Hello all,

I have recently purchased a FAEMA Due in a sad sad very sad state. After about 30mins alone with it in the garage it was torn down to the frame and soaking in citric acid.

Question for anyone with knowledge on the heating element for this particular machine. Is there a trick to removing it out of the boiler? I am able to pull it out just slightly, 2.5in or 3in at most. I can twist it as I pull it..., I will turn it 90deg in one direction then to the other direction and it will not come out...., I will turn it 180deg and nothing. So, is the heating element not meant to be removed on this machine? I have the whole boiler soaking in citric acid as I am writing this with the contacts of the heating element above water.

Any ideas will certainly help. I took plenty of pics with a equally sad camera phone. I think I will pass on the posting of pics.

Ish

If the heating element is blown it may have deformed itself into an odd shape during the melt down. Maybe try shining a flashlight in one of the open fitting holes and looking through the space with a small dental mirror to have a look. The other option is to test the heating element with a multimeter and if it is confirmed to be already dead you can take more drastic measures with it. Either way you will need to remove the element to replace the gasket.

I didn't have that issue when removing my Faema Due heating element... but I wonder if maybe this has something to do with scale build up depending on the water purification setup the previous owners did(n't) have. My boiler level sensor had so much build up that it took a boat load of work to get it out (the diameter of the sensor was larger than the fitting on the boiler). Also, there is a little bit of a dog leg in some versions of the heating element though, this could be part of your hang up. Just some ideas.

Have you removed all the pipes on the top? Usually you have a hot water pick-up pipe that descends down into the boiler and sometimes goes in between the element coils. Make sure you have removed this.

Paul

Thank you Paul,

Yes, I had removed all the plugs and also the pick-up pipe that decends into the boiler. But it wouldnt budge. But alass, its out. thanks again!

karl_a_hall wrote:My boiler level sensor had so much build up that it took a boat load of work to get it out (the diameter of the sensor was larger than the fitting on the boiler).

jarviscochrane wrote:If the heating element is blown it may have deformed itself into an odd shape during the melt down.

Karl,
I've must have gotten this machine from the same owners you got yours from. It had zero care and tons of build-up, which let me to think it was not allowing it to slide out. So I left it soaking a few more days and with a little more force it came out.

and Jarvis,
Yes, I thought that maybe it had blown and it was so deformed I was going to have to take it out in pieces. Luckily that wasnt the case.

I thank all of you that replied.

So glad to hear that you got it out... I had a hunch that it was gonna be scale build up, even thought there are loads of other more knowledgeable experts on here. Glad to hear we could all help you out. Any other questions, feel free to ask!

Karl