Does anyone know how to remove the water probe on an Anita and if so can you post the how to? Lately, my boiler will not refill, unless it is completely devoid of any pressure. Therefore, I believe my problem concerns a faulty water probe. However, I will be damned if I know how to remove it. Best I can tell there are several nuts on the top and one must be loosened in order for the probe to come out. However, the kicker is that there is an overhang on the Anita, which if I was able to loosen the probe would prevent it from being vertically removed from the boiler. Any help particularly with pictures is greatly appreciated. FYI I have an e-mail into CC but have not yet spoken with the service technicians. I was hoping to do the work on my own in order to avoid the expense of shipping back to CC, as I can imagine it will be prohibitive.

Regards..... Dan

You want to take off the first two nuts of the probe assembly together. If you're lucky, they'll be lined up and you can get them off together with one deep well socket. Sorry, don't remember the size you'll need. Somewhere around 12mm to 14mm IIRC.

You can only remove the 1st nut and pull up on the probe. When you get close to the overhang, you can flex the probe back to clear the overhand and finish puling it out. However, only do this if you're sure the probe is at fault. This is almost certain to crack or strain the teflon sheath, leading to eventual failure. Taking the two off together protects the teflon sheath around the probe assembly, preventing it from cracking when flexed. Flexing the probe during removal would be a rip and replace scenario, not a good method for inspection and troubleshooting. If the probe wasn't at fault prior to doing this, it will be once you've done it. (Yes, I'm speaking from personal experience...)

When you purchase your new probe assembly, assuming that once you talk to service they agree that your problem is due to a probe failure, you should re-install with both nuts together and the probe inserted into the nut assembly. You'll have plenty of clearance to get it both into and out of the machine as a unit.

Mike

Firstly, Mike is correct on the wrench sizes needed. The top nut, what I would term the gland nut, takes a 12 mm open end wrench or THIN WALL socket. The next hex is actually a special adaptor (1/8" male BSPP x 1/8" female BSPP) which is loctited into another adaptor (1/4" male BSPP x 1/8" female BSPP) which screws into the boiler. Both of these second nuts take a 14 mm open end wrench or THIN WALL socket.

The near location of the drip container for the vacuum breaker valve makes it near impossible to use a regular socket or the box end of the appropriate wrench.

I would loosen the top nut and twist/lift the probe out of the teflon cylinder. As you see you will be encountering interference with the casing overhang, this overhang has just enough "give" to it such that the probe can be removed. It is close.

Now, even with all that said, a faulty probe, by itself, should be a rarity. Typically probes accumulate some deposits on the bottom 1/8-1/4 inch and this typically causes the water level to rise. Just off the top, probes need cleaning every six months but obviously this will vary with your water quality and the amount of boiler water you use.

What has Chris' Coffee had to say?

I really recommend against twisting and pulling the probe out of the teflon cylinder. I went through three probes and cylinders only a few months after receiving my 1st gen ( 1st 50 actually ) Anita. Turns out that for some reason, the first teflon sheath developed a crack causing a short, preventing autofill after the machine got good and hot. After replacing it two more times in that many month, turns out I myself was creating the problem by only removing the top or gland nut to replace the sheath and probe. Turns out I when working the proble back in, I was bending the sheath just enough to stress it and lead to failure within a matter of weeks. Once CC's service and I figured out what the problem was, I reinstalled the boiler nut and gland nut together as a unit and haven't had a problem since. I prefer the technique that Dan linked to over my overly convoluted initial post. IMHO, the key is to prevent flexing the sheath and their way removes the element of chance with having the two nuts line up just right to slip a socket over both of them.

I do seem to recall having to remove the vac breaker to tighten the second nut. I think if one had a thin wall deep well socket, as Eric mentioned, there wouldn't be the need. I really need to put together an Anita specific tool kit some day.

Mike