What's not to like? Relay Failure, that's what! Simply by their nature, mechanical relays fail. It's a given and it's expected. They usually fail when you need the kiln the most and they're not much fun to replace. Kiln owners have been putting up with this for decades.
Not anymore! Starting in 2016, Evenheat replaced the mechanical relay with a solid state relay design. A solid state relay is a semiconductor and has no moving parts which means nothing to wear out and nothing to replace, ever. They firmly believe that a solid-state design will last the life of the kiln.
And that's not even the best part! Unlike the mechanical relay, a solid state relay can be turned on and off very quickly, much faster than a mechanical relay could ever dream of. This translates into very precise temperature control as temperature adjustments can be made within fractions of a second. This type of temperature control resolution is not available using mechanical relays.
Solid state relays can also be turned on and off precisely when the AC voltage is at Zero (which happens 120 times a second in North America). It's called "Zero Crossing" and this keeps the solid state relay running cool. An unintended and very healthy consequence of this Zero Crossing is that heating elements love to be turned on and off at Zero volts as well. They show this love by lasting longer. It's a win, win.
There's more to our design than simply dropping in a different relay and calling it good. It's a complete system that takes physical and load factors into account.
Evenheat positions the solid state relays as low as possible on the exterior of the control enclosure for maximum cooling. They also standoff the solid state relay mounts using low heat conducting steel and air gaps to avoid even the slightest hint of heat transfer.
The solid state relays we have chosen are capable of carrying 30 amps. They limit the amperage we put through them to 15 amps. They do this to provide an incredible amount of headroom as well as guaranteeing that they stay well below the derating curve. They are not even close to over-stepping any limits.
The entire design of our Quiet Drive Solid State Relay System started from the point of view of the solid state relay and what it needed to perform at its peak. The ultimate design resulted in creating the most overbuilt, reliable and precise power control system available in the kiln market.
Evenheat - Better by Design.