Taking apart the solenoid is easy, you just need the correct sized wrenches.

To test the solenoid, put the coil inside of it and apply the proper voltage. If it moves, then the magnet field is being generated and is working properly.

A good cleaning is always a good idea and also clean the water path to remove any scale buildup.

On my machine the solenoid for the auto-fill circuit was so clogged that I had to break through with quite a bit of pressure with a needle.

These small areas are prone to scale so a good cleaning is a must.

godlyone wrote: To test the solenoid, put the coil inside of it and apply the proper voltage. If it moves, then the magnet field is being generated and is working properly.

Well, almost that simple...
Solenoids in espresso machinery is usually used to stop the flow, or initiate the flow of water somewhere. Depending on the solenoid, it should do one or the other of these things when it moves.
Be careful testing. If a solenoid is open when you apply electricity to it, it could shoot the valve across the room!

The things that need testing are the magnet, the seal, and the spring. If it's supposed to stop water flow when it's not energised, make sure that it doesn't leak and that it opens and lets water flow when it is energised. If it's supposed to allow water to flow when it's not energised, make sure that it's clear, and that the water stops flowing (no leaks) when it's energised.

I was going to post something to that sort last night about electrically fired projectiles but thought no one would do that.

-C

EspressoExpress wrote:Ross,

I have a question or maybe a request. Can you take a pic of the inside of the water softener? I imagine I can use a run of the mill water softener (water filter) sold at the Home Depot, but I am curious to see what yours looks like. Its cool that it looks just like the illustrations on the instruction manual.

Here you go. There's not much to see with all the "stuff" inside. (It looks like the roe in a sushi roll)

I'm kind of stalled on the rebuild while I'm waiting to get a quote on powder coating the frame and panels. In the interim, I managed to score a great deal on a used Mazzer Auto (badged Rio) from a local auction house. After buyer's premium and sales tax, I'm out a whopping $112. The burrs need replacing, and the body is a little rough, but it runs fine. It'll go great with my $265 Laurentis.

Thanks for the photo of the inside of the water softener. It wasnt what I expected to see, but I now some idea of what it needs to look like. About the powder coating, it would be so cool if both your new laurentis and mazzer were coated to match.

Ross Leidy wrote:I managed to score a great deal on a used Mazzer Auto (badged Rio)

I might be talked out of one or the other of the hoppers that I've left if you decide to hopper it. PM me if you need something.

Thanks for the generous offer, but I will be going either hopperless or trying the stainless canning funnel stubby hopper. Today I'm going to get it cleaned up and run through some beans. I've got new burrs on order, but I'm curious to see how it works as-is.

Ross Leidy wrote:Thanks for the generous offer

I've gone with smaller hoppers on both my majors, which explains why I have so many!
I've been following this thread because the Laurentis and my Astoria share so much engineering. Now that you've got the Major, we could share tips...

I dropped-off the frame and panels of the Laurentis at the powder coater this morning. When searching HB and CG for paint combinations, I was taken with the black/silver vein used on a machine shown in this post over on CG, and went with a similar look. I have sample plates from the powder coater that I'll photo and post this evening when I get home from work.

EDIT: I just realized that the machine in the above CG post was of John Weiss' Rancilio L7. Nice choice of colors, John. I hope you don't mind if I copy them.