water float through solenoid

Andreas Heitkamp

Hi,
since a certain time I have got problems with the water floating through the solenoid in L1. From time to time the sound of the water going from the pump through the solenoid changes its noise from normal to soft. Probably it tries to pass a resistance. I cleaned the solenoid several times by putting it into a good coffee cleaner. It works only for short time. The water floats properly until the entrance of the solenoid. Maybe some other kind of obstruction that can´t be cleaned eith a coffee cleaner? What helps is switching off the machine, wait until pressure is almost down and turning it on again. Most of the times this helps but it is not helpful when there people waiting for their coffee....
Any idea what I should try next?
Thank you,
Andreas

Reiss Gunson

hi Andreas

i apologise for the delayed reply, i have been away for the weekend and wasnt able to get a decent chunk of time to login and check messages posted here

my first question would be to ask, is your machine being fed from the water tank, or have you plumbed it in?

next, i hesitate, as it sounds as though you have a fair idea as to what you are doing, but your comment about the pump going quiet usually indicates that it is trying to pump air and the usual reason for this is the water tank has been allowed to run dry (tip: get into the habit of filling up the water tank each morning when you turn the machine on, or each evening when you turn it off

if you suspect the tank has run dry and the pump is trying to pump air then take the hose off the outlet side of the pump and let it try to displace the air that way, and then reconnect the hose on the outlet side of the pump (taking care with water & electricity as it is 240V to the pump)

but, if we put the above observation to one side and assume that it is a solenoid issue then i would ask, have you taken the solenoid fully apart as described in the permanent file? if you have, and if this solves the problem only for a short time, as you seem to report then the issue must be the water you are using. which leads to the final question, if you are tank feeding the machine are you using a water filter/softener, and if so what brand and model? has it been replaced recently? if you are not using a filter in the tank, what is the source of your water?

let me know

kind regards

reiss.

Andreas Heitkamp

Hi Reiss,
thank you for your reply.
I am sure it is not air in the pump because the sound of air in the pump is different. The sound that happens is the same as water floating through pump and solenoid but lower. It is strange and doesn´t happen every time but mainly as the machine is turned on for a longer time. Turning it off and wait for the pressure to go down and turning it on again normally helps.
I put the solenoid apart like you showed in the video in order to clean it except for I couldn´t take off in- and outlet for some reason and I didn´t want to use too much force.
It is a tank machine but I don´t use a filter because our water here is very good.
kind regards,
Andreas

Reiss Gunson

hi Andreas

yes, you will need to mount the solenoid in a bench vice if you want to get it apart

if you don't want to do that, then i guess just replace the solenoid

kind regards


reiss.

Reiss Gunson

hi Andreas et al

just to let you know that part is now available for purchase here; http://londiniumespresso.com/product/153-220-240v-50hz-inlet-solenoid-complete-with-brass-fittings?lang=en

that link is to the 240V/50Hz solenoid supplied complete with brass fittings in the event that you do not have a vice to take it apart

in the same spare parts area of the store you can also purchase the same solenoid, but without the brass fittings if you prefer

kind regards

reiss.