Hiya all, new here, so may have posted this in the wrong place - if so, apologies in advance.
We've just opened a new small cafe and although we have a nice little Isomac backup machine to take the slack, I connected our recently purchased (used) Elektra T3 Deliziosa Sixties 2-group machine today to find that the right brewhead was very very slow.
All else is working fine: Steam fine, water fine, left head fine, pump and presets seem fine.
So, removed screen from brewhead and cleaned, removed the allen-key head with disc and gasket and cleaned, revealed the small water outlet and ran water through it but it is waaaaay too slow.
Can I just prod a piece of wire up this when machine is cold (back to boiler) in the hope of clearing what I suspect is a scale blockage ?
Or, should I disconnect copper pipe from top of boiler to grouphead and clean out (bit reluctant to break these seals as they may not seal properly afterwards).......
Or, descale ? If so, can this be done without disconnecting from the mains ?????
Have also read previous posts on here that may point to the Solenoid being locked "open" - is this as simple as detaching it (how) and cleaning it with a descaler ?????
Any help/advice that can save me calling someone out and spending more money would be appreciated.
Thanks
amblik

Hi I just had a similar issue. I recommend you read my second to last post in Astoria Divina SAE rebuild and deep cleaning. You will have to take things apart but don't worry it's not hard.

i've just went through a T1 tear-down, cleaning and rebuild. I know what has helped me immensely is reading the experiences and looking at photos. I'll try to answer a couple of your questions:

amblik wrote: Can I just prod a piece of wire up this when machine is cold (back to boiler) in the hope of clearing what I suspect is a scale blockage ?
Or, should I disconnect copper pipe from top of boiler to grouphead and clean out (bit reluctant to break these seals as they may not seal properly afterwards).......

not sure if you can actually run a wire to the back. but you can easily disconnect the copper pipe as they are pressure fittings and there are no washers to reseal. I would loosen up the grouphead from the frame so you allow some play to remove the pipes though.

amblik wrote: Or, descale ? If so, can this be done without disconnecting from the mains ?????

this you could probably do. easiest way (as in to get the easiest access to the boiler) would be to disconnect the heating element and then remove it. Here you might run into problems with the gasket, if it is old. You can also access the boiler via some of the valves on the top but they are smaller and would be a pita. I think i've read that some here do descale on a regular basis so check other threads.

amblik wrote: Have also read previous posts on here that may point to the Solenoid being locked "open" - is this as simple as detaching it (how) and cleaning it with a descaler ?????

not sure what year yours is but removing my solenoid was dead easy. have a look at my thread: 1993 Elektra T1 rebuild

good luck
jim

In an effort to try and reach what I believe to be a scale blockage, I need to dissemble the right grouphead on my Elektra T3, to reach the Gigleur (spelling???).
The top of the grouphead has a large chrome hex nut on it, but this will not move at all - is this cap threaded ? Do I need to pry it off with a screwdriver? Or is it just decorative, and there is another way I ????
Also, with regard to dissembling the solenoid unit, where do I start ? There are four screws going up into base of grouphead behind portafilter holder, as well as a nut below before the elbow, and a larger one above -CONFUUUUUSED !
Any help with a step-by-step ???
Many Thanks
amblik