Elektra Semiautomatica SXC will not heat up.

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cbrew
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Joined: 15 years ago

#1: Post by cbrew »

Can anyone help with my problem?. I have the semiautomatic which is about two months old. I decided to give the boiler a descale. I emptied the machine on its side through the steam wand, filled up with descaler, heated up and waited two hours. I then emptied the boiler, filled up with fresh water, then emptied again and turned the machine upright again to fill with RO water, this time the lights did not come on. I remove the yellow cover at the base and pressed the reset button, there was a click, the lights came on again and I filled up with RO water and started to heat the boiler. The boiler reached mid temperature and did not get any hotter. I let the machine go cold and turned on again, the lights came but the boiler did not even get warm. Can anyone help with my problem please. Also does anyone know if I can download a breakdown of the machine in case I need to work on it, thanks, ray.

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stefano65
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#2: Post by stefano65 »

That is the gauge temp pressure reading?
Stefano Cremonesi
Stefano's Espresso Care
Repairs & sales from Oregon.

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cbrew (original poster)
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#3: Post by cbrew (original poster) »

Hi stefano65 the temp reading is zero because the boiler does'nt heat up. The lights are on and everything works but the boiler, ray.

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stefano65
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#4: Post by stefano65 »

I misread I thought you said it was getting warmer
if you are sure that you did reset the
thermostat
then check for voltage at the heating element terminals
if you get a voltage reading
then you heating element took a dive
if not trace back voltage to thermostat and pressurestat
Stefano Cremonesi
Stefano's Espresso Care
Repairs & sales from Oregon.

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howard seth
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#5: Post by howard seth »

Make sure you really hit that reset button firmly again.

Howard
Howie

cbrew (original poster)
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#6: Post by cbrew (original poster) »

Thanks for the help lads, I have pressed the button real hard and it worked and now the boiler is working again, many thanks, Ray.

cbrew (original poster)
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#7: Post by cbrew (original poster) »

I am looking for help again, I thought my boiler was working because the light came on. The boiler is still not heating up. How do I check for voltage at the heating element terminals to see if the element is broken. I have multimetre

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another_jim
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#8: Post by another_jim »

There's a "boiler on" light on the right that lights when the heater engages. Is it lit? If not, you have a pstat problem.

If it is lit, unplug the machine and turn it off. Do a continuity/resistance check on the two boiler terminals -- it should read around 13 ohms. If it reads as open, the heater has failed and needs to be replaced. You'll need to send the machine in or check with Stefano if your DIY is up to snuff.

If the heater wattage reads OK, there's a loose connection which you'll have to hunt down.
Jim Schulman

cbrew (original poster)
Posts: 12
Joined: 15 years ago

#9: Post by cbrew (original poster) »

Hi jim the boiler light come on and everything seems to work except the boiler. I have checked with the multi metre and there is no reading at all, also no noise from the continuity check. The power is definitely going to the terminals, I got a full voltage reading so it looks like the element has failed. I am quite good at diy, is it a difficult job to replace the element?. Ray.

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another_jim
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#10: Post by another_jim »

Sorry to hear it -- if there's no continuity, the heater is fried. This happened to me once on another machine -- the heating element had a slightly cracked case which failed immediately during the acidic descale. I've never replaced the heater on the Elektra. You can email your vendor, Stefano or Jim P, and set up a talk with their tech people. They'll tell you what's involved, so you can tell whether it's something you're set up to do..
Jim Schulman

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