My fantastic Caravel that I've been using non-stop for the last 7 months has suddenly stopped heating. Had two shots yesterday and was fine but this morning nothing. The light on the front of the machine turns on but the element never heats up. I believe, but am not certain, that it has a 110V element from cafelat. I opened up the bottom just now to take a look and all the wires seem connected appropriately with nothing obvious in sight. There was a lot of black soot that came out though and I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

Any advice on what I should troubleshoot here? Do these elements usually blow out or is it more likely a wiring issue I need to deal with? Thanks for the help.

They are easy to diagnose. Ohm test element out of machine. If fine place downward pressure on kettle. If light turns on may need some minor thermostat adjustments.
Could also be the microswitch. They can be hard to get at to remove and replace but easy to get at to ohm test. Test while unplugged. Repeat not plugged into wall during microswitch or any ohm test since your are testing for continuity only at that point.

Microswich shown in middle with blue stripe.

Thanks for the responses.

The soot was coming out when I removed the bottom plate from the machine. I got a small pile each time I unscrewed one of the legs. The machine is plugged into a GFCI and it did not trip.

I just dug out my multimeter and it's showing no resistance across the terminals at all ranges. The element is pretty stuck in place so I was unable to fully get it out. I ended up removing the wires attached to the element assembly, and measured where the wires screw into the ceramic block. To make sure I was using the meter correctly I also measured a 1k resister which read appropriate. So I'm assuming my element is dead?

Sounds like a dead element.

PacMan wrote:Thanks for the responses.

The soot was coming out when I removed the bottom plate from the machine. I got a small pile each time I unscrewed one of the legs. The machine is plugged into a GFCI and it did not trip.

I just dug out my multimeter and it's showing no resistance across the terminals at all ranges. The element is pretty stuck in place so I was unable to fully get it out. I ended up removing the wires attached to the element assembly, and measured where the wires screw into the ceramic block. To make sure I was using the meter correctly I also measured a 1k resister which read appropriate. So I'm assuming my element is dead?

just checking; you used the lowest resistance range on your multimeter? At the higher ranges the reading would be 0
If so the element is likely dead.

Yes, I used all possible range settings on the multimeter to test the element.

I happened to open up my Caravel this morning,
and was greeted with a small pile of soot-like material. I've had this machine apart before, but probably 4 years ago, so this is a newer development. I have a Cafelat 110v element in this machine, which has worked flawlessly for at least 2 years (can't recall when Paul made these).

I did notice that one of the wires from the element to terminal block has signs of scorching where it was touching the outer body and the large oblong ceramic insulator that the element plugs into. I was able to re-position the wires such that they are no longer contacting those surfaces.

I doubt the soot came from the wire jacketing, as it was discolored but not melted. Perhaps these Cafelat elements give off some material during initial break in? I'll be keeping an eye on the wiring and perhaps will swap the original element back in. I have 220v service so that's easier than re-wiring for 110v.

Thanks for the insight. I'm about to order an element from Brooks to get the the caravel back up and running.

I just wish Brooks had sane shipping options. The shipping is more than the element.