Pressure temperature drops
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- Posts: 7
- Joined: 10 years ago
Thank you for looking into my question. ECM Technica III
The machine goes on and warms up when it has been cooled off. Once one uses the steam and the pressure drops then it does not warm up again.
Sometimes it starts up again when one switches it on and off a few times.Often it does not warm up at all even if it has cooled off.
I have replaced the presostat as well as the printbox but the problem continues.
The pump works and indication lamps are all normal.
Does anybody have an idea what I could try further?
Thank you
Pieter
The machine goes on and warms up when it has been cooled off. Once one uses the steam and the pressure drops then it does not warm up again.
Sometimes it starts up again when one switches it on and off a few times.Often it does not warm up at all even if it has cooled off.
I have replaced the presostat as well as the printbox but the problem continues.
The pump works and indication lamps are all normal.
Does anybody have an idea what I could try further?
Thank you
Pieter
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- Team HB
- Posts: 3714
- Joined: 5 years ago
Let's rule out the pressostat and Powerboard/Box since you're replaced them, they are the more obvious suspects.
A safety thermostat could be overheating due to its own internal heat generation, either bad contacts causing a voltage/drop or just oxidized electrical connections between the push-on connectors and the thermostat's terminals. The heat distorts the electrical contacts inside badly enough to make really high resistance/voltage drop, the safety thermostat becomes the greater resistor in the heating circuit, the total current through the new high-resistance circuit isn't enough to make the element seem to work, though it is probably operating at 20 or so watts. Besides, little plastic thermostats are cheap to replace.
If you have a volt meter, you could check the voltage drop across all of the components to find the problem. Only the element itself should have a voltage drop near lines voltage.
A safety thermostat could be overheating due to its own internal heat generation, either bad contacts causing a voltage/drop or just oxidized electrical connections between the push-on connectors and the thermostat's terminals. The heat distorts the electrical contacts inside badly enough to make really high resistance/voltage drop, the safety thermostat becomes the greater resistor in the heating circuit, the total current through the new high-resistance circuit isn't enough to make the element seem to work, though it is probably operating at 20 or so watts. Besides, little plastic thermostats are cheap to replace.
If you have a volt meter, you could check the voltage drop across all of the components to find the problem. Only the element itself should have a voltage drop near lines voltage.
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- Posts: 7
- Joined: 10 years ago
Thank you for the advice. I will go through all the items you have suggested.
Kind regards.
Pieter
Kind regards.
Pieter
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- Posts: 7
- Joined: 10 years ago
Dear JRising,
I have taken of the females to the heater element, the water level sensor and the the two top sensors? - cleaned the males and tuned the females around. It seems like it wants to be good now.
I will test it for a few hours and report.
Thank you again.
I have taken of the females to the heater element, the water level sensor and the the two top sensors? - cleaned the males and tuned the females around. It seems like it wants to be good now.
I will test it for a few hours and report.
Thank you again.
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- Posts: 7
- Joined: 10 years ago
After I have cleaned the connections it seemed OK but when the temperature stays up for a few hours then the fault started all over again.
This is how I found the problem:
So I have:
Ruled out the heater element by checking the resistance and voltage when it did warm up sometimes.
Ruled out the water fill sensors - the orange light goes out anyhow when the sensor does not function - but if you remove the sensor connector the tank wants to be filled by the missing signal.
Temperature sensor
Ruled out the presostat - bypassing it with a wire - remember to have the power cord in the vicinity to disconnect it from mains in case the temp goes up.
I have cleaned all the male and female connectors wherever it has any relevance
I have in the meanwhile purchased and installed a new computer printbox (Cigar)
Problems still exists.
Then I went back removed the SSR unit next to the printbox and here is what I found.
The SSR unit is said to almost never cause problems.
See the pictures.
I hope this will help some of you with a similar problem.
This is how I found the problem:
So I have:
Ruled out the heater element by checking the resistance and voltage when it did warm up sometimes.
Ruled out the water fill sensors - the orange light goes out anyhow when the sensor does not function - but if you remove the sensor connector the tank wants to be filled by the missing signal.
Temperature sensor
Ruled out the presostat - bypassing it with a wire - remember to have the power cord in the vicinity to disconnect it from mains in case the temp goes up.
I have cleaned all the male and female connectors wherever it has any relevance
I have in the meanwhile purchased and installed a new computer printbox (Cigar)
Problems still exists.
Then I went back removed the SSR unit next to the printbox and here is what I found.
The SSR unit is said to almost never cause problems.
See the pictures.
I hope this will help some of you with a similar problem.
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- Posts: 8
- Joined: 4 years ago
Thanks for sharing! Will keep this in mind if I ever have the same problem.
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- Team HB
- Posts: 3714
- Joined: 5 years ago
Aha! That's not an SSR, that's a mechanical relay... And it's pretty bad with carbon build up. Maybe replace it with an SSR if you have a place to mount it.