Hi All,

I'm a new member, looking for help on how to fix my Vetrano.

One morning, I woke to find the machine would not heat. I've checked the resistance on the heating element and found it to be within spec. I noticed on the top of the boiler, there is some melting going on. See photo.

Also, We tried "Resetting" the little black dot on the top, the machine began to heat again, but the next morning it didn't work again.

Any suggestions? Do I simply need to replace the fuse (I'm guessing it's a fuse)? If so, where do I get that sort of thing?

Thanks!!

Brett (in desperate need of my vetrano back!)

Another one for perspective:

Could this be it?

https://www.chriscoffee.com/Quick-Mill- ... te0980.htm

Brett

mrbcc wrote:Could this be it?

https://www.chriscoffee.com/Quick-Mill- ... te0980.htm

It's probably not - that version in the link is a "clamp on", and in the picture above it looks like a "screw on", so will not fit in.

Also on the top picture this high-limit thermostat looks a bit burnt, especially the contact. So, I would first find out what caused it to blow (that is why the boiler was overheated) before you replace it.

If you bought this new i would contact the service department of the vendor.

tonythewonderful wrote:... the top picture this high-limit thermostat looks a bit burnt, especially the contact. So, I would first find out what caused it to blow (that is why the boiler was overheated) before you replace it.

I was thinking of that too. Any ideas? Everything seemed to be working fine beforehand. The only thing that was odd was that someone left the hot water knob just a fraction of a turn open, but no puddles of water were evident around the machine (was thinking the boiler was emptied by a slow leak). Maybe steam escape was enough?

The machine is about two years old, and the company I bought it from is no longer in business.

mrbcc wrote:(was thinking the boiler was emptied by a slow leak).

If boiler's autofill works, and the microswitch under the tank works than the machine would just replace the water in the boiler until the water tank is empty, upon which it would just shut the pump and the heater, in other words the possibility you describe is very unlikely.



Do you really want to have your hands dirty? Are you sure you do not want just give a call to a service, and a qualified technician will sort the problem for you? Just google "espresso machine service" (it does not have to be the same company you bought the machine from) and have a piece of mind.

One of the reasons why it is tricky to advise here, is because I have no idea about your level of qualification, and that you will not electrocute yourself (or, worse, damage the machine), and then say that you just followed my advice.

Then please be forewarned that you should take all responsibility for fiddling with the machine, and for any possible losses (including death - I am serious). If you do not agree, please stop here and find a qualified espresso service. They fix it, and you will go on enjoying your coffee.

So, you decided to read further, that means you have accepted the terms and conditions.

You still do not want to call the service???

In any way, I am going just to outline things to check, in general details:
- Does the machine have enough water (in a tank or, if plumbed, the valve is not shut)?
- Does the pump work?
- Does the boiler fill with water? (tank solenoid works?)
- Does it fill to the correct level? (level sensor works and not dirty?)
- Does the pressurestat work? (to check that you need to temporarily bypass the high limit thermostat (the fuse under question) - if you do not know how, please call the service).

ONLY if all the above are "Yes", then you can replace the high limit thermostat, and carefully observe the machine for any further overheating.

Brett, just one more thing... I do not know what you decide, in case you decide to DIY, it might be worth checking the thermostat too. They do get cooked up after all. You need to measure the resistance between its contacts. Remember you must switch off the machine and pull the plug out of the power socket! and disconnect the wires from the thermostat before you attempt any measurements.
When you reset it, the resistance should be very close to zero. If not, it should be replaced. Just google high limit thermostat for espresso machines.
Good luck!

as for parts and tech advice CHRIS's COFFEE is your #1 source ; they are the wholesale importer and distribute to all retail sellers like CLIVES, etc . they have all the parts and can get the parts not stocked ; your machine most likely passed thru their warehouse, so don't be timid about asking to talk to their tech and service people ; my personal experience, they are friendly and very helpful ...

Aside from whether to do the repair or take it somewhere, you can do a couple of things to try and find out what the problem is:

The most likely cause or at least the first thing to check when the overtemp switch has popped is the pressurestat. It controls when the element turns on and off based on the boiler pressure. I see you have a sirai in there (the big black box in the bottom left corner of the pic), theyre pretty solid but its still the first thing to check.

The pressure stat will turn on when the pressure gets low (lets say 1.0bar) and turn off when it gets high (lets say 1.2bar), the space in between is called the deadband and most pressurestats have a deadband of 0.2bar even if they're adjust (ie to turn on at 1.2 and turn off at 1.4). A failing pressurestat will most likely have a larger or erratic deadband. So heat machine up and when the element clicks off note the pressure, then trickle steam out the wand and see what pressure it turns back on. If its much bigger than 0.2 then it won't control well and could pop the termal fuse. this wider deadband is related the the flexibility of the teflon diaphragm in the pressurestat

The other failure mechanism for pressurestats is the contacts sticking or making poor contact. Since this machine hasn't been used heavily (compared to the commercial machines they're designed for) this is less likely. You can cycle the steam to get the pressurestat to turn on and off a bunch of times to see if you can observe it deviating from the normal range.

Its possible that the thermal switch is broken, but its more likely that its doing its job and something else is causing the machine to overheat.

Don't be too concerned about the spade connector being discoloured, it works just fine but the plastic shroud perishes over time at that temperature.