Hey all,

Not sure what happened here. I had water on and in the tank when the boiler was on before. I just removed the heating element while I was removing the boiler to fix my drain plug issue.

I looked up what specs I can find for the VFA Express elite 2gp, and this coil looks larger than the one that's supposed to be in there. Does anyone know where to find a replacement that will fit (but not be super expensive)? I notice that it has 6 leads, but half of them are wired together, so not sure if a 4 lead hearing element would work instead.

I've attached another picture that hard to see, but it has a 220v 3900w heater for a 2group machine...that sounds insane to me!

At some point these were air exposed causing a burnout. Before replacing or repairing the element figure out what happened as in fill valve or sensor.

You can try having the complete element / base replaced but it can also be replaced with new elements only keeping original base.
I would suggest searching for a local "tubular element" company and have them replace the tube elements.

redbone wrote:At some point these were air exposed causing a burnout. Before replacing or repairing the element figure out what happened as in fill valve or sensor.

You can try having the complete element / base replaced but it can also be replaced with new elements.
I would suggest searching for a local "tubular element" company and have them replace the tube elements.

So I had taken the machine completely apart and and cleaned everything (there was a LOT of sediment buildup in the machine when I bought it) and reassembled it completely. I had it plumbed and the water turned on when I turned the machine on, but there's the possibility that I did something wrong when starting up the machine. I have some mechanical knowledge, but this is the first espresso machine I've ever worked with and don't quite know how to use it properly.

If you started the machine first time from empty it maybe that the element turned on at the same time as the fill.
Prior to the water reaching the element the element may have been air exposed too long. A fill valve maintains a boiler level from a set point well above empty, preventing element air exposure.
Not an expert on the VFA but a recent project on custom elements for the early La Pavoni Europiccola machines was a learning experience.

The bend in that element close to base was designed to be installed so the bend faces as close to the base of the boiler without touching the boiler as possible where water would gravitate at its lowest setting. When you stalled the element did you ensure the elements were set properly with the bend facing down towards the boiler wall ?

Also, this https://www.espressoparts.com/faema-220 ... ng-element looks like it would be a suitable replacement. It's a similar wattage, and isn't that expensive. It looks like it has the same flange on it, not sure if these are common flange sizes as VFA is out of business it's difficult to find those specifically.

Or this one might work too https://www.espressoparts.com/cma-220v- ... ng-element

It still seems like more wattage than is necessary however...

redbone wrote:If you started the machine first time from empty it maybe that the element turned on at the same time as the fill.
Prior to the water reaching the element the element may have been air exposed too long. A fill valve maintains a boiler level from a set point well above empty, preventing element air exposure.
Not an expert on the VFA but a recent project on custom elements for the early La Pavoni Europiccola machines was a learning experience.

I see. I know that there is a large solenoid switch on the bottom left of the machine that when I press it down seems to draw water in to the boiler, and let water out, even without the machine turned on. I'm assuming that I was supposed to have filled it with water using that solenoid first before starting? That could have been the issue....

That is typically the startup or setup procedure for these type of machines. Copper elements are not designed for any air exposure unlike Incoloy 800.
The danger with Incoloy is that it will continue to heat up to a very high temp without burning out. This can be a fire hazard in the wrong hands.
La Pavoni early heating elements - a lesson on volume

Ahh I see. I've looked for a startup video or something similar for this machine, but couldn't find any. Are most commercial style machine pretty similar in their startup method?

I'm no expert on these commercial machines, just going from the top of my head on some startup procedures for older machines and precautions I recall reading about.

Many commercial machines have 3 elements so you can use 3 phase power. In a home setting, it's quite reasonable to only power one or two of them if you're willing to live with a longer warm up time and a bit less ability to crank out continuous lattes. I believe I only have two of the three elements powered in my 2 group Rancilio. So 2400 watts instead of 3600 or something like that.

Ira