Advice on trouble-prone Quickmill Andreja Premium

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
OneCup4All
Posts: 4
Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by OneCup4All »

When is it time to replace an Quickmill Andreja Premium?

I picked up an Quickmill Andreja Premium off of ebay about two years ago for $850. The unit worked for about 8 months without any problems. Then the trouble began. Raised to heat and then it would shut off.

The reputable repair person (who has given me excellent service and shall remain nameless) did a refurb (clean-descale-lube); replaced a failed pressurestat; and replaced a broken E61 upper valve for $300. (The ebay seller lied to me about a recent refurb by Chris's Coffee.) The unit worked for a few months. Now my repair person says that it needs a new circuit board.

Should I put in another $250 to repair the board or should I cut my losses?

What do some of the more experienced folks suggest?

This is my first HX machine and it has been completely unreliable. Each trip to the repair place takes a half of day of driving. A half of day to drop off and a half of day to pick up. I am tired of getting this fixed.

Isn't Quickmill supposed to be one of the more reliable brands? Am I supposed to replace it with another Quickmill?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Beenbag
Posts: 330
Joined: 11 years ago

#2: Post by Beenbag »

....The unit worked for a few months. Now my repair person says that it needs a new circuit board.
Has it stopped working completely ?..if not, what are the symptoms currently ?

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Carneiro
Posts: 1153
Joined: 15 years ago

#3: Post by Carneiro »

I've seen many of this electronic boxes with the DC transformer dead. It should be easy to replace it and a lot cheaper than the insane price Gicar and others charge...

Márcio.

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cannonfodder
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#4: Post by cannonfodder »

Not sure how an E61 valve could break. I have seen those go for 50 years. Replacing gaskets now and then is normal. Quickmill makes a good machine. It sounds like yours was abused. So the question is a new machine for $2000 or fix this one for $200. If that is it, $200 sounds more appealing since you would have to fix this one to sell it or sell it for parts for just a couple hundred $$. Unfortunate circumstance but you are the only one that can make that call. Is it worth the risk to you. Espresso machines are resilient things but when abused, they will break.
Dave Stephens

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erics
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#5: Post by erics »

Should I put in another $250 to repair the board or should I cut my losses?
This gentleman repairs those circuit boards - /member/jpboyt/
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

OneCup4All (original poster)
Posts: 4
Joined: 11 years ago

#6: Post by OneCup4All (original poster) »

I very much appreciate the responses.

Currently, it takes several attempts to get the machine on. When I switch the machine on, the red light blinks on (the pump turns on momentarily) then off with a period of about 2 seconds. It does this about five times and then it stops. I then need to turn the switch off and then on again. After doing this a few times, the red light eventually stays on and the machine appears to work perfectly. (We are using softened water ~80 ppm.)

I know that I may not be thinking rationally about this decision because I am shocked that I need to put another $250 into this machine just after a $300 repair (plus the traveling).

I am considering my options. It appears that I am stuck paying another huge repair bill (It is already in the repair shop.). So we either stay with it or try to sell it on ebay and purchase another unit (with warranty). I believe that it is ethical to list the machine on ebay as refurbished. The repair person keeps on telling me that the machine is in good shape and there are many new parts in there. However, he told me the same thing after the first repair.

We are still on the fence. We may give Chris's a call to find out if they performed any repairs on this unit and to ask for suggestions.

Thanks.

PS I am reminded of Click and Clack on Car Talk.

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erics
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#7: Post by erics »

However, he told me the same thing after the first repair.
Consistency is always a plus. I would have the shop TEMPORARILY bypass the low water level sensor and see if that does not "fix" the problem.
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

OneCup4All (original poster)
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#8: Post by OneCup4All (original poster) »

erics wrote:Consistency is always a plus. I would have the shop TEMPORARILY bypass the low water level sensor and see if that does not "fix" the problem.
Hi Eric.

I wish you lived within driving distance.

I feel that I have to be respectful of the repair person's time. If the unit was in my hand, I would certainly ask your help for debugging the problem.
cannonfodder wrote:Not sure how an E61 valve could break. I have seen those go for 50 years. Replacing gaskets now and then is normal. Quickmill makes a good machine. It sounds like yours was abused.
Hi Dave.

I keep on coming back to your comment.

If the unit was abused, how likely can the repair person make it reliable? It sounds unlikely.

It appears that i have a third option of selling the unit as is on ebay and letting someone else make the decision.

Thanks.