Problem: machine is not pumping water for coffee.

The machine heats up ok. The water pump runs every time I push the button. There is no water leaking out of the base. The steamer is working. The reservoir is full.

About a week ago, when I ran the pump the first time to heat the cups, hot water flowed ok. I loaded the filter with coffee and pulled the first cup - ok. I reloaded the filter with coffee for a 2nd cup - the pump was running; but no water. I removed the coffee grinds and tried again. The pump ran; but only a small amount of steam came out. After about 5 minutes I was able to pull a 2nd cup.

I descaled the machine. The machine worked fine for several days.

This morning I ran the pump the first time to heat the cups, hot water flowed ok. I loaded the filter with coffee and pushed the button. The pump was running; but no water came out. I removed the coffee and replaced the filter in the grouphead; and tried again. The pump ran; but only a small amount of steam came out.

Any suggestions? Should I descale again? Adjust something?

this may sound like an idiotic question, but is the water in the top tank?

Yep. Water's in the top tank.

Btw, when I first turn on the machine, before it heats up, I can pull water through the grouphead. It appears to happen once the machine is heated.

It sounds like the pump is fine, but the shots are stalling due to steam in the HX.

Do a cooling flush on the group before your first shot, that is, run the water until it stops boiling, and then a few seconds more, depending on the temperature you want (this is something you need to do with every HX machine).

After you finish the first shot. Once you have cleared the group, before you do a second shot, do a short cleaning flush of the group by running the pump one second or so (this is SOP for all espresso machines).

The Elektra recovers to its base idle state inside 3 minutes. If starting your 2nd shot took longer than that, you need to repeat the cooling flush.

This problem is more likely to happen if your boiler pressure is high. Check to see that it's in the green zone and hasn't drifted up. You can run the machine at higher pressures, especially if you use the steam a lot, but it then requires longer cooling flushes.

Thanks, Jim. A couple of questions:

1. By doing a 'cooling flush' you mean pulling a blank shot (no coffee), right?

2. Can I reduce the boiler pressure by lowering the p-stat adjustment (e.g. turn the screw towards the minus sign); if not, how? And, yes, the boiler pressure has been running high for the past ~4-6 weeks - didn't concern me as it was still pulling great shots until this past week.

I'm not Jim, but yes to both questions.
Adjust so that the pressure moves down into the green zone.

.

Adjusting the stat is a little tricky on the semi, since it's in the base. I like to put mine on some sort of raised platform with the base off, so I can get underneath it, see everything work, and make adjustments on the fly, while it's hot. I use two chair backs as my platform, but anything reasonably stable will do.

I descaled the machine again; removed and cleaned the p-stat - there was a lot of gunk in it and the connector line; and adjusted the p-stat screw 1/2 turn towards the (-) minus sign. The pressure is now staying within the green zone.

I still can't pull a shot or fill the boiler once the machine is fully heated. I let the machine cool down completely; turned it on; checked to make sure I was pulling water - ok; tried to do a backflush - got a little water then only steam.

Could the p-stat be shot, causing the vapor lock, or something else? I haven't seen this problem before - I bought the machine in 2004; had regular maintenance; and replaced the p-stat in 2007.

If you can't even fill the boiler when it's hot, it probably is the pump that is shot. It probably develops a little pressure when it's cold, and stalls completely when it warms. The pump and the short rubber hose on the pump intake are the only breakable things shared by the two water paths. Check the hose to see there's no kink before replacing the pump.

You will need two wrenches that fit the pump head fixtures, since the only way to loosen or attach it without breaking is to use one wrench to lock the pump's outlet. A gotcha specific to this machine is that you will need to either drill a #3 metric screw hole or disassemble both the old and new pump, and use the old one's frame, since it is screwed directly into the machine's base. That is what I've done when I change them out.

I have found that since the unit gets hotter than most, the pumps have a reduced life (2 to 3 years rather than the 6 or 7 you get in other small HX machines left on all day). You might want to buy a pressure gauge that attaches to the PF when you buy the replacement pump (1st Line and others sell them), to make trouble shooting easier, and to confirm the problem.

Very helpful, Jim. I appreciate all of your help.

I'll have 1st Line tackle the pump replacement (was hoping it was something simple). I bought my machine from 1st Line. And they have done all of the major servicing (I live within driving distance of their HQ in Manalapan, NJ) - a top notch outfit.

Thanks.

Tom Ireland