Silvia - I think she's dead! HELP! - Page 3

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
jgottlieb (original poster)
Posts: 35
Joined: 12 years ago

#21: Post by jgottlieb (original poster) »

Wow.. so you can tell all that just from looking at the pictures? I didn't even know there was clay in the element. Well thanks for weighing in. I guess I'll put the order in for that new boiler.

Alan Frew
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Joined: 16 years ago

#22: Post by Alan Frew »

Wow.. so you can tell all that just from looking at the pictures?
When you've been doing this stuff as long as I have .... see my 2005 newsletter http://www.coffeeco.com.au/newsletter/october2005.html and the 2008 one, http://www.coffeeco.com.au/newsletter/october2008.html .

Alan

jgottlieb (original poster)
Posts: 35
Joined: 12 years ago

#23: Post by jgottlieb (original poster) »

So here is an update:

Ok, so I just got done with a big overhaul...

I finally got it replaced. Put humpty-dumpty back together again, and I'm getting really low flow through the grouphead. in 15 seconds, I only get about 50-60 ml of water. Flow through the steam wand using the hot water switch is normal.

I tore down the 3-way solenoid during my overhaul and cleaned it (it had gotten choked when the boiler died and spit a ton of grit and sediment all through the machine).

I have tried backflushing. It works, but very low flow. It also doesn't sound the same. When I used to backflush, within a second or two of running the machine, I would hear the pump labor. Now it doesn't do that.

When just running the pump without a portafilter attached at all, there is water cycling back into the water reservoir at a pretty good rate.

I've also removed the dispersion screen etc and still get very low flow.

So I'm "guessing" at this point that maybe my OPV got clogged up when the boiler died?

I had this similar issue a year or two ago, and when I Google'd around for a fix, there was a sequence that someone had recommended of running the machine, opening the steam wand and something else. It didn't look like it would fix the issue, but they had described it just how my machine was behaving. I performed the odd sequence of steps and it fixed it. From what I assumed it built up some kind of pressure and then when you released the steam wand it blew everything out. But this was for a grouphead flow issue.

Of course I can't find the sequence anywhere which is driving me nuts. I'm thinking maybe there is some grit or something stuck in the OPV and if I could do this little procedure again, it would clear it out.

Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated. After having my machine out of operation for a couple of months, I was VERY excited, as was my wife, of being able to get things back up again. We are both really frustrated that we are now fighting with yet another issue.

Also, if it is the OPV and no one remembers what that sequence was, is there a way to clean it or break it down? Or is it a replacement thing?

Thanks,

Joshua

jgottlieb (original poster)
Posts: 35
Joined: 12 years ago

#24: Post by jgottlieb (original poster) »

As a quick update... I went back to my machine a little while later once it had cooled down. I had read somewhere that you can sometimes pinch the OPV hose and it will get a little more flow going through the OPV and might dislodge the piece of grit or whatever that might be causing the issue.

When I turned the machine on and ran the pump, the water flow was suddenly fine. I thought maybe the issue had resolved itself! I warmed the machine up, pulled a shot and then as I was cleaning the grouphead etc afterwards, the waterflow went back to the slow mode.

I turned the machine off, came back a little while later and same deal, fast flow out of the grouphead when the machine is cold... and once it warms up, it gets restricted again...

I'm at a loss. I would have thought if it was grit it would either fix itself or not.

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erics
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#25: Post by erics »

I had read somewhere that you can sometimes pinch the OPV hose and it will get a little more flow going through the OPV and might dislodge the piece of grit or whatever that might be causing the issue.
Either you read wrong or the writer "wrote wrong" - it will serve no purpose whatsoever other than to perhaps self-remove the OPV hose from the OPV body.

When you are simply flushing Silvia, there should be NO FLOW in the OPV hose. The "flushing" flow from the grouphead should be around 610 ml/minute and the flow from the steam wand essentially the same.
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

jgottlieb (original poster)
Posts: 35
Joined: 12 years ago

#26: Post by jgottlieb (original poster) »

The post was talking about possibly helping to dislodge the grit from the OPV.

Regardless it didn't work. Do you have any ideas on whether this might be an OPV issue as opposed to a 3-way valve issue?

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erics
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#27: Post by erics »

Well, if there is any flow in the OPV while flushing, you have a leaker and that is fixable.

The rubber valve face for the OPV is easily replaceable as it is held in place with a small machine screw.



You may or may not have these stainless shims and I did not look to see if you have the adjustable OPV but I do believe they are all essentially the same internally.

If the OPV is NOT leaking, then the problem could be within the brew solenoid or a kinked pump suction hose.
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

jgottlieb (original poster)
Posts: 35
Joined: 12 years ago

#28: Post by jgottlieb (original poster) »

Well I'm happy to report that I got it fixed. It looks like it was a chunk of grit that got into the 3-way. I opted to check the 3-way since that would only take a couple of minutes to tear down. Cleaned it out and the machine is working like a champ!

Thanks to everyone who responded!

Joshua


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