Found a really good deal on this machine locally so I picked it up. Short version of the story, the seller was trustworthy but had no personal experience with the machine, which was used. So now I have it home with no manual... but I can return it if there are any issues. Looked for a manual online but no luck. I am just trying to figure out if this machine is in good working order.

Question #1: is there any particular priming routine I need to go through? I filled the reservoir, turned the machine on, and bled some pressure through the steam wand, water dispenser and group head. After 20 minutes, pressure gauge levels out at 1.3-1.4 bar. Seems a little high, but I can deal with that if I know the machine is working properly otherwise. Am I missing anything here?

Question #2: machine makes a subtle boiling/hissing sound. Steam wand and water tap are fully closed... sound seems to be coming from inside the machine. I see condensation inside the body panels. About every 10 minutes the pump (?) cycles on for less than a second. Machine has only been on about 20 minutes so maybe this is normal for warming up? Or is this something I should be concerned about?

Question #3: In the static warm-up/rest state, should the lever be in the middle or down position?

Thanks for any help...I am used to my La Pavoni Pro Lever, so this whole E61/ HX thing is new territory for me. Does it sound like this machine is in need of work, or probably OK?

F.M. wrote:Found a really good deal on this machine locally so I picked it up.

Congrats! Pretty machine.

no manual...but I can return it if there are any issues. Looked for a manual online but no luck. I am just trying to figure out if this machine is in good working order.

The Isomac manual is of no real use. These guys have an overview that includes some useful advice about how to get inside it, which is a bit of a trick:
http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Mille ... lookv6.pdf

pressure gauge levels out at 1.3-1.4 bar. Seems a little high, but I can deal with that if I know the machine is working properly otherwise.

It is. 1.0 to 1.2 is more common.

Am I missing anything here?

No.

machine makes a subtle boiling/hissing sound

.

The most common cause is steam weeping from in the vac breaker valve - a minor issue. Take off the cup warmer plate and peer inside with a flashlight. The breaker valve is right under the ventilation holes. You will hear it if the steam is coming from there. A 10 minute cycle is normal and a good sign.

In the static warm-up/rest state, should the lever be in the middle or down position?

Down

Does it sound like this machine is in need of work, or probably OK?

Get an appropriate wrench, cover the jaws with tape, and remove the big nut on top of the E-61.
Take out the mushroom.
Clean? Very good, the machine has had some maintenance.
Scaled? Bad - a sign of neglect. You'll need to do a complete descale at the least. If it were me, I'd take off the case and inspect the inside, since you have the temporary ability to return it, but that is a bit of a chore. The state of the mushroom will tell you a lot about the care and use its seen. If it operates normally, I wouldn't worry unless it's really crusty inside.

All these topics are easily searched on HB. Sounds like the machine may be basically OK - hope so.
Let us know what you see.

That pretty much covers it. The hiss is probbly the vacuume breaker. If it is bleeding out steam the boiler level will drop and the pump kick on every now and then. Boiler pressure is way high. Most of the HX machine emergency pressure release valves on the boilers open at around 1.5 bar. I believe I use to run my Millenium at around 1.1 bar on top of cycle.

F.M. wrote: I see condensation inside the body panels. About every 10 minutes the pump (?) cycles on for less than a second. ... is this something I should be concerned about?

I skimmed over the part about condensation inside the machine. This could be more excessive than the typical leaking vac breaker - I'd really want to know where this steam is leaking from...

Thanks for the replies guys! Very informative. Looks like everything works as advertised.
Just enjoyed a fine doppio... interesting how this machine brings out much different flavors than my La Pavoni, from the same beans....

I'll report back later after pulling the machine apart. Thanks again for the info!!!

Disregard most of the previous posts

Water, crimp connections, heat and electricity DO NOT MIX. EVER!

Check ALL the connections for corrosion. Decide if they look good and you want to keep the machine.

If keeping the machine, replace the vac break ASAP.
Recommend this type over the small, cheaper one. It's $1.30 more, but lasts much longer.

Available at Espresso Care. Buy the copper gasket as well.
Cover it so it cannot spray about inside the machine.
See Help me make Anita's vacuum breaker spit less....

cafeIKE wrote:Disregard most of the previous posts

Ian! I had no idea you possessed remote-viewing capability!

If it's the breaker, (probably is), your advice would indeed be well taken. Personally, I thought I'd wait to see what the OP observed...

Thanks for the info! I am close to Visions espresso, so I just swung by there and picked up a vacuum breaker & some cleaning stuff. Hopefully I can find time this weekend to give this machine some love.

Very interesting! So I picked up the vacuum breaker and pulled the machine apart.
Didn't have a deep enough socket to remove the existing vacuum breaker, so I figured I might as well turn the machine on and see where it's leaking from. The vacuum break seems fine, but there are two areas leaking small amounts- see red in the picture. One is a compression fitting on some of the copper plumbing- should be an easy fix with some teflon tape. The other is where the heating element (?) screws into the boiler. This one, I am not so sure about... I'd appreciate any advice. Is it as simple as unthreading this heating element plug, adding some teflon tape and threading it back in? Or do I need to use some sort of gasket sealant and worry about torque values etc...Any tips here would be appreciated!

There are electronics below the leaks, so this needs to be fixed!

I called the seller and they agreed to refund me $50. Again, the seller had never used the machine... sort of an estate sale scenario. I don't have too much money into this and it seems like potentially a fun restoration project to me. I have my La Pavoni Pro (which I really love) so I can take my time with this. At some point I will need to sell one of these two machines, but before I decide which I would like to learn as much as possible about the Millenniums potential.

Teflon on a compression fitting is a No-No.
Recommend disconnecting and examining surfaces for damage. If they look good, reassemble and tighten securely.
If there is scale from leakage, clean gently to preserve the mating surfaces.
A citric acid solution should dissolve the scale.

The heating element should be checked to see if it loose and if so, tightened. If not, it should be removed. It either has a gasket or a huge wad of Teflon tape.
If the former, check the seating surfaces and replace.
If the latter, carefully clean it ALL off. Wrap with Teflon valve packing cord in the a clockwise direction relative to the element end.

It's most important when cleaning Teflon packing to remove ALL the bits.
Anything left will likely end up inopportune locations