First troubleshooting experiment (to try to rule out possible causes of the problem): This morning I turned on the Brewtus IV-r (after a night where the machine was turned off), but I did NOT switch on the steam boiler. I left it turned off, so that only the brew boiler would heat.
Interesting results. The Brewtus heated up the brew boiler and reached the PID set temp of 199° F in about ten minutes. I removed the naked portafilter and lifted the group lever to see what would happen. Brew water streamed through the group head exactly as it should and appeared to be the correct temperature (no hissing or steam). I pulled a shot, and everything was fine. I left the machine turned on and went back an hour later to check again. Still good — brew water flowing through the group head was the correct temp with no hissing or steam. To the best of my ability to apply logic, this implies that the problem isn’t with the PID at all, and is instead somehow tied to the steam boiler and internal plumbing. The problem I had six months ago was caused by scale. The water in my town is so hard that scale build-up had caused the solenoid-operated valve (the one that's normally closed but opens when the steam boiler level sensor triggers refilling) to seize in the open position. Replacing that valve and de-scaling the machine fixed the problem, and I resolved to do a citric acid de-scale at least once a year. Now it’s six months later, and I’m wondering if scale build-up has caused a problem with the internal valves that control direction and flow of water from each boiler. I still don’t understand why and how 220° water from the steam boiler can be coming through the group head, but it is. Perhaps someone here knows and can explain that to me. On Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 4:16:23 AM UTC-5 billherbst wrote: > Well, there’s more trouble with my Brewtus IV-r. Judged by gauges, lights, > and valves, everything is normal and operating as it should, but when I > raise the e-61 group lever to activate the brew cycle, the water that comes > through is way, way too hot. Yes, a stream of water is pumped through the > group head, but it’s accompanied by loud hissing and a large volume of > steam. > > The PID is set to 199° F, but the water coming through the group head is > hotter than boiling — 220-230°. > > Has the PID failed? Has anyone else had this problem? > -- 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]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/16bf2645-840d-452d-befe-36662bf959f4n%40googlegroups.com.
