I recently bought a 2000 Bricoletta pour over model that was probably never back flushed. I've removed the shower screen and chipped away a couple of millimeters worth of coffee gunk from that. Then I removed the dispersion screw and cleaned that out to. I've ordered some Joe Glo and will do a chemical backflush as soon as I get it.

I took apart the mushroom and everything else I could get to. Based on what I can see of the boiler and lines entering the grouphead, I don't think it has a scale problem.

I only get about 30 mL of water when I run the pump for 10 seconds. My Gaggia Baby Class pumps about three times that in the same amount of time. Is my pump bad, or might there still be some blockage that I can't see? Should I perform a backflush before I make the determination?

Gio

Vibe pump volume is not very diagnostic. If the group gasket is OK, run a pressure test, and see if you get over 11 bar (if there is no OPV -- if there is, if you can adjust it to over 11 bar). In that case the pump will serve.

Assuming for the moment that your 30 ml in 10 seconds is a correct measurement, that is less than half of what I would expect it to be. Over about a three year span, my E-61 vibe pump machine flowed 439 and 452 ml/min. A non E-61 vibe pump machine I have (Bezzera BZ07) flows 500 ml/min.

Given that it is a 10 year old machine, lots of hands could have been fiddling around with the internals - what is the name plate data on the pump? Any internal pics? I would also assume you have an OPV and a priming valve attached to the pump or in the hydraulic circuit somewhere.

When you hold the mushroom up to light, you should see 5 holes - one is the gicleur and the other four feed the gicleur water. What does the bottom of the brew valve look like?

another_jim wrote:Vibe pump volume is not very diagnostic.

Hey Jim, good to hear from you again. Another symptom: if I use the same grind and dose that yield 2 oz in 25 seconds on my Gaggia, then it takes at least 20 seconds for the first drop to appear on the Bric. I need to read up on how to conduct a pressure test and I'll probably need a pressure gauge.

erics wrote:When you hold the mushroom up to light, you should see 5 holes - one is the gicleur and the other four feed the gicleur water. What does the bottom of the brew valve look like?

Eric, the 5 holes look totally clean to me. I assume the bottom of the brew valve is what I see when I look down into the space that the mushroom usually occupies. In that case, I see a clean piece of brass with a unclogged hole in the middle.

I will provide pump information and pics a little later. Thanks for the help so far guys.

If the water path is clear, it does look like your pump is dying. The flow is low, and an E61 can be up to 10 seconds dwell on an ordinary shot, but 20 is a choke.

But you can't know for sure without a pressure gauge, and you can't install a new pump and set the OPV without one either. So if you do your own maintenance and repairs, you need a pressure gauge.

The good news is you can get ones that screw on to an existing PF's spout for about $15 (insert a basket when checking pressure, otherwise it will leak at the group gasket).

The picture isn't the best, but I can tell you the pump is marked Vibropompecity E 153823.

I'm pretty sure A is the pump and I'm guessing that B is the OPV because its input comes from the pump and the two outputs go to the group head and the water reservoir. I'm not sure exactly what C does but it goes from the pump to the boiler.

At $50 I'll just buy a new vibe pump. I'll disassemble the old one and report back here. Any suggestions on a source for the gauge?

I would not neccessarily go buy a new pump just yet. For the pump output to drop that low, there may very well be other faults. For example, Item C (boiler fill valve) may be "stuck" open or leaking or the OPV may be stuck open. It doesn't take much.

How about removing the water reservoir and the water reservoir support and take a pic then?

If you do end up replacing the pump, I would also replace the pump supports and you will likely find that you will be drilling some new mounting holes as the new pump may not have the same footprint as the old. A good source for all of this "stuff" is any one of this site's equipment vendors, e.g. Chris' Coffee - http://www.chriscoffee.com/

You guys just won't let me throw parts at the problem will you?

How would I go about checking if the boiler fill valve or the OPV are stuck open?

Also, would I turn the nut just to the left of the 'B' to adjust the pressure?

PS - you can't see it in this picture, but based on the wiring job, it's a good bet the pump was not the original.

Firstly, disconnect one of the heating element leads and tape over with some electrical tape.

Loosen the fitting at the boiler where the fill solenoid valve piping discharges through. You're going to lose all the water in the boiler so be prepared. Loosen the nut on the top of the black solenoid coil and set the coil aside.

Operate the pump for, say, 30 seconds, just doing a simple group flush. There should be ZERO flow in the silicone hose attached to the OPV and ZERO flow in the fill line you removed from the boiler. You might need to prime the pump with the Turkey baster you used a couple of weeks ago.