My Vibiemme Domobar single boiler isn't heating, but the heating light is on, which I guess indicates that the thermostat is ok. Does anyone know if this machine has an overheating safety switch? Note that it is not the super, but the single boiler edition, apparently only sold in Europe...

Wiring looks good as far as I can tell, and I cannot think of why or when any overheating would have occurred. I have adjusted the pstat recently, but that shouldn't mess up the heating, should it?

Do you have access to a volt/ohm meter ? Measuring power across the heating element will point you which way to go. Heating light tells me the electronics are working but without a schematic your guess is as good as mine. With both a wiring diagram and a meter-it should be a quick knock out

I could get a multimeter, but I don't have a wiring diagram. Also, I hear it's a dangerous game to play. I'd read up on it first, but must admit I'm new to it...

If there is such a thing as an overheating switch, where would it normally be found? This may sound stupid, but I can't seem to locate the thermostat in there Any hints?

See Part #20 HERE. More diagrams HERE.

Thanks! Unfortunately, the single boiler edition isn't there, but the image confirmed I was looking in the right place, and there's no overheat switch. I guess I need the multimeter, but I'll give the importer a call tomorrow to see if there anything I may have missed... Thanks for your help.


Edit: I see a few drops of water on top of the boiler. They appear to be coming out very slowly near the nut on top. Is this common, or an indication of something being really wrong?

From your comments, and not knowing your abilities, experience, or talents, at this point I would recommend finding a service center or some with experience with espresso machines. Water + Electricity are a dangerous combination, and it there is a leak plus the heating element not working properly, so there needs to be some disassembly.. at least to reseal the fitting, and the possible replacement of a thermostat, pressurestat, switch, or possibly the heating element. We may be able to assist if you could post a photo of the insides with the case off, and that might, at least, let us give you some info to help assure that the service person knows what they are talking about.

Sound advice, no doubt. As mentioned I'll call the importer (which is also a service center) tomorrow and see what they think of it. I thought of posting pics, but I'm simply not sure what to take a picture of as everything looks fine apart from the droplets - to me at least:)

Thanks again, I'll post again if pics become relevant

I spoke on the phone with a service center and they advised me to measure the resistance of the heating element. I couldn't get a reading at all, so they said it needs to be replaced. I've looked around online and found a video on how to do this... The guy from the service center said that it's not too complicated (and it doesn't look too complicated in the video), but of course you have to know what you are doing... Thought I'd ask here if people would advise strongly against taking this on by myself? In other words, has anyone done it and regretted?

Here's the video btw, if anyone else should come across this. It's by a Danish roaster. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAj2qV5zmyg

Thought I'd ask here if people would advise strongly against taking this on by myself?

Yes, I would advise against this particular endeavor for you. As you can see from the video, there's all sorts of opportunities for misfortune.

What I would also advise is that you ask that same service center if they would consider offering a basic home espresso machine maintenance class. The chances are slim but you should approach it as someone wanting to avoid trips to the shop for what could be relatively simple fixes (not heating element replacement).

From that video, I wouldn't pay them to replace the lint filter in my clothes dryer. But from your comments, no, I would not advise you to replace the element in that machine on your own. Some machines are a lot easier than others because the element is accessible without removing the boiler. Yours is not one of those.