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L1 needs life support

I returned from vacation 2 years ago. The L1 would not turn on. I opened it and found the attached images. I assume the boiler is burned out because of what I see of the melted contact, but how do I make sure that the circuit is open (shot)? Also, the Gicar unit label on top is brown; is this toast, as well? How do I circuit test the Gicar? I became so heartbroken, I stored it for two years before I could bear to look at it again.
B

Attached files

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Comments

  • Hi Buckley

    the L1(2012-2016) is a tough machine so i dont think you need to worry too much

    firstly, the good people in Italy who make the Gicar ECU have chosen to use on a number of their products, not just the ECUs, a silver paper which discolours over time. i do not believe you will find a single londinium where the silver label on the Gicar has not discoloured in exactly the same way as yours, so i wouldn't worry about that too much. that said the Gicar will eventually fail after a number of years, but the discolouration on the silver paper is not indicative that this is about to occur. if the Gicar is compromised i would expect one of the leads connecting to a terminal on the Gicar to have melted in the same way as you show on one of the element leads

    the first thing i would do is unplug the machine from the electrical supply if it is not already

    then i would cut the wire off the melted plug on the element terminal and replace the plug, which will be readily available anywhere - they are sold as 6.5mm connectors (1/4") from memory and are very inexpensive

    strip the flex back on the wire and twist the wire into a single bundle, then crimp the new connector on very firmly. if the connector is not crimped very firmly onto the wire over time the heat will cause the connector to open ever so slightly and in doing so a gap between the terminal and the wire can be created and so the electricity arcs across the gap like an arc welder which in turn causes the area to heat up even further, which then causes even further opening of the connector, which in turn causes the gap that the electricity is jumping to grow further, etc; you get the idea

    i would then look to the back of the on off toggle switch as your machine is likely to be using the original one and it may also have burnt out after this time. if it is showing signs of heat damage the uprated toggle switch is available in our webstore here

    your machine appears to be a luxe model, which we only produced until about Q213 so it will probably still have the 20A Sirai in it which is rubbish so we now use the 30A Sirai on all our machines, which is bombproof, so you might want to take the cover off the top of the Sirai and check for burnt or stuck terminals there

    if you are ordering any parts from us then i recommend you get everything in one hit to save on delivery charges so i would suggest you upgrade to the new safety valve at the same time

    likewise loxeal 55-03 thread sealant

    it would also make sense to get a set of piston seals and group seal and put them in the cupboard for future use if they are not immediately required

    im happy to help you via FaceTime as doing these kinds of things via email is very inefficient due to the inherent ambiguity

    best

    reiss.
  • Thank you for encouraging me to explore and resurrect the machine which was never deceased in the first place.

    Your memory is impressive: I bought the machine from David Cividanes's family and it has a pressure test sheet dated February 2013.

    I hid it away in storage because I thought that somehow I had killed it and, in the meantime, I became intolerant of caffeine.

    This machine needs to be appreciated, so I will sell it and I will pass on the advice that you gave me.

    One thing puzzles me, why is the water intake line always wearing corrosion? Is there anything I can do about it?



    Buckley

    Attached files

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  • Got it up and running. Thank you.
    Why is the water intake line always wearing corrosion?

    Attached files

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  • again, its a very easy fix. it has a slow leak so remove the pipe with a 17mm set wrench (not adjustable!) and shock the nut free by tapping the end of the wrench with a medium sized hammer (nut to turn anti-clockwise to loosen)

    repeat to undo the nut at the other end of the pipe too

    then place the whole pipe in some concentrated limescale remover, following the instructions provided with the limescale removing product - you may be able to rub the loose deposits off by hand before placing the pipe in the limescale remover

    clean up the thread on the boiler fitting if it needs it

    refit the bright and shiny pipe back on the boiler once the mineral deposits have been removed - turn up with a wrench then make the last three taps with a hammer on the end of the wrench to shock it tight - again FaceTime me before rather than after if unsure

    reiss.
  • Reiss, thank you again for your swift and kind reply. In addition to the three good taps, do you recommend any thread treatment, or none at all?
    (Sorry about any redundant replies - my old Windows 7 system is not registering that my replies have been received).

    Buckley
  • inspect the mushroom fitting on the end of the copper pipe for damage

    unless there are obvious signs that it has cracked or broken it should seal

    it is unlikely that the leak is occurring down the thread, but much more likely to be through the open crown of the nut where the pipe enters, as a result of the mushroom fitting being damaged in some way

    worst case scenario is a new pipe, which are inexpensive

    reiss.
  • The pipe cleaned up nicely and the mushroom ends were pristine. The bottom nut was not as tight as you implied that it should be when I removed it, so that might have explained the very slow seepage. I put a very light film of your silicone seal onto the surface of the mushroom ends and gave the spanner your suggested three whacks. The machine is back to its awesome self. Thank you.

    What are the dimensions of the o-rings in the feet of the L1 Luxe?

    B.T.
  • hi buckley

    the internal diameter is about 24mm and the external diameter is about 28mm

    kind regards

    reiss.
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