I have been having problems with the pump on my Vibiemme Domobar Super (vibe model obviously) in that when the water in the reservoir gets too warm the pump will go quiet/silent and not pump. I have searched the forums and found a number of people with the same problem who either replace the pump, rebuild the pump, or live with it and fill the reservoir with cold water when it happens.

I took the pump out to rebuild/clean it to see if that would fix it but broke the plastic Priming Valve shown here: Pump? OPV? Check Valves? Wit's end!
or at 1st-line here http://www.1st-line.net/cgi-bin/categor ... em=3530023

I'm happy to buy a replacement, but in the mean time I have hooked it up without this part and manually primed the in-feed. Is it ok to run like this till I can get my hands on a replacement?

Thanks
Chris

Is it ok to run like this till I can get my hands on a replacement?

Yes.

That valve serves two purposes:

a. To purge that portion of the hydraulic system of air when you, for example, remove and rinse the water reservoir.

b. To prolong the preinfusion period by diverting a small flow back to the reservoir until brew pressure reaches 6-8 bar.

Depending on the age of your machine, I believe you will end up replacing the pump and that would be the time to replace that priming valve with one of brass vice plastic. The valve is sealed to the pump with an o-ring, OR-2025 - see this: O-rings & Copper Sealing Washers

Thanks Eric, thats what I could tell from it as well.

The pump's DOM is in 2005, so I wouldn't be surprised if I need a new pump, I bought the machine second hand a month ago, so i factored in getting some replacement parts in the purchase price.

I'm in New Zealand and I can only find replacement valves (and the brass ones) on US based sites, so I will have to call around on monday to see what I can find.

Chris