Hello support group,

I will refrain at this moment from verbalizing the many question marks I have on this machine, and simply introduce it. I have been the marginally satisfied owner of a Silvia/Super Jolly combo for several years now, and just found the next frontier-- a large, two group HX by "VFA Expres" (actually probably small for a two group commercial machine). This is partially-dismantled on my kitchen table currently instead of a shiny new (working) Alex Duetto or VBM Double Domobar because it came at about 1/4 the cost-- and included another super jolly!

I was told that it worked, but so far am having a host of little issues--from water squirting out the hole in the rotary pump adjustment screw (rebuild kit?) to a boiler which won't drain or come up to appropriate steam pressure, level gauge appears to be stuck full (bottom inlet clogged?) and pressure gauge which reads 1.4 bar when it's stone cold. More questions to come on that after some additional troubleshooting.

Anybody recognize this thing?

Hi Dan,
That is a two-group compact. Most manufacturers offer two-group compacts as part of their product line. The e61 lever groups are a charming oddity. VFA is dissolved now so there's been a glut of their products on the used market, but as of the moment they are still supported by the aftermarket. You should undergo a complete refurbishment of the machine now while parts are still available, and keep a supply of common parts on hand if you intend to keep it for many years. I did this with a VFA machine recently for a customer, and posted a thread documenting the process. Here it is:

VFA-Expres "Elite" 2gp. refurbishment

I was generally impressed with the build quality, so as long as you get it in good shape now, you should get a good product out of it. It sounds like your machine was run with unfiltered water and has badly scaled-up causing many issues. Why not pop out the heating element and have a peek inside, we'll go through the issues one by one. Good luck

Terrific, thanks for the reply and information. Great thread with inspiring results! I have never been through anything like this, but have enjoyed learning how to work on my car and house etc, things just tend to go slow and I have to stop and ask directions a lot. So, I am hopeful that I could take this baby apart and eventually have it back in working condition and looking better than it has in years!

Fortunately the body and groupheads seem to be in great cosmetic shape, making me thing it's probably worth the effort to restore (I would plan to keep this thing for years to come.) While I haven't actually used one yet, the lever-controlled brew groups really appeal to me vs pushing a button, despite the advantages of volumetric programming. (This is one of the reasons I had my eye on the VBM DD and Alex Duetto.)

I pulled the heating element; here are a couple shots. It came out with a lot of sludge and clumps, but rinsed off just fine and looks pretty clean. Is that the right color for a heating element?

I snapped pics of the inside the best I could, and pulled out as many lose chips as I could reach with my fingers. Much of the inside looks calcium-coated; seems to flake off quite easily though.

Q: Should I continue to clean out the boiler as it is installed on the machine-- or go ahead and take it apart and soak everything in a cooler bath? What's the best solution (both senses) for a boiler and pipes in this condition?

Q: If I proceed to take everything apart, I was wondering about etching numbers into the copper pipes and labeling my photos to help ensure that I can get it back together again. Good method or not?

Q: Why is my rotary pump squirting out of the adjustment screw? Should I unscrew the large nut to take apart that valve and clean it up?

Q: Can I add a brew pressure valve easily? There is a gauge-sized hole in the front panel, but no gauge and I don't see where one would have come off of (plumbing-wise).

Q: Where is the best source for VFA parts, and what should I expect to replace now and stock for future repairs? A lot of components seem like they would be universally available--pressure-stat, rotary pump... aren't these the same as those used on some other machines?

I don't know how many questions I am allowed per post, so I will cut it off there.. Thank you so much for the help; it would be hard to fully express how appreciative I am for this online coffee community, knowing that there will be knowledgeable folks to help out if and when I get in a jam!

Hi Dan,
If only cosmetic condition was a good indicator of machine condition. That's got more to do with privately-sold machines being overpriced than anything else. This definitely looks like a machine that was run on unfiltered tapwater. If you follow through my thread, you'll see what a new element looks like (copper) and how I descaled my boiler. If you dunk the whole boiler in an immersion bath, the beautiful nickel plating will be lost. So I did the bulk of my descaling with the boiler in place, and got it as full as I could with descaling solution. I had to remove the vacuum breaker and install a pipe plug in its place so acid didn't leak all over the nickel plating. Depending on what the makeup of the scale is, I'll switch back and forth between Calcinet, citric acid, and cleaning/horticultural vinegar. Each type of descaler has its advantages and drawbacks. Citric acid is the most popular but often leaves calcium behind, which has to be followed-up by another product. Once the boiler is sparkling clean inside (be patient and use hot solution) you can now remove it and polish it if you wish, and get the pipes into a dunk tank.
To clean the heating element, immerse only the coils and inside surface of the flange. If you dunk the entire element in descaler you will get water inside the coils and short out the element. So be very careful to keep the outside of the flange dry.
I always take thorough pictures of the machine as I am disassembling it. Be mindful of the shape of the lines, and lacing of the wiring harness and pipes. Mark them if you are uncertain.
There is an o-ring on the end of the plunger that sits just underneath the adjuster screw that is probably damaged. If you want to try replacing the o-ring and see what happens, it is a metric EPDM o-ring. I don't know of any site sponsors selling individual rotary pump parts - I certainly know of a few but like the water pump in your car - it's usually more practical to spend the $100 or so on a replacement than mess around with it.
I haven't seen brew pressure valves that screw into these, but the non-lever e61-style group heads on my machine were M4. They can be either M4, 5, or 6. One of the top guns in this forum sells group temperature sensors that he fabricates and calibrates himself - contact erics for details. He might advise you on pressure gauges as well, but I don't bother. Setting the orifices, OPV and checking the gauge is usually a one-time repair operation done with a thermofilter and you go by feel after that, but a temperature gauge will go a long way to speed up that process of understanding how your group behaves and how long to flush before extraction.
I'm not sure if your heating element is shared with other machines but for about $65 you might want to grab it. Definitely pick up cartridges for your steam and water valves, get the knobs too. Your autofill valve and expansion valve under the drip tray are unique so any hard parts like the manual fill shaft and expansion valve plunger would be good to have on-hand. Any fittings you see are getting green and you're in doubt, pick them up. Take the numbers off your autofill box and try to cross it over to another make. If it's unique to yours only, autofill boxes are pricey but not nearly as bad as volumetric doser boxes. You might be able to adapt another system to fit yours later, but if you've got the money to get one now, do it and put it in a safe place. A power surge could take yours out someday. Just go over the whole thing and anything you have a hard time getting your hands on, pick up one or two extra. That's all I can think of, a thorough site search was all I needed to answer most of the questions that came up for me. Good luck

Fantastic information, Great tips and that's a lot to get me started. Thank you again for taking the time to hammer out an in-depth reply!

I just came home with a much-needed multimeter, but as I start in with that-- is there any obvious reason why the pump might not be coming on... maybe a relay or safety disable switch or something? It sounds like your VFA had a multi-stage power switch, which would power the element and pump in sequence. I don't believe mine does though; it seems like a simple two position dial. Here is what the switch box looks like--admittedly, I am not sure why it is so complicated if it is a simple on/off.



Any idea what model this is? I have been trying to figure it out, but I can't find anything that looks like it online. Here is a pic of the label:

The extra hole in the front panel isn't for a missing gauge, it appears to be there so you can light the propane burner. I can't tell from the pictures, is the burner still installed?

ah-ha, propane burner--another mystery solved! That is why the label talks about gas then. No, there is no burner on the machine any longer.

After chipping away some of the inlets on the bottom of the boiler, it will now fill, drain, and register level in the sightglass. Progress.

Meanwhile, the pump will still not kick on, nor will the automatic control valve open to fill the boiler. Does the auto-fill engage the pump, or just line pressure?) I removed and cleaned the "dipstick" thinking this might help--no change.

BTW, I have no sort of manual for this thing at all--Home-Barista is the closest thing I have as I have never owned anything remotely similar. Any recommendation for where I might find a manual for a similar machine?

My heating element was completely black, does this suggest that it overheated without water and might be burned out; or is that a regular result of use, and I should expect it to work fine after it's cleaned up? (Some quick work with some steel wool in spots revealed the copper again.)

Hi Dan,
Propane burners are an available option on some machines. Hard to beat the Astoria for gas-powered machines, though.
Try actually pushing in the "dial" on the left - it's actually a button for manual fill. Check the position of the ball valve on the end of the autofill valve assembly, it may be set for manual fill only.
You may find that your pump is simply seized from sitting. Do you get a buzz from the motor a few seconds after powering it up? You should be able to grip the exposed end of the motor shaft and break it free. If not, separate the pump from the motor by removing the clamp and gently twist the pump shaft to get it free. Maybe it will come back to life again, but it sounds like it's about finished.
I think your best bet is to start getting that scale out of there before something burns out. Check that heating element after descaling it, it may indeed have a pinhole in it like mine did. But if it had a water short, you would know it - the breaker would have tripped as soon as it came on. Good luck

I am able to fill the boiler with the auto fill (although yes, the "dial" part confused me in the beginning until I figured out how the boiler fill options were supposed to work). (To say that I have it figured out may be a mild exaggeration.)

I turned the valve so that water would flow to the boiler through the auto-fill valve; but it never does. Possibly it's jammed closed?

I had previously removed the pump and turned the shaft by hand; I'm not sure how easily it's supposed to turn, but it does turn now. I haven't heard anything from the motor, however the gray wire going to the motor harness shows voltage when the brew toggle is depressed. (I'M the one getting depressed.) I don't quite understand how the motor wiring works; what is the capsule on top for? Is the motor wired through the electronic level control (Gicar RL30-1E/F), or should it come on with just the brew lever switches?

I am searching but not yet finding information about how the motor and electronic level control wiring should work.

If your motor is not coming on it might not be getting voltage, or its starter capacitor may be faulty. That's the device mounted on top. You should be able to find a replacement for about $20 or less if you shop around. Your motor will have three leads going to it. Check for AC voltage between the hot and neutral wire (be very careful - this is live AC) you should read 115V or so. If you do, it's probably the starter cap.
The autofill solenoid is powered by the autofill box. A quick way to check it is if the unit is calling for water (the green light next to the manual fill button should be lit) you can take a small steel screwdriver and place it on the nut on the end of the solenoid coil - you should feel magnetism. If the green light is not lit and you do not feel magnetism, the autofill box is not calling for water and you need to find out why. Possibly a crossed wire or blown fuse (I don't recall if those boxes have a fuse, my box was a volumetric box and had no fuse).