Did I ever warn you about scale?

An ECM Giotto came in with a pretty serious scale issue. The result was several leaks in various fittings, shorted out solenoid coil & needed replacement of the vacuum valve and safety valve. The E61 was also obstructed by calcium build up (see the valve body soaking in solution).

The frame had a fair amount of rust though still able to hold the unit together.

Most or maybe all of this repair would not be needed if proper descale procedure or filtered water was used.

first week Jan 2010

Yikes!

A slew of small home espresso machines have come in.

Problems are... boiler in francis francis X5; switch on Pavoni Piza; steam valve on another Piza; switch on Pavoni europicola; 3 gasket sets on europicolas; electrical short on Livia 90; frozen group on an Ascaso dream...

Most interestingly a warranty Silvia came in with a rare cracked group base:

December week 1

Oh what fun it is...

Too many fix ups to list so I will mention two interesting items. An old La Riviera came in with no heat. Found the pressure stat was mechanically jammed and easily got it heating up - only to find the piston seals were so worn that they would not allow it to build pressure. As the unit is quite old, I had track down a set of o rings... Once in hand I had not much trouble replacing them. This is a spring loaded lever and using a clamp is essential in getting the piston back in. All back together & a very nice home espresso maker.

Also I had a mysterious leak on an Expobar. Thought it might have been a seal or the tube that sends over pressure to the drip tray (redirected the over pressure to the water tank). After much searching, I found a faulty gasket in the Ulka pump was the culprit. Additionally the vac valve was scaled and leaky as well.

November 1st week

The repair biz has been steady with a lot of typical issues ranging from solenoids to boilers. This week saw a burnt out pump on a Starbucks Barista (ya I fix them too), a leaky Giotto and a frustrating Kitchen Aid/Gaggia rebrand.

The pic to the right is the disemboweled KitAid. The KitAid is an interesting idea... A dual boiler made with Gaggia parts and wrapped in a big bubbly aluminum body. It came in with a non functioning boiler on the brew side. After a fair amount of wrangling to get the cover off it was a quick TS to find a bad thermostat. Also the 2nd boiler had a steam seep at the base that was releasing moisture. I pulled it off and re-set it with a new gasket and some locktight for good measure. Putting the thing back together was a total pain in the behind! These are pretty cool units but they have a bunch of weak plastic consumer grade parts...

The rest of September

We have had a slew of Home unit repairs. Several Silvia's a few Pavoni's and a rare Rancilio Lucy.

Silvia's needed typical repairs. Most common we get are blocked solenoid, burnt out boiler, leaky steam valve. Replaced a stock steam aasy with the v3 for one customer.

Pavoni issues included gasket sets, a completely pulled apart electrical assy & a descale/inspection/tuneup.

The old Lucy needed a tune up, new steam valve assy & burr set. The Lucy was a nice unit - wish Rancilio would bring her back!

Wednesday Sept. 9th 2009

Expobar Office

Another pressure stat "eats it."

Notes on Expobar Office:

This is a low cost HX with volume dosing (push button panel). User is an avid coffeegeek and all around good guy. no gauge for brew or boiler psi.

Reason for service:

"Pop, hissssssssss"

Diagnostic & Repair:

Looked to be either a spent pressure stat or possibly a bad safety valve. After a bit of monitoring , determined that... another p-stat "eats it." Replaced with a MATER. Using a group thermostat, I set the boiler to produce 204 f. after robust flushing routine. Temp before flushing runs up to 211 f.

Sept 3 2009

La Spaziale S1

Onsite rescue at busy tech co. in Silicon Valley.

Notes on the unit:

This is the La Spaziale S1 double boiler espresso machine. Set up as 15 amp service. It is used by a bunch of coffee geeks at a tech co. I have been surprised how well it has held up in this demanding environment.

Reason for service:

Office manager called to report leaking water on floor - she unplugged & shut water valve. The coffeegeeks were getting antsy for their coffee!

Diagnostic & Repair:

Found the group solenoid was jammed allowing water to flow directly to drip tray (overfilling it quickly). Removed solenoid to determine if needed replacement. After thorough cleaning and installation the unit was working as it should. Instructed the OM to back flush to prevent the problem.