Espressione XP1 gone cold

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EspressoExpress
Posts: 25
Joined: 14 years ago

#1: Post by EspressoExpress »

With all of the great baristas on here, I am wondering if any of you have had any experience with the Espressione XP1. It's been a great machine and a reliable workhorse, but even workhorses need to take a break sometimes.

Seems like the heating element isnt heating. The pump works, I still get water to come out of the group head, but it comes out lukewarm...and the boiler too is lukewarm. Any ideas? Any ideas on where I can get a technicians manual? I think Espressione is kin to GRIMAC, but Im not entirely sure...so I did have much luck finding an owners manual (which I don't need anymore) nor a technicians manual.

I hope to get my machine back and running soon, cause I've had to dust off my 10 yr old Krups machine (yuck) and well...you all know what I mean.

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HB
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#2: Post by HB »

Check if the vacuum breaker is sticking, resulting in false pressure.
Dan Kehn

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sweaner
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Joined: 16 years ago

#3: Post by sweaner »

I was also thinking the vacuum breaker. Try letting it warm up for a period of time, then try opening the steam valve to release some pressure. Close the valve and see if it warms up further.
Scott
LMWDP #248

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erics
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#4: Post by erics »

Is it still lukewarm now or has it degraded to room temperature?

Maybe time to open the machine up and take some x-rated pics. If your vacuum breaker has stuck closed, you should still see a pressure reading on the boiler pressure gauge. However, no pressure on the gauge will require an electrical look at the pressurestat.
Skål,

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

EspressoExpress (original poster)
Posts: 25
Joined: 14 years ago

#5: Post by EspressoExpress (original poster) »

Hello Eric and Scott,

Thanks for your interest and for your willingness to offer some help.

Ok, here's what my detective has come up with.

I should have mentioned this before, but I failed to mention that I had smelled the smell of burning wire when I turned my machine on a few times. The first time was several months ago. The second time was maybe three weeks ago and the final time was when I submitted my post. Why I didnt think this was relevant to mention it at the time of my initial post is beyond me.

I did follow your suggestions on closing (lifting) the stem valve and then opening it (pushing it back down). Is that right? Up for closed down for open? But nothing happened. No change in pressure, no warming of the boiler not even the faint ping of when the heating element begins to warm. However, when I remove the wire from the stem valve, the pump activates and a few seconds later water will gush out of a hole thats on top of the boiler and out of something that looks like a pressure escape valve. When I do this, my bar gauge will go up to 2 or sometimes 2.5, and subsequently will drop gradually to 0.

Then I remembered the smell of burning electronics from before. I then proceeded to open my GICAR brand control box after reading Geoff's post "GICAR controller blown again". I right away noticed a singe on soldering next to a couple or resistors on the board. After all this, could these singes/burn marks prevent the autofill to take place and boiler to not heat up?

Your thoughts? See the burn marks near the TP1 marker on the board?

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CRCasey
Posts: 689
Joined: 15 years ago

#6: Post by CRCasey »

For that to be diagnostic we need to also see FA6 you need a bit better angle on that board. I can see that the pad there has had a bad time, can you trace where FA6 goes to drive off from your board?

-C
Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love-CMdT, LMWDP#244