Rancilio S20 Midi startup troubleshooting - Page 2

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
Sketcher (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 14 years ago

#11: Post by Sketcher (original poster) »

Latest Update: To date I've cleaned out both group headers, all the main lines feeding the groups (both pipes on each group header), the lines to and from the Gicars as well as the Gicar valves. I reassembled the machine tonight but the testing went poorly. On the boiler fill setting, it's possible to operate the manual dosing button on the left group header but no water is discharged, though the solenoid is clearly opened. Also, regardless of the setting, the little orange LED on this left flowmeter is always lit, even when not brewing. I don't know anything about priming for this machine, it was pretty much drained to remove the group piping, this may be an issue. Also, in cleaning the flowmeters, I got lots of gunk out but thereafter they sat to dry for over a day with no moisture inside, it's possible they were re-clogged. Anyway, on the right group header. In this case, the flowmeter LED is never on, regardless of whether I'm brewing or dosing. Again, no flow from the group, but the solenoid does open.

I'm not too sure what I'll do next. I may opt to take off the PSV (overpressure valve) from the boiler so I can see if I'm dealing with a lot of buildup in there. It's tempting to rebuild the whole machine now but I really would have wanted to ascertain the running condition of the machine before doing this so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I picked up some citric acid from a healthfood store though. Because the machine was shipped long distance I'm worried that some problems (drying internally and clogging) may have contributed to my problems but at the same time the distance makes a return very difficult...

Thanks in advance for any insight. Let me know if you need any photos, I'm happy to post them. If I do a rebuild I may start a new posting here to track the progress.

alain
Posts: 32
Joined: 15 years ago

#12: Post by alain »

Do you hear the motor start when pressing a button on the touchpad? If you do, but no-water from the group, it is clog somewhere. When I get a machine, even if it works properly, I still do a complete rebuild, even if the machine is 1-2 years old.

Sketcher (original poster)
Posts: 71
Joined: 14 years ago

#13: Post by Sketcher (original poster) »

Hi Alain,
I agree. I hear the pump but I'm sceptical as to my flowrates and when I took apart the flowmeters they were both really dirty. Although I wanted to be cautious and check my operation first, it would be impossible to determine which mechanical components are damaged (if any) if the variable of clogging is present. I'm going to take a few photos, post them in a new forum for an S-20 rebuild and go from there. Thanks for all your advice so far, I'd be glad to get your feedback in the new rebuild forum too.

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