My front-loading kiln has a gap between the door and the firing chamber. Is that normal?

There should be no gap between the door and the firing chamber at the side toward the door latch. There should be a gap, however, at the hinge side of the door. When the kiln is cold, you should see a gap of about 1/16" between the hinge side of the door and the firing chamber. As the kiln heats, the firebricks expand. Without a gap, the door will bind at the hinge and cause a gap at the side toward the latch. If there is no gap at the hinge side of the door, please use sandpaper to sand away about 1/16" of the door firebrick where the door presses against the firing chamber. It should take just a moment to sand this much firebrick.