Yes, the short copper line from solenoid to bottom of steam boiler. Ironically, the copper line to the water wand was plugged with a thick sludge last summer, and is clean as a whistle now (but I’ve been dumping the boiler via that wand more regularly since I found that).
My new tube isn’t perfectly smooth, so will probably clog faster again, but I at least know how to make a new one! best, bmc > On Oct 19, 2016, at 14:47, herman dickens <hermandick...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Glad you got it going. Mine's been running almost 11 years and the only > internal part I replaced was a spring and plunger that lets the pressure off > the group. So far the rest of it is holding together. Is it the copper line > that connects to the solenoid that you replaced? > > > > On Wed, Oct 19, 2016 at 5:17 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <bmacpi...@me.com > <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> wrote: > 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 <bmacpi...@me.com >> <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> 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, hermandick...@gmail.com >>> <mailto:hermandick...@gmail.com> 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 <bmacpi...@me.com <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> >>> To: brewtus@googlegroups.com <mailto:brewtus@googlegroups.com> >>> 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 <bmacpi...@me.com >>>> <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> 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 <hermandick...@gmail.com >>>>> <mailto:hermandick...@gmail.com>> 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 <bmacpi...@me.com >>>>> <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> 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 <hermandick...@gmail.com >>>>>> <mailto:hermandick...@gmail.com>> 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 <bmacpi...@me.com >>>>>> <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> 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 <hermandick...@gmail.com >>>>>> <mailto:hermandick...@gmail.com>> 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 <bmacpi...@me.com >>>>>>> <mailto:bmacpi...@me.com>> 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 brewtus+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >>>>>>> <mailto:brewtus%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to brewtus@googlegroups.com >>>>>>> <mailto:brewtus@googlegroups.com>. >>>>>>> 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 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