Troubleshooting Carimali Uno steam and hot water wand/no pressure

#1: Post by **bancial** » July 12th, 2022, 9:34 pm

hello,

for some time I've been restoring a Carimali Uno unit in a pretty bad shape.
it was a basket case and after stripping it, testing components and ordering replacements, cleaning, descaling, reassembly and testing, the machine turned on, filled, heated up (no leaks detected) and...
1. both the hot water wand and steam wand started dispensing hot water/some water&steam respectively without me even touching the tap handles which were in closed position (all valve components in each tap are new except for the spindle: the spring, silicone seals, gasket and gasket holder)
2. the pressure gauge never budged.

here are a few images with taps location (the unit before, during restoration and after) and a link to video of the machine in action after turning it on.

is it possible the steam and water taps are swapped and connected to wrong pipes?
is it the gauge or is there not enough pressure in the system?
or is there other explanation?

I'd appreciate your help with what to do next.
thank you, B

#2: Post by **JRising** » July 13th, 2022, 8:06 am

Well, you said steam/water is coming out through the valves because they don't close, so there probably isn't enough pressure in the boiler for it to register on the gauge.

I think the valves are in the correct places, that is water coming out of the water wand.

If you simply block off the steam and water wands until you have the chance to repair or replace them, you'll be able to continue with the testing of the machine.

July 13th, 2022, 1:28 pm

thank you JR.

as far as testing the machine goes, I agree, that blocking off the taps is a way to go.
at the same time I'm scratching my head at the fact they are not closing on their own, since all the internal parts are new and I've already opened and checked if the internal components are in the right place, mainly, if the gasket is facing the right way..