Dead Olympia Cremina (bad power switch?)

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
squidelephant
Posts: 2
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by squidelephant »

Hey guys, I'm Evan. Longtime lurker first time poster. My Cremina died the other day after 6+ years of daily use. TL;DR it doesn't power on anymore, and I think the main power switch is shorted out.

Background: Had this machine for almost 7 years. Got it from a friend who got it from a former roommate who moved out on really bad terms and apparently never used the thing (he also left his TV, bed, couch and siamese cat... don't ask). Managed to get it up and running, descaled it and started cranking out shots. I'd worked as a barista but basically had no idea what I was doing in terms of taking care of a home machine for the first year or two. Didn't even lube the piston until it died once (I thought they were supposed to require lots of arm strength to use!). Ended up finding Lewis Martinez's number on these boards, and on two occasions between 2011-2012 he picked up my machine in Manhattan and revived it at his shop in NJ. The first time he replaced a bunch of stuff, including some gaskets I think. His english wasn't great so I was often guessing at what he was trying to say. Second time he replaced the main power switch and I think that was it, but he told me he had to change the shape of the hole in the case because the replacement switch was a different shape than the original. New one is a circular switch, whereas the old one was one of the long rectangular ones. Also after he fixed it the second time, the pilot light wiggles around quite a bit. The machine used to leak a lot, after he worked on it it stopped leaking entirely then came back, but only a little. I don't descale it nearly often enough but I keep the piston lubed so it's a smooth pull.

Here's what happened the other day: I filled the boiler and turned it on like normal, and when I went to go bleed the false pressure from the steam wand, I noticed the light on the power switch flicker as I touched the machine. I turned the power switch off but when I flipped it back on, the light didn't come on and it did not heat any further. Outlet is OK, I tested it with other appliances (though we live a in a brand new building with some questionable construction choices, I think the electrical is fine here).

First thing I did was try to hit the reset button on the bottom but it didn't seem to do anything. I took off the bottom plate and it doesn't look like it's the resettable kind. There's no white button to push in just solid black plastic in between the two terminals. Second thing I tried was to call Lewis, but he never answered or called me back. I called every place in NYC that does Espresso machine repair, but Cerini in the Bronx is the only place that will service them and there's a 3-4 week waiting period just to have them look at it. Didn't ask what the diagnosis fee is but I'm guessing it's not cheap since they're the only game in town.

So I decided I'd try to fix it myself. I've replaced an iPhone screen successfully and soldered broken headphones back to functionality, so I figure I can handle it. Got myself a multimeter and watched some of Doug's videos. Followed the electrical troubleshooting guide on OE(http://www.orphanespresso.com/Olympia-C ... 565-1.html). All 3 prongs of the power cord have continuity, but the main power switch only has continuity on right terminals - the pair on the left do not have continuity. I did not test any of the other components yet because it seems like this is the issue.

This is the power switch from the front


And this is the switch from behind with terminals disconnected


So now my questions are:
1. Is it possible to fix the power switch instead of replacing it?

2. Will replacing the power switch fix this? I know that's not a question anyone can answer definitely without working on a machine, but from what I've said does that seem like the best course of action?

3. Will this replacement switch work? http://www.orphanespresso.com/Illuminat ... _4159.html Seems like it's the wrong shape

3.5 What about this one? http://www.coffeemaker-spareparts.com/S ... 29d53b77a9

4. How worried should I be about the asbestos insulation? Mine does not seem to be in great shape but only a little has flaked off. Will I die if I touch it? Inhale it? Eat it? Here's a better picture of the boiler (ew)


Thanks for reading thus far! Any advice would be greatly appreciated since I'm way out of my depth here.

User avatar
sweaner
Posts: 3013
Joined: 16 years ago

#2: Post by sweaner »

Well, since the Cremina is beyond repair, and you have touched asbestos, you are a goner, so please ship the machine to me for use as scrap metal. :P
Scott
LMWDP #248

day
Posts: 1316
Joined: 9 years ago

#3: Post by day replying to sweaner »

Man...I thought I was going to be the first to offer my generosity to save his life. But, I say Mr. Sweaner, let me be your hero and take this burden in your stead. :)

But, to the main point, I really have no idea, but if its not a resettable thermofuse, I think there has got to be a very reasonable chance that it is the thermofuse. In which case it can probably be bypassed, after you use your multimeter to test it.

It would probably help people give you advice if you list full specifics of your model, year and show full pictures of your wiring etc.

If you are considering a purchase from OE, def send them an email-worst case is they are busy with projects and it falls in the cracks.

Finally, while I can't truly help you I do know this. If you take a beautful machine like a Cremina to someone and he cuts it and changes the OE specs without your say so, don't ever go back to him. IMO anyway...
Yes, i you per this on an iPhone

Christo
Posts: 48
Joined: 10 years ago

#4: Post by Christo »

My Cremina died a couple of months ago. Look up my posts and you can see the coils on the heating element that split open. A post on the bottom of the element had broken off and it shorted out. I heard a loud pop and it was all over. I bought a new heating element from Cerini and it works great now. Have you tested the heating element? Doug's got a great video about how to test it for shorts in his "So you got a Cremina" series. I can't find that particular video right now. He also has a video in the series about removing the asbestos. He puts the boiler in a 5-gallon bucket of water, soaks it and then removes the asbestos. Here's the link to that one; http://youtu.be/khsCVa6sT1U

Chris
Chris
LMWDP #476

XCman
Posts: 86
Joined: 13 years ago

#5: Post by XCman »

Could be a bad switch or the heating element or a bad or corroded connection.
Get a multimeter and people on this site can guide you thru a trouble shoot.
The Cremina is a easy machine to work on and perfect beginner multimeter project.

squidelephant (original poster)
Posts: 2
Joined: 9 years ago

#6: Post by squidelephant (original poster) »

Hey guys, thanks for all the generous offers of help and posthumous Cremina storage :D

@XCman - This was a bit buried in the initial post but I do have a multimeter and tested as Doug shows in the initial So You Got A Cremina video and the electrical troubleshooting guide. The power cord is good, got continuity on all 3 prongs. The heating element is good, I think - I tested the two big poles coming out the middle of the bottom of the boiler and got 13 ohms. Given that the heating element and power cord checked out, I moved on to the switch (which is where I think the short is, since it flickered before giving out). I unhooked those terminals and got continuity between the top right and bottom right terminals. The left terminals did not show continuity however, and the troubleshooting guide says that means the switch needs replacing.

@day - how do I test the thermofuse? and what do you mean by "bypass it"? Not sure what that means since I've never really done any real wiring work. I'll email OE about the switch they sell and if it will fit my modified case.

When I get home from work tonight I can post full specs and more wiring pics. Thanks for all the encouragement guys! Feeling pretty confident that with the help of the h-b hivemind I can resurrect this puppy, and then do a more thorough restoration too! I'm already daydreaming about modding my steam wand, getting some temp strips and scouring the boiler.

User avatar
mogogear
Posts: 1477
Joined: 18 years ago

#7: Post by mogogear »

Is there a red button sticking out of a hole in the bottom grate below the boiler? If so see if pushing it resets and thus allows the element to be powered again. It is a resetabe thermal switch ( circuit breaker)

If this does not work, then either you have corroded connections at the switch ( very possible) or a bad switch.. Since you know how to use a volt ohm meter, it s not that hard to see if you have power going into the switch and if you can find power ( that is switchable) on the other side feeding to the element, via the pressure stat. It has been a long time since I have trouble shota Cremina- so pardon if I have a faulty memory.
greg moore

Leverwright
LMWDP #067

XCman
Posts: 86
Joined: 13 years ago

#8: Post by XCman »

To answer your question about how to check the thermal switch use you multimeter and do a continuity test on it.
Touch the probes on each of the thermal switches connecter and see if power is going thru it. Or you could bypass it by connecting the two wires together, thus bypassing the switch all together (not recommended for daily use).
I was never good with electrical but with a multimeter and youtube you can fix just about anything and the Cremina is the perfect
place to start.