OK, this just happened again (it happens about once an hour?) and it was definitely what I am calling the safety valve - i.e. the large valve that's closer to the front of the machine and is in the middle of the picture above.
So, I need to replace the p-stat ? On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 12:42 PM, David Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks very much, everyone for the notes. > > The teflon hose does appear to be in good shape. > > There is some mineral build up on the relief valve, and with the > casing off I have observed a couple occasions where the steam is > released for 30-60 seconds. Is that normal? Along the inside back of > the casing, you can also see where the some minerals have built up. > Note I am referring to the "relief valve" as the smaller, lower, pin > further towards the back right corner of the case. It's not > immediately obvious to me (aside from Ben's description) how I would > tell the difference between the relief valve and the safety valve > (which is larger and closer to the front of the machine). > > I also want to respond to Barry's note: "Keep the cover off and watch > if the water is being blown out of the safety valve from the boiler it > is probably the p-stat" If I have, in fact, mixed up the relief valve > and the safety valve, then this would be the case. > > I am going to continue to observe. > > Thanks, > David > > > > On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 11:29 AM, Ben McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi David, >> My guess is that the steam vacuum breaker is letting out some steam. On the >> top of the steam boiler, it's the small pin sticking straight up. >> Basically, as the boiler cools, it opens downward to allow the vacuum to >> break. On mine, that periodically builds up minerals and fails to seal, and >> I get a gentle hiss more or less all the time, but sometimes intermittently. >> Since you have the cover off already, you can remove it for cleaning pretty >> easily (when the machine is COLD, of course) and put it back. I've also >> found that I can sometimes get away with blowing the minerals off by >> depressing the pin on a hot machine with a well-protected hand or implement >> (you'll be releasing steam straight up, and it will burn you if you don't >> use a glove, etc. >> >> I would also note, however, that I've never had condensation on my cups, so >> perhaps you have a larger leak in the boiler somewhere else, or maybe the >> seal on this part has failed partially. >> >> HTH, >> bmc >> "Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel....." >> >> >> >>> From: David Jacobs <[email protected]> >>> Reply-To: <[email protected]> >>> Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:56:23 -0400 >>> To: <[email protected]> >>> Subject: Soft sound and steam - a cause for concern? >>> >>> I noticed this morning that my Brewtus was making a new sound, and the >>> cups in the cup warmer were all covered in steam residue. I observed >>> that every minute or so there was a soft sound coming from the machine >>> - it sounded almost like water being let gently out of a balloon. The >>> espresso shots were fine, however, and the temperature was mostly >>> stable at 95 degrees. Right after the "release" sound, the temperature >>> would drop to 93 and then quickly climb back to 95. I took the casing >>> off of the Brewtus and didn't see anything immediately out of order, >>> except perhaps that there was some buildup on on of the boilers >>> (picture attached) and the insulation was worn down. >>> >>> Can someone help me diagnost this problem further, or should I simply >>> not be concerned? >>> >>> Thanks, >>> David >>> >>> > >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > -- > [email protected] > (646) 244 9910 > http://hello.typepad.com > -- [email protected] (646) 244 9910 http://hello.typepad.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
