Clogged

amit

Looks like I don't have enough water going through I can see small amount of water and than steam

The screen is clean
Any thoughts ?

Reiss Gunson

Amit

I want to help, but I simply have no idea what you are trying to describe

Can i trouble you for a few more words so I can try to understand the issue?

Reiss

amit

when I pull the lever, only a small amount of water goes through. It's mostly steam. Less than 2oz goes through. The bar is set to 1.3, the screen is clean and not clogged, the 4 tiny hoses in the chamber are clear... any ideas what else could be wrong?

Reiss Gunson

hi amit

as you know your L1(2012-2016) is of a very simple design and the water is 'blown' through the group by simple boiler pressure when the lever is raised

you say that the 4 inlet holes into the sleeve aren't blocked and the screen is not blocked

whilst i dont like contradicting people we are still bound by the laws of physics so i do need proof of this before we proceed further otherwise we are at risk of making the amateur mistake of not being 100% certain that it is not something very simple before we embark on ripping the machine apart only to find it was completely unnecessary

so if you could take the screen off and hold it up to a strong light source and confirm that you can see clearly through all of the holes
(i say this because a screen that appears perfectly clean can have clear silicone grease filling the holes completely)

then after you have established that the screen is clear remove the group top from out of the group and turn on the machine

once the machine heats sufficiently to pressurise the boiler you should see 4 strong horizontal jets of water rushing in through the sides of the bore

please confirm that this is occurring

from there we will take the next step

best

reiss.

Reiss Gunson

actually, first check that when you open the hot tap that hot water comes out as normal

if you only get steam then the boiler is not refilling for some reason, and this would explain why no water is coming out of the group either

amit

Ok, the screen is clean and the water does dispense from the tap. But, the water is not streaming from the 4 holes. When the machine is cold, water does slowly come from the holes, but as it gets hot it is only steam, no water

Reiss Gunson

do you have hard water at your house, as it sounds like a lime scale issue?

probably the next step is to let the machine go cold (i.e. no pressure in the boiler) and then undo the trombone shaped pipe (image attached) at the top end where it connects to the 'T' fitting on the end of the heat exchanger, at the end of the boiler

turn the machine on and as the boiler heats you should get a strong stream of water pouring out the top of the pipe

if the stream is obstructed then take the pipe off at the bottom too, where it connects to the side of the boiler and inspect it for signs of scale - a pipe cleaner may be useful

if there is evidence of scale then its probably time to find a local espresso engineer and have them take all the pipes off the boiler and drop it in an ultrasonic tank with heating and acid for a few days, depending on the extent of the scale

you might also choose to undertake the task at home if you have handyman skills and time

amit

Ok, I will take it all apart, but I've used a water softener since day one. I don't think there will be buildup, but obviously there is some obstruction somehow somewhere.

Reiss Gunson

what kind of softening system is it? if it uses a hydrogen ion resin system when was the cartridge last replaced?

i recommend the use of a flow meter that counts the number of litres of water that have flowed through the filter, which have an alarm incorporated

you set the volumetric counter to the number of litres that the softener is designed to treat at your level of hardness and then it begins to count down to zero, at which point an alarm sounds

this way you know when to replace the softening cartridge as it is easy to leave them in for years

most cartridges state that they are to be replaced not less often than annually - this is to guard against bacteria forming in them

amit

You were correct it was clogged, probably still is . As for now problem is loosely resolved. I blew air through the nut behind the lever and it open the clogged. Now I need a technician to take a look at it

Reiss Gunson

hi amit

you are in portland, oregon, right?

is there another LONDINIUM owner in Oregon who has the skills that would like to get involved on a fee basis?

far better than getting someone off the street who has never seen one before

kind regards

reiss.

amit

To my knowledge, mine is the only one in portland , however there's few places who service lever machine so I hope they'll know what to do