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L1 powers on, pump turns on, heater light stays off, then beeping starts
Hello again Reese. My office L1 has started to beep as shown on the video above (around 1:05).
I've read other similar threads here but in my case the pump kicks in, although not sure if water is being drawn from the reservoir. The heating lamp also doesn't turn on.
Is this likely related to our water softness? (In an older thread I had measured our office water softness to be around 51ppm.) Should I just try to reseat the tank?
Thanks,
Tito
Comments
Great video, easy to understand, thank you
I agree with your thinking that the pump is not shifting water
From the noise the pump is making it sounds like the inlet solenoid is not opening
To test this idea quickly unplug the machine from the electricity, then disconnect the pressure hose from where it connects to the inlet solenoid
Bend pressure hose down and into a cup or bowl
Remove both hands from the machine and turn machine on and wait for pump to come on
Direct the end of the pressure hose into the cup, bowl, or kitchen sink
Does the pump push water out of the pressure hose? Has the noise of the pump softened from that harsh tortured sound in your video?
If so take the solenoid apart following my step by step video guide in the permanent file that shows how to do this
Once done refit solenoid and test
I think that will fix it
If no flow from pressure hose when you take far end off and run pump, then the pump needs to be replaced. This is a very simple job and you will also find a detailed step by step guide in the permanent file on how to do this
Kind regards
Reiss
That said, pardon the question but where is the "permanent file" location?
Regards,
Tito
i have checked your user account for this website and i can see you have owner permissions attached to your account
so as long as you log into your account you will be able to see the permanent file here; https://londiniumespresso.com/forum?view=category&catid=27
when you are not logged in you will not see the permanent file as access is restricted to owners only
kind regards
reiss.
Will work on solenoid next, will keep you updated. Have a good weekend!
Tito
yes, that pump looks like it is delivering a good flow and it sounds healthy too
all points to the inlet solenoid
video instructions on how to service it in the permanent file
let me know if your have any questions
kind regards
reiss.
kind regards
reiss
so... dont be surprised if you think you haven't found anything yet when you put it back together it works correctly once more
if you want to find the actual piece of grit you will need to work on a clean white surface under very strong lighting
you might find a big lump in there, but more often it will be incredibly fine
I've disassembled the solenoid and blew through the valve and there felt to be some blockage on the inlet which is now gone.
I'll clean and put it back together and hopefully that fixes it.
Also, the video here shows the solenoid valve to have a gauze/screen whereas mine doesn't (likely an earlier version) so it could be more prone to clogs.
I'll also follow your advice on treating the wenge handles. Can't thank you enough for the support and education! Regards and best wishes,
Tito
After first reinstalling the solenoid, the problem resurfaced but a second try, by removing and reattaching the inlet pipe, worked and had the heating lamp turn on. The pump also makes a quieter, healthier sound. I do remember hearing the pump struggling a week before the failure so next time around, I'll know better.
I must say, Reiss, in many years of internet purchases, that I have never met a manufacturer / vendor / retailer that comes close to the support you provide. Considering I bought the machine used from another L1 user, the care you've shown towards me and other customers is something that is truly admirable and inspiring. Thank you and hopefully I can repay you in other ways.
Regards and best wishes,
Tito
Things have been fine with my L1 so far but now have a slightly different problem.
I've cleaned the solenoid at least once since initially posting this thread and it's always worked, but now it seems the flow of water from the pump through the solenoid is much lower than the flow before it enters the solenoid.
In the video above I had just disassembled and cleaned the solenoid, repeated the process but the flow seems to be too low that starting up the L1, it eventually ends up beeping.
Is that flow normal or I need to replace the solenoid? Or maybe the problem lies elsewhere?
Thanks in advance,
Tito
thank you for the video, it certainly makes my job a lot easier
if you have thoroughly cleaned all the little pathways in the solenoid it should be good - a can of compressed air blown back through the waterways of the solenoid in the reverse direction to the water flow can be a useful tool
assuming the solenoid is clean, i suspect the diaphragm on the piston pump is reaching the age where it is getting a bit tired, perhaps reluctant to push water through the restriction of the solenoid
please be careful of holding onto the solenoid when the machine is running; an electric shock is entirely possible
i would suggest you avoid it, although i appreciate that you were trying to make an illustrative video, probably with one hand
kind regards
reiss.
Regarding the issue, I've just ordered both a 120V pump and a replacement solenoid, I figure it's gotta be one or the other and at worst I have a spare part in case of failure. This machine has been in our office for around 2 years now and sees regular use like a small cafe. The grinder I have with it has a counter and on a daily basis there's easily between 20-40 shots pulled. People love it and enjoy the ease of use and it's almost a rite of passage for every new hire to be introduced to this lever machine if they drink coffee. At first I was the only one caring for it but nowadays I notice people like to keep the machine clean even without me around.
Best regards!
Tito
thank you for taking the time to write your back story; its always interesting to hear how the machines are being used around the globe
let us know what the fix is when the parts arrive
kind regards
reiss.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit but there's no problem with the original solenoid.
After you suggested cleaning the solenoid with a can of compressed air, I disassembled the solenoid while in the office, cleaned it and then reassembled -- but accidentally reversed the plunger. So while the compressed air may have cleared out the inlet, my mistake made me think the solenoid was defective. Oh well, at least now I have spares :D
Thanks again!
Tito
no problem, thanks for having enough character to report back; a rare quality these days
much appreciated
kind regards
reiss.
Just posting to say I had a similar issue - seemed like water wasn't actually moving out of the reservoir, and the machine would simply beep.
I went through the steps here: I first checked if the pump was working, and it was fine. I then opened up the solenoid. Well, I didn't have a vice grips, so I couldn't actually open it all the way, but just opened the parts I could, and gave it a rinse.
It all worked! I'm back up and running smoothly.
One last note: the wires didn't want to pop off the converter, and I wasn't sure about yanking on them. Luckily the solenoid can be fully removed without having to remove those wires, so all good there too.
Best,
Colman
good. you can use a flat bladed screwdriver to gently lever the connectors off the terminals - no great force needed.
Regards,
Tito