Does the Lusso even have a control box? My Export has three wires in, they go to the on switch, the ready light, the P Stat, and the element (there is no low water sensor). It should be pretty easy to bypass everything else and get to the heating element.

Can you post some photos of all the wires? I'll bet from there Doug could get you started.

But, if the machine is under warranty and you can wait, of course, that might be best.

PC

peacecup wrote:Does the Lusso even have a control box?

Yes, the new ones from 1st-line line do. According to Jim, none of the units they've sold has experienced a heating element replacement thanks to this extra safety feature.

Personally I would rather have a vacuum breaker. That said, it's true that once our 3 year old budding barista turned on the Lusso after I had drained the boiler. Power was cutoff to the heating element and the "low water" light went on. A high-temperature cutoff switch could have done the same thing, but it's not guaranteed to trip before the heating element gets dangerously hot.