The leads from the upper switch go straight to the Gicar. I have the outer shell removed. I disconnected both wires from each of the upper and lower switches, turned the machine on, and the alarm still sounds. Thanks Eric for trying to help with this.

Here are a few photos of the top of the boiler. Looks to be just one water level probe. Not sure if this information is important, but when I had the water tap fill pipe off of the top of the boiler, I turned the machine upside down to drain the boiler. Could that have caused any problems?

Also found this info on another site:
"Perhaps the biggest flaw for me is the low water alarm. It is nice that the pump doesn't cut off right away, but the alarm is horrid. The alarm has two phases, phase one is a low water warning and phase two means the water is empty and the machine can't function (phase two cuts power to the pump. The first phase is a stuttering beep-beep-beep. The beep is REALLY LOUD and REALLY HIGH PITCHED (not quite as loud as a car alarm, but equally jarring) and it goes off continuously until you refill the reservoir. I leave the machine on over night so I have occasionally been awakened from sleep across the house by this noise due to evaporation. This is extreme and unnecessary. The second phase is the same noise but one continuous beep."

From this I guess the alarm is the second phase of the low water level alarm. So the machine is sensing that there is no water in the reservoir and won't allow the pump to fill the boiler to operate. I can still operate the pump by raising the brew lever though.

An update. I jumpered the wires for the lower switch together. Now when I hit the on switch, the pump activates. No alarm. The brew lever is down. I haven't disconnected the heating element or removed any fittings from the top of the boiler to manually check if the boiler is filling. Should I proceed as per the instructions for first time use and then reconnect the wires for the lower switch?

I jumpered the wires for the lower switch together. Now when I hit the on switch, the pump activates.

I thought you did this before w/o success. Oh well.

The latest iteration of Anita, Andreja, and Vetrano has a two position power switch SIMILAR to Vibiemme and other high-end machines. This switch allows the user to fill the boiler and operate all features of the machine w/o power to the heating element.

On any model prior to this latest iteration, the user was cautioned not to let the pump run too long for the possibility that it was not pumping as normal and the heating element COULD be "cooked". While the chances of this are slim, that's why I initially said to disconnect the heating element manually.

You can reconnect the wires for the lower switch and proceed ahead but that should take you back to the beginning of this thread (with the alarm going off) unless the switch/float is an intermittent problem child. This is sorta a known problem area in the earlier machines and was corrected with an improved float device.

I had only jumpered the wires for the upper switch as you had suggested. This machine is from 2007 and only has an on/off switch.

I'll try to fill the boiler and get it going with the switch jumpered and then reconnect it. If I still have the problem, do you suggest contacting the seller or the manufacturer? I think it was bought from Chris Coffee.
Thanks Eric for all your help.

And, of course, please realize that I say this somewhat hesitatingly - the low water level switch(s) don't mean beans to me because I check the reservoir quite frequently.

However, they DO HAVE A PURPOSE and one needs to appreciate the various users of these machines and the various faults that could cause major problems if these safety interlocks were not present or were user defeated. That said, my previous comments apply:

You can reconnect the wires for the lower switch and proceed ahead but that should take you back to the beginning of this thread (with the alarm going off) unless the switch/float is an intermittent problem child. This is sorta a known problem area in the earlier machines and was corrected with an improved float device.

If you're going to keep this machine, I would operate with the switch "jumpered" and save the parts order until I could build a reasonable item list of other goodies. Chances are that it is the float that is not emitting a strong enough magnetic field to trigger the switch but . . . you can play with that at your leisure.

I followed the first time startup procedures and the boiler filled and the heater clicked on. I kept the low switch jumpered. I just shut it down because I have a few leaks to fix. If I reconnect the wires, the alarm keeps going so something's still wrong in the switch. I'll have a friend of mine who's good with electronics have a look at it. I don't like to bypass safety systems but it's good to know the machine works and I'll fix or replace the switch soon. Thanks again Eric.

I had a good look at the reservoir. The molding mark for it is on the bottom in the slot where it sits on a metal support. There was some excess plastic so I shaved it off with a knife so it would sit a little lower. I plugged the switch back in and no alarm, so I guess that fixed the problem.

I pulled a few shots until I ran out of coffee. The E-61 is definitely a cool group. Fun to play with it. I dropped the pressurestat down so it cycles between .9 and 1.1 bar. Still have a few persistent leaks where the fittings screw on to the back of the steam and water valves, but other than that, no more problems. I'm a lever guy, but I'll admit this is a beautiful machine.

Another option: http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/parts/float