My family said, “You better get that damn machine fixed soon…” I think the lack of daddy-caffeination was getting old.
Anyway, back in business with a couple of lessons learned. First, the Mater p-stat ($36 at espresso parts) is a direct replacement for the original, and provides a good west coast option for those of us this direction. It is easy to adjust, using a top screw instead of the knurled knob. I expect the durability to be similar to stock, maybe a year to 18 months, but we’ll see. For the price, easy enough to have a backup on hand. As discovered after talking to Todd, the copper fill line between the solenoid and the steam boiler was nearly totally plugged with stone/scale. I cleaned out the fitting on the boiler, and looked in the boiler with a borescope, finding basically no scale at all; if anything, just the finest grey coat. The water line to the water wand was also perfectly clean. So I’m perplexed on why this one part was so bad, but perhaps the fitting was clogged a bit last year and I missed cleaning it, then low flow was letting it build faster? Anyway, I built a new copper tube with my dad’s old flare tool from the 50’s, and reassembled. The run-on pump is fixed, and I am actually shocked at how much quieter the pump is now! A good reminder how things creep up on you and you don’t notice the small differences day-to-day; like watching your hair grow. The machine is now almost totally vibe-free. A couple of other things I’d been chasing are still there—which are drips from the group, and drips from the bypass/overflow tube below the group. My house water pressure is high, so I’m guessing that some seal in the pump is slowly failing, allowing the bypass/overflow to drip all the time. The group also drips a bit all the time, but at a much slower rate. I’ve never replaced the internals there so it’s probably time by now, after 8-9 years in service I think. Heading over to Seattle soon to demo the small Slayer and the one-group Synesso. My wife, wisely, said, “You’re not allowed to touch them.” Doubt I’ll make that plunge just now, but who knows… Meanwhile, glad to have my almost-all-parts-replaced-in-the-last-year Brewtus back in action, making some very nice coffee. best, bmc > On Oct 12, 2016, at 16:28, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: > > May have this one solved. > > The p-stat question was already pretty much resolved, I just included that > for the next guy. Trying a Mater p-stat this time around, as it’s available > locally and pretty cheap. > > As to the running pump. Todd gave me a call (thanks as always, Todd!) and we > chatted about this. His three suggestions were to: > —Ground the sensor wire for the steam boiler when the pump was running and > see if it would stop the pump (did this, and it shut the pump down as > expected, so the controls are working; I also pulled the sensor rod out and > descaled/cleaned just to be sure it was conducting electricity easily) > > —Time how long it takes the pump to refill the boiler after dispensing a > given quantity of water, and compare that to a new machine (it took just over > 2 minutes, no matter what quantity of water I dispensed, and the machine > would run for just over 2 minutes each time I turned it off and back on, even > if the boiler was full—I’m thinking the control board may have a 2 minute > maximum to protect the pump, but that’s just a guess. It was consistently 2 > min and about 3-5 seconds) > > —Check for debris on the steam boiler side of the solenoid, i.e. something > clogging things and making it hard for the pump to fill the boiler (Being > lazy, I pulled the copper pipe that runs from the solenoid to the bottom of > the boiler to try to avoid having to disassemble everything to get at the > solenoid, in case it was just something right in the end of the pipe. > Wow—the adapter to the boiler was almost totally scaled shut, with just a > tiny pinhole still through it. I pulled the hot water pipe next, i.e. boiler > to hot water wand, and it was totally clear. So my hope is that I just need > to clean out the adapter and be back in business. Weird; last year when I > tore the machine down all the way, there was almost no scale anywhere after 7 > or more years and essentially no descaling along the way. Now, in about a > year, this adapter is nearly closed off.) > > Will keep you posted on the progress; pics attached if the list lets me. I’ll > stick a bore scope into the boiler to see how scale looks on the element > while I’m here. > best, > bmc > > Top/boiler side: > <IMG_2467.jpeg> > > > Bottom/tubing side: > <IMG_2468.JPG> > > >> On Oct 9, 2016, at 05:47, [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: >> >> If you replace the internals let me know what parts you used and how it >> goes. Mine is on a timer so it doesn't run at night. Mine has the vibe pump >> too. Right now my power is out from the hurricane and has been since >> yesterday afternoon. Not sure when I'll get power back so I probably won't >> check my emails again for a while. Hope you can track down the problem. >> Herman >> >> Sent from my android device. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> >> To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> Sent: Sat, 08 Oct 2016 7:40 PM >> Subject: Re: Pressurestat and run-on pump >> >> Hi again to all, >> >> No ideas on the running pump yet, but a couple of new thoughts I’ve had. >> —The drip tray is pretty full in the morning—I’ve never seen a single drip, >> but it seems it’s filling. Maybe a leak in the group that’s dripping out the >> bottom? Or the return pipe? >> —Since the pump is running with the lever down, I’m thinking this must be >> the steam boiler causing the problem, yes? In other words, the water level >> dropping, and pump refilling. >> >> Still clueless, but thinking I’ll replace the (original, 8 year old) >> internals in the group and see if that helps the situation. >> >> Any other ideas? Todd? >> >> best, >> bmc >> >>> On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:41, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>> >>> Yeah, it failed at 90 days, which is sort of understandable but the >>> reaction I got was not cool. >>> >>> Ah well. We all have a bad day I guess. >>> >>> b >>> >>>> On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:40, herman dickens <[email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Don't blame you with the warranty issue. Part of it may have been the age >>>> of the part. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>> Could be. Maybe I’ll try again. I was as pissed about the lack of warranty >>>> as I was about the early failure. >>>> best, >>>> bmc >>>> >>>>> On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:13, herman dickens <[email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> You should have better luck this time. I think they had a bad, or old, >>>>> batch and we both got unlucky. >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 1:05 PM, Ben McCafferty <[email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>>> Thanks Herman. Yes, that's a vacuum breaker, and unfortunately not the >>>>> cause of my moisture. I've heard the over pressure relief go off during >>>>> the day also, and never have moisture in the cups otherwise--my machine >>>>> comes on around 4:30 and I don't get to it until 6:30 or 7 so always dry. >>>>> >>>>> Good to know re jaeger, maybe I'll try one more. >>>>> >>>>> Best, >>>>> bmc >>>>> >>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>> >>>>> On Sep 26, 2016, at 09:57, herman dickens <[email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Ben I get the moisture in the cup thing for a few minutes every time my >>>>>> b II starts up but it goes away in a few minutes. It's coming from the >>>>>> valve in the top of the steam boiler that has the little o-ring in it. >>>>>> The valve opens when the steam pressure is down and then closes when it >>>>>> builds up. Every few years I have to replace that o-ring with one of the >>>>>> red ones and it works fine for another year or so. I have several if you >>>>>> need some. My steam issue is not from the opv. I'm guessing it's a >>>>>> vacuum breaker. I was having trouble with my pump not coming on last >>>>>> year and replaced the controller and it fixed it. Not sure if that's >>>>>> your issue but it may very well be. As to the pstat. I got another jager >>>>>> last year from Chris and it's been working fine. they had a new batch >>>>>> and both of ours that failed had old dates on them. Hope I helped. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 12:49 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected] >>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>>>> Hey all, >>>>>> Hope you’ve had a good weekend! It seems this morning is an active day >>>>>> for the group, so might as well add my current issues with everyone >>>>>> else’s, and ask for the help of the braintrust. >>>>>> >>>>>> (B2, rotary/plumbed and PID conversions, about 8 years old I think) >>>>>> >>>>>> First, the easy one, mainly posting this for archives. I’ve noticed >>>>>> moisture in my back right cup on the warming tray a couple of times this >>>>>> past week, indicating the over pressure relief has opened on the steam >>>>>> boiler. Red flag. A couple of days ago, the steam boiler wouldn’t heat >>>>>> after dropping to .5 bar; I reversed the wires on the p-stat, but no >>>>>> love. Switched them back and it began to heat. My likely diagnosis is >>>>>> that it had stuck, and me fiddling with it caused it to un-stick, so the >>>>>> wire reversal didn’t yield anything. Working normally again now, but >>>>>> moisture on the cups again this morning, so it’s probably about to fail >>>>>> since it seems to be sticking in both positions. Sigh. About a year old, >>>>>> once again. So, do I buy another stock unit that fails quickly, or >>>>>> gamble another $60 on a Jaeger that will either last 5 years, or 90 >>>>>> days, and not be warrantied by Chris’ Coffee? Hmmm… >>>>>> >>>>>> The second problem is one I asked about a number of weeks back. The >>>>>> first symptom was that the pump would occasionally just start running, >>>>>> and continue for 60 seconds or more. This has mostly subsided, but now >>>>>> the pump will run waaaaaaaay to often, for just a second or two. At its >>>>>> worst, it will run every 30-60 seconds, for a few seconds each time. At >>>>>> minimum, it will run every few minutes. >>>>>> >>>>>> The only logical thing I can think of is that somehow the steam boiler >>>>>> is losing volume to a leak, and causing the pump to refill it. But, >>>>>> there are no leaks that I can find; no water under the machine, not even >>>>>> a steady drip from the group into the drip tray. Since I’m plumbed in, I >>>>>> also don’t think I’m pushing water backwards to the water line, but >>>>>> perhaps? My house pressure is about 50-60psi, so quite high. Since the >>>>>> steam boiler is set to about 1.5bar (about 22psi), it seems unlikely >>>>>> that this would be possible. >>>>>> >>>>>> I guess I did have one other idea, which was that the volume-adjustment >>>>>> rod/sensor (the one that inserts into the steam boiler, with a wire on >>>>>> top, to shut off the pump when water reaches it) might be scaled and so >>>>>> making a poor connection/ground. I doubt this, however, since I had >>>>>> basically no scale last year when everything was torn down, and I rarely >>>>>> de-scale the machine. So a year later I doubt this non-heating and >>>>>> highly polished piece has accumulated much scale, if any. >>>>>> >>>>>> Otherwise, all is working normally (except the p-stat of course). >>>>>> >>>>>> Any ideas? Is there a logic board that could be failing and causing this >>>>>> symptom? Last year, I replaced the giemme controller, the PID, the >>>>>> solenoid, temp probe, both high-limit switches, p-stat, etc. It seems >>>>>> unlikely that something electronic is the cause here, but perhaps. I did >>>>>> not replace the solid state relay, and have been told it rarely fails. >>>>>> But could it be the culprit? I definitely am out of my league on >>>>>> diagnosing this one. >>>>>> >>>>>> All best, >>>>>> Ben >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>> an email to [email protected] >>>>>> <mailto:brewtus%[email protected]>. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>>> an email to [email protected] >>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>>> "Brewtus" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to [email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>>> "Brewtus" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>>> email to [email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "Brewtus" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to [email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "Brewtus" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to [email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >>>> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >>> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Brewtus" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Brewtus" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus >> <https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. 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