Hello everyone.

I am a bonehead. I broke the Rocket. It is a Cellini Professional that I plumbed a few years ago. I had to move the machine (the boiler was full) so I shut the water supply off, disconnected the water line, and moved it. Here is what happened when I put it back, reconnected the water line, but didn't turn the water supply back on.

I started with a normal flush for a few seconds and shut it off after seeing water coming out slow. Then I tried the tea side for about 2 seconds and realized I hadn't turned on the water supply. I turned the machine off hoping to prevent damage. I turned the water supply back on, powered it up again, and it filled. It seemed ok at first. I flushed it and tried pulling a shot, and then it happened.

There was a pop, hissing sound, and then water coming out of the machine. Now, every time I turn on the brew lever, water flows quickly out of the machine.

I'm looking for advice. The heater works and the pump works. I can even brew so long as I'm ok with water pouring out of the bottom.I am very much hoping that I can order new parts and repair it myself. I'm hoping to avoid shipping it where I purchased the machine. I'm in New Jersey and I purchased from a store in California.

Many thanks
Dave

It sounds like your boiler fill solenoid valve is stuck in the open position, your boiler has over filled and has built up enough pressure to open the boiler safety valve.

Remove the vacuum breaker valve and syphon about two to three cups of water from the boiler and disconnect the heating element. With the vacuum breaker valve removed, start the machine up, and allow it to auto fill, running from the reservoir for the time being.

Flush some water through the grouphead only. Does the boiler water level rise ?

What is the pressure of the water you are feeding the machine ? It should be pressure regulated to no more than 35 psi.

Thanks Eric.

Did I label the picture below correctly?



I'm not sure if the heating element disconnect is what I labeled as A or B (or something else entirely?). Note that B has one red wire and A has two black wires. If it is A, which wire should I pull (or both)?

When I remove the vacuum breaker valve it appears there are 3 places to unscrew. I believe I should remove from above the Steam Valve Pipe and leave the fastener below it in tact. Correct?

When you look for a water level rise in the boiler, will I be able to see that through the vacuum breaker valve?

Water pressure has been consistent since I installed the machine. I don't know if it is 35psi, but if that were a problem wouldn't I have experienced a problem already?

Lastly - If I pull the vacuum breaker, siphon water, and witness a rising boiler water level, what does that mean? Should I be looking for something to confirm something is broken? Or does a rising boiler level mean the solenoid is now unstuck and I can assemble a fixed machine?

Apologies so many questions. Hopefully I made them quick/easy to answer.

Thanks again,

The vacuum breaker valve should be removed where your "arrow" touches . . . then you will be able to stick a 1/8" wooden dowel downwards to act as a dipstick. If you remove just the top hex, that just reveals the valve.

Pull the single red wire as that likely goes to the heating element. Pull one of the two black wires on the other thermal switch. These machines have two thermal switches for redundancy.

Water pressure has been consistent since I installed the machine. I don't know if it is 35psi, but if that were a problem wouldn't I have experienced a problem already?

Not necessarily. If you don't know what your pressure is, you are playing with danger as regards the machine. Is this machine designed to be plumbed in? Does it have a mechanical valve that can be switched from reservoir to line? Operate from the reservoir as previously advised and then get a water pressure regulator. Use this site's search engine.

The part that you didn't know what it is . . . that is the boiler safety valve. If things like this are not detailed in the owner's manual, Rocket literature needs some work.

Call me at 301-587-5033 within the next hour or so. You might also consider taking the machine up to Chris' Coffee in Albany, NY.

Owner's manual for Rocket Giotto/Cellini has no pictures of internals. No mention of descaling in maintenance section. Answers in troubleshooting section are abt 50% "contact your authorized service rep."

So far this has had a very happy ending. After a lot of help from Eric, we discovered that sometimes the simplest solution is the best. I emptied the boiler through the tea valve while the machine was off. It completely filled the drip tray and then an additional cup or so. When I turned it on again, it refilled and stopped automatically. It has worked ever since (for the last week - several espresso/caps).

I recommend visiting the following web site if you are interested in an a complete (and accurate) pic of the Rocket internals. Note that my labeling of the heat wires is wrong - but you can find them accurately labeled as #27 on page 5 through the following link:

http://www.slideshare.net/samuraik/rock ... rts-manual

Many thanks again to erics! It may have turned out to be simple, but you still saved me countless hours and probably a small chunk of change to get a machine fixed that may very well be just fine!

Thanks to all,
Dave