Good morning all - just acquired a 1985 LSM 12-85-1 ("impracticale") from the local classfieds. The machine was never used commercially and has not been recently used (possibly for decades) in its residence. It is complete with Pump, water softener, portafilters, etc. Will be attempting to fire (!) it up today.

Does anyone have a schematic?

Any advice on shakedown, recommissioning?

Thanks, Dave

Wow that looks pristine. Have you at least look inside yet to make sure the wiring still in good shape?

The exterior was dull and grimy - it had sat for awhile, probably many years. What you see in the photos took about 30 minutes cleanup with hot soapy water and some spray kitchen cleaner. The interior has only had cobwebs wiped away, so what you see is how it was received.
I have not opened the wiring chamber specifically, but as you can see the inside is very clean also except for some mineral deposits around boiler gasket. I will meter the heater coils to look for open circuits for sure. I don't think its been touched since it left the factory, no evidence of wrench work or tinkering at all.

I need to jury rig a 220v connection, and water.

Not sure what to do with the water softener, or if it even matters for a brief shakedown?

Can anyone confirm that the blue wire was a neutral? (see the plug used was the incorrect 110v 20A style, not 220) Schematic would help a lot.

Can I feed the pump water from a bucket for now? (ie no pressure)

I do have the factory usage manual for the 85-12 series. It does not cover electrical or troubleshooting though.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave

While not the same machine, the electrical diagrams and other helpful info here should help you out: /downloads/

Thanks Eric.

Dave

BWAHAHAHA!!!

Its alive! I do have a few issues at the end though.

First, for anyone in a similar situation....

• Obviously, replace the hoses.
  I replaced the plug with the correct NEMA configuration.
  
  I built an electrical adapter so that I could run 220v off of the split circuit on my downstairs kitchen counter.
  
  I cobbled up an adapter (plumbing) so that I could feed the beast off the kitchen tap. (Connected the machine to the tap with a hose barb and what I believe to be the remains of a waterbed fill kit - same vintage as the espresso machine lol.)
  First, flush and operate each part separately. The water softener alone, then the pump alone, (direct connect to 220v), then and only then the machine.
  The water run through the softener came out soapy and yellow-brown. I let it run slowly, flushing for about an hour till clean. The valves on the softener leak, need to be repacked or replaced, OR maybe they are just being overwhelmed by the high pressure of the tap water...read on.
  I wired the pump directly to 220, gave it a quick on-off. It was seized. Disassembled, and found the motor was fine, the pump itself was locked. removed the pump cover circlip rinsed with vinegar, and fed the pump some mineral oil, and slowly, slowly worked it until it was freed. Reassembled, works like a champ. Flushed that with water also, ran it etc.
  Only then, connected everything, made sure the sight glass showed full, then powered the beast up. it filled, heated and... worked.
  Ran through group, steam, water, found a few issues, but overall, not bad after 20 years or so. Drained boiler and water came out blazing hot with no scale at all.

A few issues remain... hopefully someone can advise or comment?

Once hot, the hot water dispenser dispenses steam AND hot water as if the boiler is nearly empty. The sight glass indicates it is 3/4 full. (Have been advised in another forum that this is a result of the return to atmospheric pressure, and its lower boiling point)

I believe the operating switch should light up. It doesn't, need to check that.

The supply pressure reads beyond the red (over 12 bar) when the pump is not operating. Do I need a regulator and what should the constant supply pressure be? (further research suggests 3-8bar, and yes, regulator required.)

I adjusted the pump regulator to 9 bar on the gauge when the pump is operating. Is this correct, and is it something to tweak?

There is no obvious boiler drain on this unit (its two-group cousins have one) I just used the supply line to drain. Is this typical? (I can can plumb in a diverter valve, otherwise draining this machine will be a bit of a pain.[/list] (yes)

Nonetheless ...

Dave

FYI - at the risk of revealing a possible faux pas, I include the link below to a discussion at coffeegeek.com on this machine, great detail on recommissioning this (or any) machine.

https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espre ... ods/707303

Dave

Thanks Dan-the-HB-host for posting the manual I sent in the downloads section. This is the installation manual for the 85- series machines, circa 1984, and it includes much useful setup info I was unable to find elsewhere.

/downloads/ ... e-1984.pdf

Later: I removed the 8mm bolt securing the grouphead screen, and washed that in boiling soapy water. Scrubbed it clean with a toothbrush. Used a seal picker (like a big dental pick) and hooked the hardened old portafilter seal ring out of its groove, and pressed in a new one ($7).

Dave