drgary wrote:Ray,

I was wondering the same but was afraid a propane torch might overheat some component there if not used with care. Is there any danger of that? I was thinking wire brush too but it may be easier to control a Dremel if he has one. Also if he just polishes off the residue there's no need for heating.

@ John, you basically need a smooth surface against which the new gasket will seal.

Definitely have to be very careful when playing with fire But the heat will sometimes sort of carbonize stuff and make it easier to clean up, etc. Without seeing it first hand, it's difficult to say for sure.

Ray

john402052000 wrote:I friend suggested a paste of catsup and Worcestershire sauce, saying that the acidic solution would eat away the remnants of the gasket and leave the brass alone. This sounds a little fishy to me since that means that every time you de-scale the tank you eating away the gasket. Any thoughts on this?

I think I'm going to run up to the hardware store and get a new wire brush for my Dremel.

thanks!

I've heard the acid solutions and aluminum foil are good for rust, and you're not dealing with rust there. Burning away gasket remnants works well unless you're likely to damage something with the heat. I think you made a good choice and the result looks nice and clean where you need it to be.

Thanks -- I'll try to reassemble tomorrow.

drgary wrote: @ John, you basically need a smooth surface against which the new gasket will seal.

The two Europiccola's (screw on element) that I restored had a boiler that was too irregular. Paper gaskets didn't work. Rubber was more forgiving. It has not much to do with this case, but I thought "since we're talking Europiccola's"...

Thanks for the tip. I know OE has the rubber gasket. I guess I'll reassemble and let it heat up without the base on, so I'll know pretty quickly if there's a problem -- unless that's a bad idea.

If your goal is to determine if you have resolved the steam leak, probably need to completely re-assemble, let it come up to temp, and cool back down. Then remove the base plate and see if it is dry down there. If you leave the baseplate off, you are potentially allowing steam and/or subsequent condensation to escape/never form - and you won't know if you have resolved the issue.

I agree, reassemble with the base. I think you can leave the base plate off to test for a steam leak. Sit it on a towel covered with plastic wrap, then plug it in and bring it up to pressure with some ice in the drip tray. With even a small steam leak I bet you will find drops (maybe a pool) of condensate underneath after a few minutes of testing.

ugghh-- I'm not well versed in reading wiring diagrams. The on/off switch I got from Stephano requires a different set-up than the original wiring. I was sent a diagram but if anyone has a link to a photo that would be great!

thanks

You can see photos, including the difference between the old white switch and the newer black switch on the Ceccarelli site: http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/lapav ... mi_eng.htm

The pics indicate a very straightforward change in the switch wiring where the pairs of wires at the switch ends swapped sides -- the wire that used to connect to upper right swapped with the wire that went to upper left, and the lower wires swapped in the same way.

But do trust your diagram that came with the switch above any pictures or my advice.

This diagram of a newer (black switch) EPC may also be helpful: http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/La_Pa ... witch3.GIF - does it look like your diagram? Here's a little more explanation on this wiring:
1 - connects to neutral wire from power cord
2 - connects to the 2-5 bridge wire
3 - connects to hot wire from both elements (from the one element that connects to another element, then to power cord)
4 - connects to high wattage element
5 - connects to the 2-5 bridge wire
6 - connects to low wattage element

Thanks for the links! What's throwing me off is that I've got one of the older machines that originally had the white on/off switch and ordered a black on/off switch that requires a different wiring set up. Of course being inexperienced with wiring diagrams doesn't help.