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To begin with, here are all the tools needed for the job. From left to right, a
2.5mm allen key, a small diameter phillips head screwdriver, 8mm (ground down)
socket spanner, 11mm, 12mm, 15mm and 17mm spanners, pliers and a scotchbrite
pad.
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And here is the machine to be repaired, on the bench and UNPLUGGED from the
power supply. Symptoms are the immediate tripping of circuit breakers as
soon as the machine is plugged in and switched on.
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We start by removing all the loose bits from the machine. Take any beans out of
the hopper, note the hopper setting then pull it straight up to remove it. Then
take out the tank, lid and drip trays.
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We now unscrew the two
small phillips head screws holding the top on, and pull off the filter on the
water inlet pipe.
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Now it's possible to lift the top off the machine. Carefully ease the hoses out
of their slot.
WARNING!! The body panels are laser cut stainless steel, and the edges are
razor sharp! Take care not to get cut!
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This gives you access to all the machine's innards. Note the purple colour of
the tube on top of the boiler ,,, it's a sign that the machine hasn't been
backflushed for quite a while.
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At this stage we turn the machine upside down, and using our trusty ground down
8mm socket spanner, undo the 4 group nuts and remove the group.
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The 2.5mm allen key is used to remove the showerscreen, by undoing the central
screw.
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This also provides the perfect opportunity to clean up the group, group collar
and showerscreen, and change the group gasket. The scotchbrite is quite
effective here.
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Next comes the indicator lamp. To remove it, you hold the orange cover on the
outside of the machine in place with a finger, then gently pull away the
fitting inside the machine.
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Then you stick the orange cover back into the fitting so you don't lose it!
Removing the steam valve shaft is next.
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Use the 15mm spanner to undo the split nut holding in the shaft, then remove
the nut.
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Once the steam shaft is out you can refurb it, change o-rings etc.
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Now it's time to remove the electrical connectors from the element posts and
the solenoid coil. When re-assembling, remember that the brown wire goes to the
outside coil connector.
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Removing the thermostats is the next step. First loosen them with a 17mm
spanner. Then, one at a time, remove the connectors, unscrew the thermostat,
replace the connectors. Saves confusion over which wire goes where.
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Finally, remove the earth wire from its spade connector and the boiler is free
of all electrical connections. Plumbing connections are the next step.
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Removing the teflon pipes from the quick release connectors is a matter of
pressing down the green plastic surrounds (using the tip of the pliers) while
grasping the hose with the scotchbrite and pulling it up and out. You put them
back the same way, press and push in hard.
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The final hose is the outlet of the solenoid 3-way valve that goes down into
the drip tray. Lift up the boiler about 3 cm then gently work the rubber
fitting off, using the pliers to grasp it.
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Now the whole boiler and steam assembly can be removed simply by lifting it up.
Some manoeuvering of the steam wand may be necessary. Invert the boiler to
drain it.
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The boiler disassembly process can now begin. First, the teflon pipe from the
top fitting can be removed with pliers and scotchbrite.
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Then the fitting in the middle of the boiler (and usually the pipe that goes
with it) can be unscrewed using the 11mm spanner. THIS MUST BE DONE BEFORE
UNSCREWING THE BOILER BOLTS!
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Unscrew the 4 x 8mm boiler bolts and seperate the halves. In this case we see a
well cooked element (the colour gives the clue) and all the bits of burned off
copper in the boiler base.
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Undo the element post nuts with the 12mm spanner and remove the dead element,
throw away the old boiler gasket and get ready to clean.
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Using rubber gloves, scotchbrite, a stiff brush, boiling water and espresso
machine detergent, make sure the boiler halves are clean inside and
out.
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Here we have the standard element kit: element, o-rings, boiler o-ring. We've
added a new group gasket to the base.
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The element goes in with the connectors pointing towards the steam valve.
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Tighten up the nuts, then pop the new boiler gasket into the slot in the base.
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Join the two halves together and loosely screw in the bolts. The earth
connector bolt is at right rear. Then loosely screw in the central pipe and
fitting. Tighten all the bolts, then finally tighten central pipe and
fitting all the way.
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Put the boiler back in the machine and begin reconnecting, starting with
the solenoid valve hose. Begin electrical reconnection with the reset
thermostat at back. Be careful not to overtighten the soft brass
thermostats. Don't forget to reconnect the earth and solenoid wires.
Replace steam valve shaft and nut. Cover element connections with insulating
tape before leak testing.
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With the element still not connected, fill the boiler and check for leaks. Turn
on the "Hot Water" switch with the steam wand closed for maximum operating
pressure. If there are no leaks, refit the group collar and showerscreen, then
reconnect the element. Once the machine has heated, detergent backflush. After
backflushing, replace the indicator lamp and button up the machine.
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