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Do I need a new pump? (Series 1 L1)

Hi,

my L1's piston pump got a lot less powerful recently. For a boiler refill after a flush, it regulary runs so long that the gicar box enters the beep-mode. After switching off and on again, the pump starts running again and eventually manages to fill the boiler to the desired level.

Obviously, I need to find the reason - either the pump's reached end-of-useful-life or something is blocking the water somewhere.

Before I start disassembling everything, I wanted to ask if anyone had experienced this before, and if there is a likely place to start looking - I saw one or two posts of people replacing piston pumps, was this the issue?

Regards
Thomas

Comments

  • hi thomas

    my suggestion is you start by taking the solenoid apart and cleaning it

    i have a detailed video on how to do this in the permanent file, page 7; https://londiniumespresso.com/forum?catid=27&id=247&view=topic

    you will need to be logged in with owner permissions to see and access the permanent file

    let me know how you get on

    best

    reiss.
  • Hi Reiss,

    Thanks for the quick reply!

    I thought of that too - I was unsure until now because it seems untypical as usually these valves do not close completely when clogged. Anyway, I was looking for another view and it seems a good starting point. Will do and let you know.

    Regards,
    Thomas
  • ive just got off FaceTime from helping the guy who owns this shop & an early L1

    he took it took an espresso machine expert local to him and was charged USD900 and told it was an unfixable piece of junk and he should throw it away - a big call for what is a very simple machine

    only then did he make contact with me

    he had exactly the same issue as you describe with a brand new pump

    he followed the video & now he is up & running again

    best

    reiss.
  • Ah. I had watched that video before, but I just checked it again. You are right, that screen on the inlet side looks like the most likely place to start looking...

    Thanks a lot, I don't know if I'll have time to do it tonight, but I can't wait to start.. ;)
  • Hi Reiss,

    I checked and cleaned the solenoid valve today, however it seemed quite clean and so I wasn‘t so surprised when that didn‘t fix the issue.

    The valve is opening (I disconnected the pump to hear it clicking), and when I remove the inlet hose from the solenoid valve and point it into a bucket, the pump does produce a thin stream of water that I cannot quench with my thumb - so my guess is, the flow is good until after the pump and solenoid valve. Next in line would be something that looks like a backflow preventer. In lack of a spanner large enough to counter, I could not yet remove or disassemble it yet. Could that be the issue? Can that be serviced/cleaned or does it need to be replaced?

    Regards,
    Thomas
  • hi thomas
    yes, the non-return valve is the next item in the line - it is a simple plunger & spring mechanism with a seal - if you are careful you should have no problem taking it apart, cleaning, and re-assembling
    kind regards
    reiss.
  • I assume you have a Vibe piston pump?
    Years ago I broke a spring in the pump and the results were similar.
    With care the pump can be disassembled to check the springs and valves, but you have to be very careful to get the sequence of parts correct for reassembly. If it is a broken spring the only solution is a new pump as I don’t think there are any spare parts.
    Greg
  • Hi Greg,
    yes, its a piston pump. I‘ll check the non-return valve next, and if that isn‘t it, it has to be the pump. The pump does work, but I don‘t know how much water has to come out of it when it is running, so it might be that it works but with much less performance than needed.
    Regards,
    Thomas
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