I'm confused as to why the pstat is in question when nobody has asked you to observe the pstat gauge. What range does the pressure fall in, how long does it take to cycle, and is it consistent?
Unless the pstat is drifting too high and causing the breaker valve to leak, I agree with Ben and would take his advise to start. It's an easy piece to remove. You'll see the larger top piece, then a smaller lower piece. They both come off. Maybe use two wrenches, one to steady the boiler and one to remove the valve. - -Barrett On Mar 15, 11:54 pm, David Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > One last question before I order the replacement pressure stat - it > was suggested that I examine the safety valve to make sure that > buildup wasn't the case. On close visual inspection, there's none of > apparent buildup. It's also not obvious to me if the safety valve is > easy to remove (as easy as taking a wrench to the attached tubes) > because it appears attached to the boiler. At this point I'm inclined > to go buy the Jaeger p-stat. Any reason not to? > > > > On Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 1:23 PM, David Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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 > > -- > [email protected] > (646) 244 9910http://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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
