I am trying to install new electrical cooking controls into my kiln. the part is robert shaw inf-240-31b, or 5501-473. I drew a diagram of how it was attached to the wiring inside the kiln before i took it apart, but now that i have the new controls, and i am installing them, i realized that i left something out of my diagram. at the top of the control, there are three prongs sticking out. the first is labeled P, the second, L1, and the third, L2. however, when I drew my diagram, i only drew two prongs sticking out at the top, and did not label them in my sketch. there are two wires that need to be connected to the prongs. which two do I connect to the wires? and what to P, L1, and L2 represent?
I am assuming that kiln uses 240 volts because it is high power. If instead it is gas fired then you are talking 120 volts just to safely open and close that gas valve. For 240 volts, L1 and L2 are typically the two live wires. For 120 volts L1 is usually the live wire and L2 usually the neutral. The third one must be a ground to keep you from getting a shock if live wires touch any metal on the outside of the control. Usually it does not make any difference for 240 volts where you connect L1 and L2. For 120 volts you need to get the live wire to the right place. For the 240 volts there is probably a switch symbol on the diagram that opens both wires for shutoff. For the 120 volts the switch is only in one of the wires and that is the L1 live one. If you are in doubt try phoning tech support at Robert-Shaw.
