La Valentina Gicar Flow Meter Problem

by **Spitz.me** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:58 am

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had any insight for me on this problem I'm having. I just got a La Val Auto shipped and it has a problem. This was shipped from a private party who I bought it from used so they packed it in a makeshift box as opposed to the original it would have come in - just to be clear about how it was shipped for information.

I was excited as can be, plugged her in, turned her on. LOUD girl, but whatever I knew that was coming. All of a sudden I started seeing tons of water come flowing from below her. So, I took off her skin and ran it again to see where the problem was and I noticed the GICAR FLOW METER is leaking really badly. Could something have gone loose in the shipping? I did notice that the plastic piece sitting above it where the screws go through is cracked so I'm just guessing something has happened inside... I decided to do a water dance with her and she is pulling water to the grouphead.

Does this sound like a problem that can only be fixed by replacing the flow meter or do I need to maybe tighten some screws or anything. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

by **djmonkeyhater** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:27 am

Can you send some photos? Most of the Flow meters that I have worked on are all metal except for the part where the terminals poke out, so I'm not sure what would be wrong with yours. If there is a crack and it is leaking through it, I suspect Occam's Razor applies. I have been able to buy just the top half of the flowmeter before but I don't remember the savings.

wes

by **Spitz.me** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:11 pm

Mine doesn't have a metal piece on top, it's a black plastic. Is this an ok shot? Now my real question is, is that the original flow meter for the La Val, because I don't think the Gicar's have plastic tops....

by **stefano65** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:13 pm

there is an o-ring between the two halves
if the machine got expose to freezing it is possible that the o-ring popped or the flowmeter ( if is the plastic one and no the brass one) could be cracked as mention above

by **Spitz.me** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 12:25 pm

Are the O-rings easily found to replace? Also, is removing this piece an easy job to do? Should the boiler be emptied? I can imagine it's holding some water in the tubing? Also, I'm just running it again and it's definitely flowing from the top, the water.

Is there anyone that can confirm that this is the original flow meter for this baby?

by **Billc** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:00 pm

This is an actual part from Gicar. They started producing the plastic parts (verton) about 5-6 years ago. They sell and entire plastic one or a brass body and a verton top (like the one you have). If your machine is older than this then it is probably a replacement.

If it is the flowmeter the o-ring mentioned is the only replaceable part. One thing also to look for: It looks like to flowmeter is not mounted to anything. If this is the case then try inspecting the tubes surrounding the flow meter. I know of many a time when the vibration from shipping moved the flow meter so much that it work-hardened the copper tube and it actually broke completely off. Other times it only cracked and leaked.

Bill C

by **Spitz.me** on Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:05 pm

Hey Bill,

From what I can see the leakage is coming directly from the top of the flow meter as there is also a small crack in the plastic top. I was trying to take it out to see what I can do but it seems the connectors are so well 'wedged' that it starts rotating the tubing instead!!! wow... I did inspect and feel the tubing to make sure no cracks. it's just fine... I just couldn't believe that these tubes could move so easily. I think I need a pro to do this... that sux big time.

by **Billc** on Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:11 pm

Ya, these things can be a bit tricky. Can you get a screwdriver close to the top to take out the 3 screws? If so then you would not have to remove the whole thing. There is only one part inside and the o-ring so you are not at risk of losing anything upon disassembly.

Bill

by **Spitz.me** on Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:47 pm

At the risk of possibly flying in the face of proper "netiquette" I'm reviving my old thread as this has happened again. What I had done at the time was popped open the flowmeter, replaced an oddly misplaced o-ring and everything was fine and dandy.

Now, this is happening again. So, I'm wondering, because nothing could have happened to the meter outside of regular usage. Should this be completely replaced or should I try just doing the same fix as before.

If I should completely replace it, will removing this piece start water flowing all over the place?

Thanks

by **CRCasey** on Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:10 pm

This looks like freezing expansion. In that case replacing the top of the case is what you need to do. The sensor for the magnetic pick up is usually part of that top so you get a verified good sensor with the top.

You also need to be on the look out for any other ruptures. So lateral pipe cracks can happen in places that are hard to see.

-Cecil


Contact Us	Legal disclaimer and copyright: This content and all its parts are copyrighted, all rights reserved. Content including all text and images in part or in whole may not be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission. Home-Barista, Home-Barista.com and related logos are trademarks of Home-Barista.com, LLC. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. By accessing this site, you agree to the terms of service. Overall speed: , current page: s, avg: s, max: s