Hi,

I recently picked up a second-hand Quickmill Anita (several years old). I knew that the machine wasn't heating up properly, so I bought it for a discounted price with the intention of fixing it. Now I actually have to figure out what's wrong with it.

A few things:
1. The machine had been in storage and had the boiler drained. It took around 10 minutes to fill the boiler the first time. Is this normal? If not would it be indicative of scale buildup?
2. The red light comes on but the machine doesn't heat up. From probing around on the inside, I can tell that the black wire to the heating element is live. The safety thermostat isn't tripped (bridging the thermostat makes no difference). Despite this there is no heat no matter how long I leave it. Would this suggest a heating element problem?
3. When I pull the shot lever I get only a slow trickle of water coming out. Is this normal given that the machine is cold? Would you only get decent flow when the machine is up to temp and pressure?

Thanks in advance,
Shawn

I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but it definitely should not take 10 minutes to fill the boiler. It should take a minute or two at most. Also, the weak flow from the group isn't normal. Regardless of whether the machine is hot or not, the pump should push the same amount of water through the group.

It could be a bad pump, or maybe really bad scale buildup. Serious scale buildup could also interfere with the heating element too, though I've never heard of scale so bad that the machine wouldn't heat at all. It's possible the element is going bad.

When my element went bad recently, it tripped the GFCI circuit breaker on the receptacle. Is yours plugged into a GFCI receptacle? Is it tripping the circuit?

You can also pull out the "mushroom" on the top of the group to check for scale. It's the large nut at the top of the group. If you pull it out and it's covered with scale, that's a good indication that the boiler is scaled up too.

Thanks.

No, it's not plugged into a GFCI circuit. I'll have to plug it into the bathroom to test that. It sounds like I've potentially got two different problems. I'll do some dis-assembly and check the scale buildup. It wouldn't surprise me as I have relatively hard water in my area and have to descale my current machine every few months.

I noticed that the bottom of the machine has an opening to get at the heating element. Is replacing the element as simple as disconnecting everything, unscrewing the old element and dropping in a new one? Is there anything else I should be aware of if I decide to do that myself, or is it something best left to the experts?

Shawn

Personally, since the machine is several years old and not working properly, I would do a total overhaul.

All parts can be gotten from Chris Coffee:

1) Jaeger pressurestat, pressurestats usually go downhill after a couple years of use.
2) Quickmill heating element + gasket
3) Ulka pump, you can also take apart your pump and inspect it before you purchase a new one. Might be something as simple as a broken spring or clogged internals. It's fairly simple to take apart.
4) Klixon thermal diode if yours looks rusted
5) Grouphead screen + gasket
6) Group lever gaskets + lube

The most expensive part is roughly $50, so all in all, it's not a bad ding on your checkbook for a total overhaul, depending on how much that discount was :)

As well as the parts above:

7) Inspect the reservoir for cracks - mine had cracks in it after a couple years.
8) Check all wires for signs of corrosion
9) Check the mushroom for scale

Good luck! It's not as a hard as it sounds.

Theoretically, yes, you can basically remove the lower access panel, disconnect the wires (while machine is unplugged and cool of course), and unscrew the heating element, then screw in the new one.

However, be careful when unscrewing the element, since you can damage the connections to the boiler in the process. Don't ask me how I know. It helps to have someone else hold the boiler in place while you crank on the element with a long breaker bar and a big socket. Mine was in there really tight. My replacement element was also defective and wouldn't screw in right, so I had to get another one. Fortunately, Chris' Coffee was nice enough to send a new element right away at no extra charge.

You'll also need the teflon gasket that seals the element in place. Net cost is about $70 for the element and seal.