pcrussell50 wrote:What about your discovery that the misfires on the lower PP settings might be due to priming/air leaks due to (you guess it) aged out o-rings?

-Peter

Hi Peter,

While I still believe almost all my "misfires" during low power (55% - 60% power) preinfusion were due to priming/air leakage at the OPV o-ring, I am still getting an occasional no pump start-up (all quiet) during preinfusion (no gurgling sound). I call this a "lazy" pump. It kicks in just fine at 100% pump power. The pump replacement looks easy enough. Wish me success!!

Bob

Hey Folks,

Having picked up a BDB from a seller recently I have been on a mission to ensure that this machine is able to continue running for the next few years! I was able to identify that I have the same issue as BaristaBob and Ash AU. along with an ever so slightly drippy steam wand.

I actually finished rebuilding my steam valve yesterday per the advice and guidance from the steam valve thread as part of my maintenance operations. No hiccups only concern was for the PTFE seals that I purchased(10x5x2mm) having a smaller inner diameter hole than the stock ones. the ball seemed to have warped the extra out of the way, ether way I didn't have any leaks after tightening and testing and the drip is gone! so I think I am okay.

But back to the main issue! I'm still wondering about those dud preinfusions whether it be a solenoid or pump issue. the previous owner seemed to have used some harder water than rpavlis which surfaced in some areas of the machine but hoping to hear back from someone in this thread that is able to resolve this.

My hopes are that it can be a simple o-ring switch which I may end up completing a full round of anyways. Hoping to avoid doing a pump replacement. If I do end up replacing I would then opt for getting a brass necked pump (wondering whether Ulka EAX5 or EX5 is the right choice) with brass opv.

Hope this drives some dialogue for further troubleshooting!

Jp

Has anyone found a surefire method of removing the plastic steam knob cover without marring the hell out of it or breaking it? I know it pops on / off, but I can't seem to get a good enough grip on it. I refuse to use sharp tools as this seems thuggish and sure to leave marks; there's gotta be a better way. In the meantime I'm in no big rush as the dripping is still very intermittent. Please advise.

Spudger? Or other plastic tools used for repairing smartphones. It's three (or is it four) teeny little tabs in the cover that grip the paddle. Alternatively... Bamboo (not balsa) chop stick, sanded into a wedge or chisel shape?

-Peter

Thanks. I forgot about it being discussed on this page:

Breville Dual Boiler, five+ years on

I have a spudger around here somewhere, but it's pretty short. I like the chopstick idea! Stay tuned.

pcrussell50 wrote:Alternatively... Bamboo (not balsa) chop stick, sanded into a wedge or chisel shape?

Speaking of bamboo, I happened to have an old bamboo toothbrush laying around, and used a grinder to make it a pry tool:


-which made quick work of safely removing the knob.

Believe it or not, I was able remove the 6mm piece with no preheating! This was a pleasant surprise, after reading all the horror stories. It's worth noting that my bike tool was a snug fit, and I was prepared to stop if it seemed really stuck. This tool gives great leverage!



The rest of the process went swimmingly. I used a magnetic screwdriver for the 2 screws on the clamp holding the valve body, this made reinstalling them a breeze (without dropping). Anyway, she's all back together and no more drips!

I happened to find a certain video which shows where and how to pry to remove the knob.

DaveB wrote: Believe it or not, I was able remove the 6mm piece with no preheating! This was a pleasant surprise, after reading all the horror stories. It's worth noting that my bike tool was a snug fit, and I was prepared to stop if it seemed really stuck. This tool gives great leverage!

Aren't most bike hardware things 5mm? (most, not all) As to heat and horror stories, if you drew the short straw and need heat, it's never been much of a horror for me at least. It's just an extra step if required. And it's not like you have to blast a torch at it to break corrosion to free a stuck bolt. All you are really doing is softening up some sealer. Once it softens, it comes apart almost as if it's a lubricant, and not a sealer.

So, did you flip seals or replace with PTFE washers? For me, flipping the seals has never not worked, but when my two years leak-free seal flip finally lets go, I think I will try the washers, just to see how they go.

DaveB wrote:The rest of the process went swimmingly. I used a magnetic screwdriver for the 2 screws on the clamp holding the valve body, this made reinstalling them a breeze (without dropping). Anyway, she's all back together and no more drips!

Great to hear. Hopefully others draw inspiration from your story. I'm afraid I come across as a broken record on this. So it's great when other share too.

DaveB wrote:I happened to find a certain video which shows where and how to pry to remove the knob.

Since you were interested in neatness, I was hoping you wouldn't see that. And see how I munged up the cap, too?

-Peter

pcrussell50 wrote:Aren't most bike hardware things 5mm? (most, not all) As to heat and horror stories, if you drew the short straw and need heat, it's never been much of a horror for me at least. It's just an extra step if required. And it's not like you have to blast a torch at it to break corrosion to free a stuck bolt. All you are really doing is softening up some sealer. Once it softens, it comes apart almost as if it's a lubricant, and not a sealer.

That tool is 4, 5, and 6mm. I can't think of anything on the bike that's 6mm, but it sure came in handy today.
If necessary, I was prepared to drop the valve in boiling water before resorting to more intense forms of heat.

So, did you flip seals or replace with PTFE washers? For me, flipping the seals has never not worked, but when my two years leak-free seal flip finally lets go, I think I will try the washers, just to see how they go.

I flipped the seals and tightened snug but not too tight. As mentioned on page 26 of the Breville Dual Boiler ball valve detail, pics thread, I tightened just so I couldn't turn by hand, but could with the paddle attached (outside the machine). If it starts to leak again I'll try simply tightening down a bit more without flipping to see how that goes.

Hopefully others draw inspiration from your story. I'm afraid I come across as a broken record on this. So it's great when other share too.

I felt confident to take this on based on your excellent reporting, and especially the video on the first page of this thread. So thank you!

Since you were interested in neatness, I was hoping you wouldn't see that. And see how I munged up the cap, too?

In your post with that video (page 84 of the "5+ years on" thread, you wrote that you mangled yours while shooting the how-to video. Cheers for taking one for the team!

Just updating on what I've done today to potentially remedy the dud preinfusion issue.

I completed replacement of just about all of the 007 O-rings on my machine minus the middle solenoid connection and the connection on the side of the steam boiler. I found those very hard to reach and did not want to get stuck unable to get those back in.

I discovered my solenoid was surprisingly very clean along the way as I did an inspection cleaning.

After all that preinfusion still did not seem to be operating normally when preinfusion power set to PP55, however after reading some older post with some folks having the same issue I found that by increasing preinfusion power slightly to something like PP70 I could get the pump to behave normally.
(this is tested by seeing if preinfusion will kick in without the pump being "primed" with a shot prior or water run)

this makes me think that other folks might be able to narrow down their specific preinfusion power to kick in their pump during preinfusion such that it accounts for their dying pump. I'm thinking mine may be around 65-70.

With the other potential problems out of the way it makes me think this is just a result of a dying pump and well I'll probably have to replace it eventually but I feel somewhat glad to know I narrowed down the issue to that. Hope this helps some people out.

-Jp

Juanpablo wrote:...snip...
this makes me think that other folks might be able to narrow down their specific preinfusion power to kick in their pump during preinfusion such that it accounts for their dying pump. I'm thinking mine may be around 65-70.

With the other potential problems out of the way it makes me think this is just a result of a dying pump and well I'll probably have to replace it eventually but I feel somewhat glad to know I narrowed down the issue to that. Hope this helps some people out.

-Jp

Dying pump is the common guidance over on the Aussie forums too. BUT when mine stopped working at PP55, swapping into a brand new pump didn't work.

When you changed all your #007 o-rings, did you change the one in the OPV outlet? (Where the PTFE tube that runs from the OPV to the steam boiler) That is the one that had an air leak for Bob/Baristabob, where replacing that o-ring sealed up the leak, and allowed the pump to prime a low power (like PP55). It's an easy access one too.

-Peter