Got a used Non - PID Alexia (no panel for PID).
Love the machine!!! beautiful and well built.
Previous owner said the heating element had been replaced about a year ago.
It just burst on me last week.
I drink exclusively espresso, no milk drinks.
It was a bastard to pull. It was mangled and the tube that the thermocouple sits in was bent and I had to rip the element to pieces to remove it from the boiler, then rinse the boiler as best I could from the ceramic that had come out of the burst element.
That's how i knew there was a problem... Seemed to be working fine, but all of a sudden the water was cloudy (yuk).
I really want to avoid that again. the boiler and connections managed to make it through intact, but i don't know how many times I could do that without compromising the boiler or some of the connections.
But purging the steam when I don't even use the steam is a Huge and messy hassle.
Shouldn't the pump refill the boiler while I pull a shot?
Alexia owners, do you have any experience / advice / fixes?
Thanks!

here's a photo of the element :

After I ripped the socket / Bolt / plug off I had to rip it in half to get it out. I tied wires around the separate ends so if I dropped them I didn't have to fish around with pliers and a screwdriver

and this is how it looked coming out of the boiler:


and here you can see the top where I had to rip the element and just how bent the thermocouple tube was:

You have a single boiler, so you would have to refill the boiler after steaming, unless it has an auto-refill, which most single boiler machines don't. You only have to purge the steam wand after steaming milk to remove any milk from the wand and prevent milk from getting sucked back into the boiler. Otherwise, you don't ever have to purge the steam wand. Also, you should never have to refill the boiler after pulling a shot, as the pump will fill the boiler automatically.

All that said, that element looks to me like the boiler was empty. I supposed it could also have just been a cheap element. My only thought is do you leave the machine on all the time? If so, then maybe the steam wand leaking and it all steamed out. If you only turn the machine on before each use and no puddles of water, then maybe the element was a lemon. I'm sure better answers to follow.

Thanks!
I never use the steam wand.
No Puddles and no sneaky steam escaping.
I leave it on all day, but generally not longer than 12 Hours at a time.
yeah, that's my guess, the heating element was running while the boiler was empty.
I mangled it some getting it out, but it was already burst and bulged (might have been what bent the thermocouple tube. It's a tight fit already and it bulged and bent and I forced it out)
Seems to be something that Alexia owners have to be aware of.
I've read it a few times
and one of the guys from ChrisCoffee recommended I purge the steam and refill the boiler after each round of shots.

Shouldn't the pump refill the boiler while I pull a shot?

Absolutely.

Before you start the machine up with a new element, remove one of the electrical leads to the element and fill the boiler by simply lifting the brew lever.

Measure the flow you get from an empty Portafilter. It should be around 450-500 ml/min.

Since you brew only espresso, there is NO NEED to purge anything from the steam wand. Adding a PID will make this machine really shine . . . I'm amazed there is no panel cut out for this as this must be a really older version.

thanks!

Yeah, that's what I did, not only to fill it, but to doublecheck that the integrity of the boiler and the fittings hadn't been compromised by beating on it.
Better to find out there's a pressure leak when the water's cold

Since you brew only espresso, there is NO NEED to purge anything from the steam wand.

That's what I thought. I'm gonna go back to doing it that way and cross my fingers.

I'm amazed there is no panel cut out for this as this must be a really older version.

The panel between the boiler and the water tank has a sticker that says Senago on it, but I googled that and it doesn't look like the video I saw.
It's an Alexia with an e61 grouphead.
Maybe the same panel fit both machines?

Yeah, I thought maybe there would be a panel for a PID... I build electronics so it wouldn't be much of a problem installing it.
I kinda hate to cut in to it though...
No real elegant way. I could strip the front plate and mill it, but that seems like more trouble than it may be worth.
I could use a dremel, but with the stainless steel that's asking for a slip. Clunky solution at best.

My Lelit PL41TQE had a PID and I really liked it. Even just for adjusting the temp a degree or 2.
Haven't really needed it on the Alexia so far.
It's pretty stable.
Pull about 4 doubles a day and it sits for an hour or 2 in between, then I pull a blank shot to warm the demitasse, prepare the portafilter and it's ready to go.
Had my brothers over this weekend and pulled a few shots in a row and it was no problem.

The thermostat got moved a hair while I was working on it, so I only have the 2 top screws in the cover so i can rotate it up and adjust the thermostat til i get it dialed in.

In my machine in the idle position hot water from the boiler would get pushed through the expansion valve and into the water reservoir. If left unnoticed the boiler would have emptied and the element would have burned. I only have seen one other HB'er with this issue. In this case the expansion valve needed to be replaced.

erics wrote:Absolutely.

Adding a PID will make this machine really shine . . . I'm amazed there is no panel cut out for this as this must be a really older version.

Yes, the first version (purchased 8 years ago), such as I have, has no cut out for PID. I inquired to PID Kits (by MLG Properties) and he could have supplied a PID with a tape to mount externally. Pity I did not purchase that then, as I think he does not supply PID anymore.

Thanks Pino!

I think that's what I'm looking for!

How did you diagnose it was the expansion valve? (haha as in what were the symptoms?)
It works normally as far as I can tell.
When i poured the 4 inches of water out of the tank to refill yesterday the water was very warm.

I've seen that mentioned a few times here and there on various sites.
Most people referred to it as the OPV, but when i asked about an Alexia OPV I was told it doesn't have one.

Over pressure valve ~ Expansion valve

Was the warm water was coming out of the built in water reservoir? Hot water would come out during brewing that is when the pump is running. But in my case hot water was coming out while idle. Idle that is machine on / pump not running.