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Noticing a weird sound when red light come on

Hello. Just started noticing a creaking noise when the red light comes on... That has been going on for about 2 days then today the alarm started to go off? It went off when I pulled the lever down (no portafilter).
Thanks,
Gene

Comments

  • Did you (try to) post / attach a video with sound? I can't see it. It would be very helpful.
  • Im at the office, will post tomorrow.
    Thanks
  • hi Gene

    as Frans suggests, a video would be extremely helpful

    kind regards

    reiss.
  • Preferably in good daylight with the top and side panels removed, and an indication where exactly the sound originates from...
  • When I took the top off, the alarm went off, however the white light never came on. It went off after about 1 minute. So here is the video of the sound its making. Sounds to me its coming from boiler?
    Thanks

    Attached files

    Londinium.zip (437.7 KB) 
  • The video is very small/crude but the sound is good enough. I have not heard it before. A similar 'singing/ticking' can be heard in old thin bottomed water cookers if they are scaled up a bit and while heating up little bubbles of steam form along the bottom and pop open. Not sure if this is the case here. Have you tried the method with the long 'pipe' that's inside the kitchen paper or inside the roll of plastic to wrap vegetables in? Then uyou can use that as a 'stethoscope' to determine exactly where the sound originates.
  • This may be better. I went ahead and pulled the reservoir Londinium2.zip Londinium2.zip and cleaned the connectors. Did not help.
    Thanks

    Attached files

    Londinium2_2020-09-22.zip (7.5 MB) 
  • Much better video quality, thanks!

    Have you used the tube trick to localize the exact sound source?

    I see you have / set the p-stat boiler pressure to 1.5 bar? -- that seems very high. Can you turn it back to about 1 bar?

    Attached files

    image
  • I did not use the trick yet. When the meter goes down to 1.0 the red light comes on and brings it to 1.5 then the light goes out and I pull my shot. Thats what I have been doing since receiving the unit 2 years ago- right/wrong??
    Thanks
  • My guess is the p-stat needs replacement since the "dead band" has become rather wide.

    The exceptionally high boiler pressure may be making the structure to expand (tiny bits), producing that sound. Like central heating systems can sometimes do, heating up, if the pipes touch a wall where a long pipe expands with heat, scratching.
  • hi gene, frans

    thank you for answering before i got to it frans, much appreciated

    questions i have are;

    1. is the gauge at zero when the system is completely cold? if it is not this indicates that the anti vac valve is either not currently functioning, or has not functioned correctly at some point in the past

    2. frans is correct about the pressure switch - it should not have a deadband of 0.5 bar - they have a deadband of 0.2 bar. if the gauge is reading zero when the system is cold then the machine is set to run 1.3 bar (off) to 1.1 bar (on). you can wind the pressure switch up higher if you wish, but doing so makes the system more vulnerable to flash boiling, which results in thermosiphon stall and from there the group runs cool, which is why our current range of machines are all set to run 1.0 bar (off) to 0.8 bar (on) - there is no risk of flash boiling at these settings and we get as much heat as we want for light roasts by increasing the preinfusion pressure

    3. i suspect frans is correct that the creaking is coming from scale on the element, but i also agree that i would start by replacing the pressure switch first and seeing if that eliminates the creaking; it might. it is not a symptom that anyone has reported previously. if replacing the pressure switch doesn't solve it then you could pull the element and try descaling it, but the risk is that the descaling process will ruin the element

    4. i would say use the cardboard former trick to try and pinpoint the source or the noise (Sirai or heating element). Replace Sirai regardless. If you are ordering from us i would suggest you order a heating element and gasket (and loxeal grease if you dont have any) at the same time as it wont increase the delivery charge; it will be a real pain if you have to place a second order for the heating element

    kind regards

    reiss.
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