I have a Vibiemme Double Domo (plumbed in) that is less than a year old. Last night the steam boiler failed to heat. The indicator light for the steam boiler is on but nothing happens. The brew boiler is fine and there is no problem pulling shots. Has anyone had this happen and if so offer any advice? I was hoping for a quick fix since the holiday weekend is upon us and I won't be able to get it in for service until sometime next week.
Thanks

To check the obvious first, have you tried opening the steam valve to release false pressure?

I don't think it is false pressure since false pressure is pressure too and the steam wand would just give slightly warm air.
Also, the light is on which means the element is on.
Have you tried measuring continuity? Elements rarely go bad. Probably a bad connection, or some safety gizmo failed.

HB wrote:To check the obvious first, have you tried opening the steam valve to release false pressure?

Yes. I tried opening the steam valve and the hot water valve, and there is no pressure at either one.

Bluecold wrote:I don't think it is false pressure since false pressure is pressure too and the steam wand would just give slightly warm air.
Also, the light is on which means the element is on.
Have you tried measuring continuity? Elements rarely go bad. Probably a bad connection, or some safety gizmo failed.

No. I have not checked the electrical system. Since the indicator light was on I thought that meant the system was ok. Are there any reset buttons on this model? I could not see any obvious ones upon looking inside the unit.

But do you feel comfortable checking the electrical system?

With the machine off and unplugged, check the resistance of the heating element for the steam boiler - should be ~ 12.4 ohms.

Now its time to be a little careful. With the machine on:

Check for voltage at the heating element terminals.
Check for voltage at the safety thermostat terminals.
Check for voltage at the pstat terminals - need to remove cover

Eric,
Thanks for the help. It looks as if the boiler element may be faulty. First I disconnected the two wires underneath the boiler and checked the element for continuity. Results: zero. Then I reconnected the wires and powered the machine on. Results:120 volts to one terminal to ground and zero from the other terminal to ground.
Howard

Good Job! Next would be to see how much water is in the boiler. I agree the element looks dead but ya need to determine if there exists an obvious cause for the condition. Remove the tubing for the steam wand and stick a lightly sanded wooden dowel into the boiler till you reach bottom. Normal water level is about 2/3 up from the bottom.

When you remove the steam boiler, tag all wire connections and take plenty of pics. The heating element is best removed with a 1-3/16" 6-point socket (could be hard to find). Or, you could just remove the boiler and let the techs at 1st-line R&R the heating element.

Eric, Just to follow up, I took my machine to 1st Line and they did replace the heating element. Thanks for the help.
Howard