Well this just started this morning. After my refurbished Expobar Brewtus II has been knocking out Espresso for a few months now, it trips the reset switch on my kitchen outlets. Clearly something electrical in there must be amiss. Any ideas where to start?

Well an update to my thread starter.....

Since I can't just wait for advice...it apparently is not in me....I pulled apart the machine cover, set the switch at the bottom of the tank reservoir to the repair position so it would run without the reservoir over on its weight sensor and then started a quick visual inspection before attempting to run the machine. I found a small pool of water under the fitting between the valve and the rear boiler and I also found a small pool of water under the pump. I mopped up these small pools of water which may or may not be critically involved and hit the power button.

The machine stayed on but did not immediately call for water...not a complete surprise. I did a blank shot and the pump ran per usual. It went through an entire cycle, making both espresso and then frothing milk and did eventually call for water. The pump did turn on and then turned off as one would expect. In fact the pump cycled twice more, once after brewing and once after frothing and two blank shots.

While the machine was running, the slow drip started back by that fitting between valve and rear boiler. That is pretty easy to see and I am not inclined to do anything about it including just tighter that fitting a bit more as I suspect that could do as much damage as good. If the fitting appeared to need tightening I would tighten it. But it does not. So I suspect further tightening might damage that fitting. The water does very slowly work its way over to the valve bracket that comes up from the base of the machine. But that bracket has an insulator on it insulating the assembly from the floor. So I doubt there is any ground of any type through those bracket fixtures.

The little pool of water under the pump is a bit more disconcerting. I can see no fittings where water is exiting. So it would appear to be water from the pump itself (never a good sign for any pump I would imagine). This machine still has its original vibe pump. I suppose I could get a replacement vibe pump as whatever I do with this machine going forward, I would think that pool of water is a warning sign that the pump is beginning to go into a failure mode.

So the only things I did inside that machine is mop up two small pools of water, one which looks to me to be pretty unrelated and the other from the pump possibly related. I can't see anything else amiss and if cutting out the outlet was not related to those pools of water, why would the outlet not trip during this test run? So my uneducated and off the cuff evaluation is that the pump is failing and that small pool of water under it is causing some sort of a small additional draw that the outlet is sensing. Does not make any sense to anybody?? Any other ideas.

Also does anybody think I should just put a wrench to that fitting between valve and rear boiler in an effort to tighten it a little?

Well I guess its a good thing that nobody has responded yet. I have an additional revolting development to report.

Initially I had thought that water was coming out of the vibe pump assembly and since I could see no water coming from the actual fittings, plastic or metal I figured well...this is the original vibe pump on this machine. The pump is likely failing and maybe there is a ground down there underneath it somewhere. The water is effecting that or effecting some other electronic component and that is what is causing my outlet to cut out. The outlet itself is fine. I just reset it when it cuts out and its back in business again.

Tonight I decided on another cycle of Espresso making and milk frothing to see what I could learn further with the cover off and observing during the process.

To my surprise, the water that I found under the pump is not coming out of the pump! I know people have commented that the electronic brain for these machines is poorly located right underneath the fitting for the copper tube that feeds the frother. As it turns out, that fitting much like the fitting I mentioned earlier that is on the tube from the solenoid valve to the rear boiler is also leaking! When the fitting to the frother leaks the water simply drips right onto the electronic brain or maybe more appropriately referred to as the control board. It first leaks onto the back of the digital display that sits right above the control board. Since it is getting all the way to the base or floor of the machine, under the pump clearly then it also passes by the control board on the way. I think it unlikely that it is getting into the control board. But there is no doubt that it is getting into the back of the digital display.

So I know people have complained about this fitting before mainly because of its poor placement right above the backside of the digital display and then also right above the control board. Either people complain about the fitting or they complain that those electronic components should not be located right under it.

Is the cure here to tighten that fitting or more appropriately maybe remove the fitting, apply Teflon plumbers tape to the male threads and then thread the fitting back together again? I am really reluctant to take those fitting completely apart as the copper tubing is not really designed for cycles if disassemble/assemble. But if that is the right thing to do, then that is the right thing to do.

So now that I have truly pinpointed the problem is snugging the fitting the right cure or is taking the fitting apart and applying Teflon tape and reassembling the right cure? Thanks in advance folks.

Can you post a picture of the fittings?

I have never tried to upload photos to this site before. Doi you know if they require the use of an online site like photobucket or is it a direct upload? I will try to find some info on that here someplace.

The fittings are not exciting to look at. They are really standard small diameter copper tube fittings. That said, the more I look at the one on the frother wand, I am thinking that you have to remove the frother wand to get to it. While the fitting on the inside of that wall looks designed to take a wrench, I don't see how anyone could turn a wrench on that fitting. There is no room up there to turn it from the inside. You must have to hold that end with one wrench and turn on the wand side of the fitting, removing the wand to get to it.

I will also look for some of those posts I saw last year that discuss this fitting and its placement above the electronics components. The only thing that would have prompted those threads would have been this exact problem. So I am guessing it is a known issue with the Expobar Brewtus machines. That two of these fittings are now leaking is a bit disconcerting i must say.

Thanks for the help. If you know how uploading photos works here, please do let me know. I can see an img link up in the list above this box. So maybe it is as simple as a direct upload.

You can just drag them into the reply box, it will uploaded them and you can then place them inline.

The photo titled boiler fitting is the fitting between the solenoid valve and the rear boiler. Wand fitting 1 is the copper tube into the fitting on the internals side of the wall that goes to the wand. It sits right above the backside of the digital display. Wand 2 is the wand or external side of the fitting.

If its the brass nut on the top of the top photo, a proper sized wrench not a crescent should be able to get in there. I would snug it up if it is loose. I would not crank on it initially. Teflon tape is not a horrific option but I'll leave others with expereinece with this machine to jump in. The Cremina I have whacked the wrench to tighten things per Doug's Video's from Orphan Espresso.

What concerns me is this just started so it might be worthwhile to open the fitting up and make sure threads and everything are clean and nothing is cracked or gunked up. If you are not comfortable you can always bring it to an espresso repair place now you at least know the source.

There is almost a bright side to having two fittings that are unrelated leaking in that I would not expect a crack in both cases. There are probably crush washers in their or something. They may give up over time. The one on the rear boiler line has been leaking longer than the one up on the wall to the frother.

I hate the idea of completely disassembling these fittings as they have to be perfectly aligned to reassemble them. There is nothing flexible about that tubing.

Is there a video at the site you referred to about wrenching on those fittings? There are a bunch of videos over there but I am not sure I have seen a title that leads me to conclude that one of them offers examples of the best way to work on these fittings without hurting anything.

Interestingly, I did find one video there that discusses these compression fittings. His primary recommendation was to replace the part if possible. But that is difficult by his own admission regardless of the machine. His second best recommended fix.....Teflon tape.

"Claims it to work "100% of the time" as a "permanent" fix if the part is just worn. I am OK with Teflon tape IF I can get the fitting apart without damaging it....no small feat I suspect.

I can see where Teflon tape would be a permanent fix. It is designed to do this job for all intents...just not necessarily for Espresso machines.

However, he also did indicate that these fitting usually get to the point where you have to open them up and effect a repair because folks have wrenched on them trying to resolve a leak and eventually that sort of repair effort just runs out of gas. You end up damaging the internals of that threading....which also makes sense to me. The thing is I have never wrenched on them...not even once, not the one to the boiler or the one to the steam wand. I will be interested to see what happens to these leaks. If there is a crack somewhere in there, even a very small one, the leak will get worse very quickly.

I will check to see if the part is available somewhere....pre-bent to the right shape. I seriously doubt I will be that lucky. From what I have read quickly it appears the only way to get these fittings apart is to heat them, either by running the machine or some other means....loosen them slightly....let the machine cool down and then disassemble parts that have been loosened while warm.

There must be some Espobar folks posting here. So hopefully somebody will chime in that experience with the fittings on this machine.