Need some help ASAP with new espresso machine setup.

by **Zendel** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:51 pm

I'm at my friends house for the christening of his new Fiorenzato Bricoletta Volante and we have a problem. The pump goes on, but it does not draw any water from the reservoir to fill the water boiler. Both tubes are submerged in the reservoir. I also purged the air from softener(?) attached to the left tube. I also noticed a loose spring rolling around the bottom of the machine, any idea what that is from?

Does anyone have any suggestions before we begin taking apart the machine? I just brought over his wedding present, a Mazzer Super Jolly and a bunch accessories and blends. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:01 pm

A pic of this spring MIGHT be revealing to someone.

The first thing you should do is to electrically disable the boiler's heating element. With all the "testing & probing" you are likely to encounter, the LAST thing you want to do is burn out the heating element.

Disconnect the water softener cartridge and prime the suction line of the pump with a "turkey baster" or similar. Having the heating element disconnected while all this is going on will not affect any other aspect of machine operation.

by **Zendel** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:53 pm

I fished out the spring and figured out it actually should be sitting under the water reservoir.

The next step is to take apart the machine, I will disconnect the heating element at that time. How is the cup warmer attached to the machine beyond the two screws on top? My machine doesn't have anything else securing it.

by **sweaner** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:20 pm

Did you try the turkey baster trick as mentioned above? This will often get a machine to prime.

by HB on Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:43 pm

Zendel wrote:How is the cup warmer attached to the machine beyond the two screws on top? My machine doesn't have anything else securing it.

It's been years since I played with the Bricoletta, but I remember the cover removal wasn't obvious. Chris mentioned it in his review too:

malachi wrote:Thanks to some quick action from Jim at 1st-Line and from the mighty Dan, I was given some quick instructions for how to remove the casing on the Briccoletta. This turns out to be a really easy task. All you need are a flathead screwdriver and the correct size allen wrench (you'll need one of the L shaped ones in order to fit). It's useful to also have a needle-nose pliers in order to grasp the little allen bolts. First you undo the brass screw on the back of the machine. Then you remove the two allen bolts that hold the top front of the casing to the frame. The whole casing then lifts up from its aligning slots and off.

From Fiorenzato Briccoletta - A Pro's Perspective. I know it's not the same model, but maybe it has the same type of fasteners (?).

UPDATED:

1st-line wrote:When this machine needs repair (as every espresso machine will someday need repair), it is very easy to work on. There are three philips screws to remove the top cover, and then only 2 allen key bolts on the bottom frame and one flat screw on the wrap-around side body panel. All parts can be replaced while the machine is standing up.

by **Zendel** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:46 pm

Turkey baster saved the day, thank you.

by **Zendel** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:57 pm

The saga continues, as now the brew pressure is @ a lovely 2 bar. Can anyone one save me an under-caffeinated search?

by HB on Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:05 pm

Try the FAQs and Favorites under "Pumps".

by **Zendel** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:13 pm

We are about to open up the machine to check the OPV. I was just hoping to avoid that and get to pulling some shots since we are about out of time.

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:49 pm

Stop for a minute - the brew pressure is at 2.0 bar when? when you flush? when you try to pull a shot? when you insert a blind basket?

The boiler pressure, when you reconnect the heating element, should settle out to ABOUT 1.20 bar max after about 45-60 minutes.

The brew pressure, when you "pull a shot" with a blind basket, should be ABOUT 9.0 bar.


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