Careful what you read. Since you have a Linea AV model the pump relay is really a Triac and not a mechanical relay. They are replaceable but you will have to do some soldering. This is the usual cause of the "pump running all of the time". The pressure should not be going to 15 bar. In the drain box under the drain tray there is an expansion valve that limits the high end of the pressure in the boiler. When the pump is off at the heating element is on for a while the pressure can get quite high. This is the reason for the expansion valve (or limiting valve). When it is at 15 bar, unscrew the valve a bit until the pressure is at 12 bar max. If it does not react then you may need to clean the expansion valve (gets pretty gross under there).

The bypass valve on the pump is to adjust your brew pressure only. To check then just run some water through the group and look at the pressure. Should be close to 9 bar.

I found an electrical mechanic that is willing to replace the pump relay, if that doesn't fix it I think I will be ordering a new "brain" for my machine. Thank you for all your thoughts and suggestions.

I'm back again...I replaced the brain and the machine ran fine for several months. Then yesterday sparks flew and then the buttons wouldn't work. I had someone come out and look at it today from espresso specialist Inc and they concluded that the wire to the pump was shorting out and that was the problem. He replaced the wire and said I could replace the fuse in the brain because I had done that before myself. We were able to run shots manually but none of the dispensing buttons worked. I came in tonight and replaced the fuse and now my pump won't shut off again. This is the same pump running all the time problem I had before I replaced the brain.....any ideas? I put in a 6.3 Amp 250 Volt Slow Blow fuse that I got at Radio shack after looking up the numbers on the brain. I DO NOT want to buy another brain...it's like $520.00. Can I just take out the fuse and run it manually to save the pump? Let me add that the fuse was black when I replaced it and the dispensing buttons work fine now....but the pump continually runs. Thank you for any suggestions.

Melinda,
It is probably the brain again. If you have the old one, I suggest having it fixed. If you know someone who knows how to solder it is pretty easy to replace the triac (solid state relay) and they are readily available. I can help you when you want to do this.

Where did the sparks come from?


BillC

Billc,

The sparks came from where the cord was touching the inside wall of the machine. The cord has since been replaced. I'm assuming that the triac is much less expensive than the new "brain". We are currently running it manually and keeping a close eye on the boiler and dispensing pressures and manually filling when needed. The pump now only runs when we manually run a shot and manually fill. None of the buttons work but, at least the pump won't burn up. Let me know what I need to do to replace the triac because I now have two useless brains (three if you count mine

Melinda

Hey,
Sorry I did not see this post. I have extra Triacs. Do you know anyone that can solder electronic components? definitely a spark from the cord that touched the frame will blow the triac. It is a pretty easy task and will only take about 5 miinutes to replace. Maybe even a local TV repair shop.

Can you claify one thing? You say that you are running the pump manually. Is the pump actually connected at the brain? If it is and it is not running all of the time there may be hope. If the pump is wired at the brain you may have only blown the fuse on the brain. If you want to talk more about this PM me and I'll try to call or something.


BillC

I've replaced the fuse and when I put in a new one the pump runs all the time. If I take it out the buttons don't work but we can manually fill and run shots manually with the dispensing button for the groups. I will see if I can get the triac replaced locally. Can I order a triac locally? What part number is it?

Melinda

The triac is a BTA16 600CW
Here is a link to the datasheet

http://www.st.com/internet/com/TECHNICA ... _triac.jpg[/img]

I'm having the same problem...Did this resolve your issue?
I've tried everything but replacing the brain, and still my motor keeps running. everything else on the machine works perfectly!

i'm actually considering putting a regular 220v light switch on the lead that goes to the motor, it's only $15 from the local hardware store. I can just manually turn on the motor before and off after pulling shots, and the water line feeding the machine is 3 bars with the motor off, so i don't have to worry about the boiler running low... Is there any problem with doing it this way?

I ended up disconnecting the white lead wire from the brain to the circuit that controls the pump motor, but left all the manual switches connected. although i cant use the automatic button, it brews like a champ using the manual buttons. i guess its a fix that will work for now....