Hi all,

I just acquired a used pavoni at a yard sale. It appears to be an older model but looks like it's in perfect condition. It has the pressure gauge and one red power button on the left side. I haven't been able to get it to heat up properly or at least that's what I believe is the problem. When I fill the tank up with water and turn it on it takes a very long time to heat up. Like 15 to 20 minutes. And I have not been able to get the pressure to build up. Any thoughts on what I should be looking into for diagnosing the problem.? I appreciate the responses and completely understand that I'm probably asking questions that Have been asked several times before. Just looking for a place to start so that I can get this thing up and running!

This appears to me to be a "Professional" model from the 1980s rather than Europiccola. It has the Professional style switch, and the boiler seems "fat", though sometimes images are deceiving. You should be able to remove the plastic sub base plate and find when it was made and look at information on the heating element. I also have difficulty from the image identifying the portafilter, that would further date it. Early ones have M10x1.5 threads, later ones M12x1.75, I believe it is. The two styles are interchangeable. The boiler cap implies it was 1980s or even late 1970s.

In what country are you located? Are you sure you are not trying to use a 230V model on 115V supply? I acquired an excellent 230v sewing machine with an US 115v style plug. When I realised this, I simply swapped the 115v US plug for a US 230 V plug.

The professionals were not supplied with the two element system that was used on many (most) 1975-2000 Europiccolas, they have a single element with pressurestat.

A little more info might help ...

1. After 15-20 minutes, what pressure does it show on the gauge, and if you open the steam wand do you get a forceful jet of steam?
2. After 15-20 minutes and you raise the lever and fill a cup of water, is the water nearly boiling? lukewarm?
3. Do you hear any steam escaping from the pressure safety valve after it's been on 15-20 minutes (safety valve is that thing with a tube right next to steam wand. On this model it should not hiss unless the pressure goes too high.)
4. Listen and watch closely after it's been on 15-20 ninutes. Can you hear it click on, then rise a little in pressure, then click off and fall a little?
5. After it's starting to come up to pressure, do you open the steam wand for a few seconds? (You need to always do this - if you don't it will not get hot enough even if it does come up to full pressure.)
6. When you remove the cap and look into the boiler with a light, you should see a metal coil - Is it blackish/copperish colored or is it covered with a thick whitish scale?

rpavlis wrote:This appears to me to be a "Professional" model from the 1980s rather than Europiccola.

Yes, is a Pro and has all the 'field marks' of a late 80's machine - short cap, thin plastic base, red DPST switch, metal sightglass protector. Looks identical to one of mine, which is a 1990 Pro.

Hi all, sorry for the late reply! I assumed I would get an email notification whenever someone responded but I didn't have that option selected. It is a 110 V machine. Photo of bottom attached. I've also attached a photo of what the electrical parts look like underneath.

It seems to be warming up even slower now after about 45 minutes it is barely lukewarm. And that also includes water that comes out of the head after lifting the lever. I got absolutely no pressure buildup. Only near the end of about 45 minutes did it even seem warm.

The coils or copperish but each one has a very small sort of green line on it. I would say that some sort of build up but it's not much. Pic attached.

I also didn't notice any steam coming out or hear a click of any sort after 15 to 20 minutes. I tried opening and closing the one a few times but it didn't seem to help

Is a little odd that it heats at all. Robert's suspicion that you had a US plug on a 220V element would have been a good explanation, but your pics indicate a 110V machine (unless somebody went and replaced the element with a 220V one and did not change the plug. Highly unlikely, but to be sure you can look for a faint stamping on the brass base of the element that indicates voltage and date.)

I think it may be a flaky pressurestat or thermofuse, not completely burnt but somehow allowing a little current, would not take much to get lukewarm in 45 minutes. Let it heat for a while, then unplug it (very important to unplug it!) and feel the thermofuse (round brown thing in the center of your element) to see if it feels hot. Also feel the pressurestat.

Best way to diagnose a flaky thermofuse is to bypass it, then plug it in for a test. If the machine behaves normally then you have your culprit. Normally is really easy to do but your wires are pretty short - not a lot of leeway for reconnecting things unless you have a jumper wire (which is something you can make with a wire and two male spade connectors.)

You can also try bypassing the pressurestat, then plug it in for a short test - your wires are plenty long to do that test easily, so you might want to give that a try first, then if that does not fix it, then wire the element directly from the switch, and if that fixes it you probably have a bad thermofuse.

Neglected to mention that it might also be a burnt (but not burnt fully open) element. This is easy to check with an ohmmeter. Unplug the machine, disconnect the wires to the two element terminals, and check that your element has a stable resistance in the neighborhood of 12 or 13 ohm. That will also confirm that you have the proper 110V element (a 220V element would measure ~~50 ohm.)

Thank you! Will give it a try.

Also, Home Burrero, I'm assuming you think it's worth the time and effort to get this thing up and running, right?

For sure. Looks like it's generally in good shape - for example I see no rusting underneath. People often pay $400 - $500 for working machines of that model and age on eBay, and it will make excellent espresso. Parts are easy to find. Speaking of which, it may have old and hardened seals if they haven't been replaced in a long time. Seal/gasket kits for the this one are readily available - are the same as on the pre-millennium europiccola models.