Hi there,

Help please! Desperately searching this forum for the location of the pstat in the Export as I need to reset it. My machine was mistakenly boiled dry this morning

Thanks in advance.

Well, I hope you didn't kill the heating element!

Underneath the PV Export there should be a safety thermostat that looks like this:
(image from 1st Line)


It should look something like this:
(image from Peacecup's thread)


Just pushing in the red button should reset the safety switch.

If you have problems with the heating element 1st Line has replacements available for the PV Export, so either way there is a fix. Hopefully your element is fine and the thermo safety caught it for you!!!

A thousand thank yous DanoM!!! It seems to be fine so far. There is a faint burnt smell coming through the steam but it seems to have gone after I flushed the machine.

As a word of caution, you should replace that thermal switch when you can. I had the same experience as you, and reset the thermal switch. The SECOND time I boiled it dry the switch did not cutoff, and the machine got so hot the plastic sight glass cover melted, along with all of the seals, and heating element insulators. NOT a pretty sight, but thankfully no fire or explosion. She is rebuilt now and working fine.

I recommend all machines be run on a timer to protect against this.

PC

How "pushy" is that thermostat button? Mine has very little play. In fact, it doesn't even really feel like a "button" because the red part just barely goes in and out and it doesn't feel like it's pushing against anything.

I know mine must have gone because I definitely ran it dry and the light went out. But I expected to be able to push it back in.

Any more description of this process?

I don't remember what the red button felt like when I reset it, but I remember puzzling over whether it was working properly. But it did reset the first time, because I was able to turn the machine back on and use it for a long time before the second time I boiled it dry. But that was the time it seemed to malfunction, since the machine never turned off.

I guess if you can reset and use the machine it's ok to do so, but be aware that it may not work the second time. When you have the time you could replace it as a precaution.

PC

Hi peacecup, thanks for your thoughts. As it turns out, it was my circuit-breaker in the wall that flipped! No wonder I couldn't turn it back on Glad it's not the machine.

Great. When mine boiled dry it cooked a little scale off and needed to be rinsed a few times with clean water. I did not run this water through the group, to prevent any dirt from going that direction.

It's still worth replacing the cutoff when you get around it, just in case.

Another precaution is to empty the whole boiler upside down over the sink or a bucket periodically. Scale tends to settle in the Pstat hole at the bottom of the boiler, and I suppose it can eventually clog it. Before I start mine each day I gently rock the machine upside down and back a few times, then empty it and refill it. I NEVER PLUG IT IN UNTIL I'VE REFILLED (that's how I first tripped the cutoff switch - it's easy to forget it's empty if you get distracted, then turn it on by mistake!).

My last soapbox lesson is to always run the machine in a timer, set for 1-2 hours, during operation. That way if I chance to forget to turn it off the timer may do so before it boils dry.

Now it's on to great espresso...

PC

peacecup wrote:Great. When mine boiled dry it cooked a little scale off and needed to be rinsed a few times with clean water. I did not run this water through the group, to prevent any dirt from going that direction.

I have to say, these espresso machines are a little fussy. Do you have any idea why it can'' just shut off when there is no water in it?

At any rate, thanks for the descaling tips. I'll keep that in mind as I move forward because I'm sure that will be something that I need to pay attention to.

Also I am now very concerned about it being on without any water so like you, I'm leaving it unplugged when I'm not using it, as a string around my finger reminding me to first add water.

I think the thing that first led to me turning it on while empty was that the power switch is opposite what I would expect. To turn it on, I have to flip it down. Is yours the same way?