Hiya, first post, so please be kind!

My Quickmill Vetrano needs a new vacuum breaker valve. The one I have bought is not one of the old type with a cup (that rusts!), but has an outlet on the top that seems to be made to be connected to a tube.
Here it is.. http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom...eakervalve

Am I right in assuming the steam from this valve should be vented into the drip tray through the line the OPV is connected to? So I would need a piece of silicone tubing and a suitable T-junction to fit this valve?

Seems perfectly sensible to me, except for what happens when the boiler cools and the valve opens. It would then start drawing water back through the drain. This wouldn't be a problem, would it?

Thanx for your input!

I assume you would have to route it to the drip tray in a Vetrano, since it has no reservoir tank. I recently installed this vac breaker in a couple machines. Chris' Coffee sells it in a kit with some silicone tubing. I'm not sure what you would do to secure it the the drain, but you're right that you don't want to leave the outlet submerged in water.

I would also recommend not installing the new vac breaker until you sort out the water routing. I've found it releases a fair bit more water than other vac breakers.

Thank you for a quick reply!

The outlet into the drip tray is simply a plastic nozzle that ends well above the waterline, so the boiler drawing "grey water" back from the tray is not an issue. It would however be allowing water back into the boiler that was previously released by the vacuum breaker and the OPV, in contrast to the stock vacuum breaker that only lets back in ambient air when the boiler cools.
I realise this is how the vacuum breaker is supposed to operate by design, but can't help wondering if the presence of the OPV on that same line would matter.

. . . but can't help wondering if the presence of the OPV on that same line would matter.

It doesn't because the OPV in a Vetrano functions as a thermal expansion valve for the hx circuit. It is typically set at 11-12 bar.

Use the same size silicone hose that slips onto your OPV for slipping onto the vacuum breaker barb. Use a brass "tee" or "y" to connect the lines and lead this to the drip tray.

Elias wrote:Am I right in assuming the steam from this valve should be vented into the drip tray through the line the OPV is connected to? So I would need a piece of silicone tubing and a suitable T-junction to fit this valve?

Seems perfectly sensible to me, except for what happens when the boiler cools and the valve opens. It would then start drawing water back through the drain. This wouldn't be a problem, would it?

Elias,

I installed the new style vacuum breaker from CC on my Duetto and tee'd it into the drip tray. I monitored the water in the line during cool down and it was never close to pulling water back into the steam boiler. But it was a little odd at first when the drip tray gurgled at me during initial machine warm up!



George

erics wrote:

As I thought. Thanks for the confirmation!

Jeepin' Geo wrote:

Very neat. Cable ties your own invention? Worth copying, IMHO!