Londinium I (2012) dead - sort of

Thomas Brettinger

Hi,

my 2012 Londinium I was cold when I came down this morning - I forgot to switch it off last night, so my first thought was, maybe the tank was empty (no gicar beeping, however).

Refilled the tank, power cycle - red light goes on, I hear a relay/solenoid click and then - nothing. Normally, on a cold start, it would fire the pump for a few seconds and then start heating.

Now it keeps sitting in this ‚red light on and do nothing‘ state.

I removedthe tank and switched it on - gicar beeps as expected.

So, I am wondering about probable causes for this. Is it
- the heating element burnt? wouldn‘t expect that, but I‘ll check that later with a multimeter, because it is relatively easy to diagnose.

- or is it the gicar box? maybe a relay getting stuck or an aging capacitor? I probably would be able to exchange those, if I was sure of the diagnosis.

Ideas welcome.

Regards,
Thomas

Reiss Gunson

hi thomas!

from what you write it suggests that the Gicar is functioning normally

it is the element

check that the wires and connections to the element terminals are sound first

if they are you need to replace the element

i have made a post on how to do this in the permanent file

you will need a 38mm socket (we have them in our web store if you are unable to source locally) and a breaker bar to connect to it: do not connect it to a rachet handle as you need to strike the breaker bar with a hammer to shock the element free from the boiler and it is likely to need quite a bit of encouragement with the hammer after 7 years

let me know

im around on FaceTime and WhatsApp too to take you through the instal if required

kind regards

reiss.

Reiss Gunson

in particular check that the thermal fuse button has not popped out

it is screwed into the end of a brass rod which in turn is screwed into the end of the element

if you can depress the fine plastic pin in the centre of the thermal fuse and it clicks in then you have just reset the thermal fuse and the element will now heat

it may have popped out if the machine boiled dry over night - im not sure if this occurred or not

if it popped out and the boiler hadnt run dry then it is possible that the thermal fuse is getting a bit tired - if you reset it and then it keeps popping out every few days then replacing the thermal fuse with solve it - this inexpensive item is also in our webstore and it very easy to swap out

let me know

reiss.

Attached files

Thomas Brettinger

Reiss,

thanks for the fast reply and the promising tip. I will investigate and report.

Regards
Thomas

Thomas Brettinger

Hi,

it‘s the element - beyond doubt, unfortunately. I checked the thermal fuse and the element on the powerless machine, thermal fuse is zero ohm, element endless. Powered on, 230v reach the element.

Reiss, what parts do I need? Any Gaskets? Should I replace the thermal fuse while I am at it?

I have an 38mm socket, just need to get a breaker bar.

When I have to dismantle everything anyway, I‘ll give the parts a nice descaling bath as well. (Assuming that I need to do that, it doesn‘t look like I could get the element out with the boiler installed?)

Regards
Thomas

Reiss Gunson

Hi Thomas

- a 230V element
- an element gasket
- a faint sheen of loxeal grease on the gasket to prevent it from affixing itself too firmly to the mating surfaces

I think that’s it

Obviously take a look over the machine and get any other parts at the same time to save on delivery charges - I would recommend the new safety valve and perhaps the 30A Sirai and seals if needed

Personally I wouldn’t descale it unless the element and inside of the boiler is showing signs of scale

Best

Reiss

Reiss Gunson

thinking about it thomas you are right, on your model there is not a cutout in the chassis to accommodate the socket, although the boiler on yours is not mounted in a cradle either, so you may be able to lift it slightly in order to fit the socket into place. you may also need to unscrew the thermal fuse before fitting the socket, depending on how deep your socket is (some are very shallow, others are very deep)

reiss.

Thomas Brettinger

Thanks Reiss!

I just placed an order for the parts plus some extra (safety valve etc.) - I already replaced the Sirai a while ago, and I have already a new vacuum breaker lying around.

I'll give it a shot without dismantling everything... depending on how the boiler looks inside, I'll decide If I go for an all-out descale or just fix what's needed.

Regards
Thomas

Thomas Brettinger

just to wrap this up - my L1 is running again since the day before yesterday.
As suspected, I had to remove the boiler to get to the element, effectively almost dismantling everything inside the machine.

This wasn‘t bad though - I took the opportunity to replace some parts (vacuum breaker, safety valve, silicon tubing from tank to pump) and gave all the copper tubing and the boiler a full descale.

Two days ago, I put it together again, and apart from two small leaks that could be fixed by tightening the nuts, everything worked on the first try - nice!

Thanks again for the great support!

Regards,
Thomas

Reiss Gunson

thank you for reporting in to let us know how it went thomas. i do appreciate it. reiss.