Repair Shop

Since I now have both power and water to the espresso machine, there are many things I can do with it like make espresso and clouds of steam. I can also take it apart and start determining what's what on the machine and what needs replacing given the age of the machine.


I snapped a quick shot with the camera phone since I didn't have the camera sitting close by when I disconnected the boiler element and pulled the drain plug on the 11 liter monster to see what would drain out the bottom of the boiler. Fortunately it was just water. Unfortunately if there is any scale build up, it will be clinging tightly to metal surfaces until I flush the machine with a citric acid solution to descale.

I had an "uh . . . shit . . ." moment on Sunday when I turned the machine on for the first time and started pushing buttons. The right brew group worked like it should, but the left brew group was doing funny things. The switch would activate the pump motor, but no water was coming out. I was pretty sure that I checked both sides of the machine prior to buying so my first though was that somehow in changing screens, gaskets, and cleaning the group bell, I had put something back in such a way that the machine didn't like.

After doing some consulting with those in the know at Home-Barista I decided to take a look at what was going on. With the boiler element disconnected (boiling water spraying everywhere wouldn't be helpful), I took the group bell back off and hit the switch to call for water . . . no water. Next, I disconnected the coil for the solenoid, no need to splash that with extra water, plus I wanted to see if it was engaging, clicking, doing anything. Next, I pulled the group cap . . . note to self, check all water flow paths before taking off any sort of cap.


I thought there might be some pressure from the pump so the water that was coming out seemed normal, until it didn't stop flowing. After getting a little wet, I realized it was flowing in directly through the line. With the water and cap both off, here's what I found.


There was some scale build up inside the cap where the group jet and screen are, preventing water from flowing through.


I did a little delicate picking and some soaking to clean off the munge, but parts will be replaced in the near future since those two pieces are a whopping $2.38. The good news is that one of the parts distributors/service centers is no more than four miles from the house.

This morning, I took some pictures of espresso . . . does the fun ever stop?


The answer is no, it does not. Tonight, I'll let the machine be since I'll be busy with the Mike Carter workout of death followed by a consulting trip to Deb's house to help with the bathroom remodel project. That is if I don't collapse on the basement floor post workout.