ken, and Paragon) offer Type S as an option, usually on 12-key or RampMaster-equipped models.
Relays switch power to the heating elements. Mechanical relays are the standard and they're reliable, but they have moving parts that wear out, so manufacturers commonly recommend replacing them about every 2 years. Mercury relays last millions of cycles but are banned in several states. Solid-state relays (SSR) have no moving parts, run silently, cycle faster for tighter temperature control, extend element life, and typically last the life of the kiln. If you fire often, an SSR is the single best reliability upgrade you can make.
Often, yes. Olympic's Electro Sitter retrofits any brand of kiln-sitter kiln with a digital KilnStar or Genesis controller, installing right where the old sitter and timer were. Evenheat offers TAP conversion kits for its swing-view models, and Paragon Sentry kilns can be upgraded to the Sentinel Smart Touch. For any conversion, tell us your kiln's make, model, volts, amps, and existing control and we'll match the right kit.
Not directly. Most digital kiln controllers actually come from just two companies: Bartlett Instruments (Genesis, V6-CF, RTC-1000, KilnStar, 3K) and Orton / SDS Industries (AutoFire, Sentry, Sentry Xpress, TAP). So many controllers share the same underlying technology under different names. But every controller has to be matched and calibrated to your specific kiln's voltage, amperage, and element configuration, so always order one specified for your exact make and model.
Yes, if you choose a Wi-Fi-capable smart controller: the Bartlett Genesis, Evenheat TAP II, Orton TAP II, or Paragon Sentinel Smart Touch. These let you monitor firings remotely through a phone app (like Bartlett's KilnAid) and get software updates over the air.
It varies by brand. Bartlett Genesis and Paragon Sentinel touchscreens carry a 1-year controller warranty, while Paragon Sentry controllers on Dragon and Viking-class kilns carry up to 2½ years. One thing worth knowing: some manufacturers exclude add-ons from the core kiln warranty. Evenheat, for example, states that on kilns with additional options (controllers, furniture kits, stands, vents, and so on) the kiln warranty doesn't extend to those items. We're happy to confirm the exact coverage for any configuration before you buy.
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