Ebay Mini Vivaldi II initial issues - What to Check?
Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:56 pm
Just bought a 2010 Mini Vivaldi on Ebay. Unfortunately, it arrived with a few issues. I should say up front that the seller has been forthright and responsive, and I'd buy from them again.
Group Boiler Triac Failure Code - RESOLVED
Tangled Manometer Pointers - RESOLVED
Broken Cup Rail - RESOLVED (sort of)
NEW, other issues:
Cracked/missing flag terminal insulation on Steam Boiler
Small leak from hot water outlet at boiler fitting
My main question is whether there's anything else I should check for "hidden damage." Now, my story:
I noticed the cup rail as I was unpacking it and thought, "bummer." I took off all the body panels with the intent of looking inside the brew boiler. I noticed some of the panels were misaligned, whereas the listing photos had not shown this. I shrugged it off at the time. I proceeded to check things out. I needed to switch it to 15 amp mode for my kitchen, but I also noticed that the timer switch was set to "on." Since there's no timer, I moved it to "off."
Seller reported it had always been used with RO water so scale was not an issue. Inside of the brew boiler was spotlessly clean, so very pleased there. Since there was quite a bit of condensation throughout the machine's interior, I let it all warm up and dry overnight. This was Friday. Seller had not drained the boilers, but this shouldn't have been an issue given the mild weather at the origin and destination and everywhere between.
Saturday morning I turned it on and everything seemed to work. I even pulled a few shots with it, but I then noticed the "tangled" manometer. "Wow," I thought, "This thing must have fallen off the truck." And then the broken rail and sprung panels made sense. Luckily nothing had been bent or seriously broken. The outer box had appeared pristine, and the machine had been well packed.
I left the thing on and went about my business, but when I came back for round two about 4 hours later, lights 20 and 21 were flashing at me. My elation turned to bitter disappointment. I unplugged it and went off to sulk. Sunday I plugged it in and turned it on and it started warming up again. I was able to diagnose a bit and realized that it would warm up and behave normally for a little while, but then the group temperature would simply stop cycling. The temp display read "94" but the group was obviously cooling. The Steam boiler works fine. No noises or leaks. Volumetric dosing works. Hot water works. I was eventually able to reproduce the error code by leaving it on for several hours, until I guess it cooled enough for the "brain" to realize something was wrong.
I called Chris' Coffee on Monday and they said it was probably the group temperature sensor, but they recommend replacing the triac at the same time. I ordered both parts and they are on the way, but they're on the "slow boat" and now stuck in New York due to severe winter weather. Might be two weekends from now before I get a chance to fix her. I don't think the heater element is bad, since the machine warms up initially.
I plan to remove the manometer and try to shake the needles loose. No idea if this will work. If not, a new manometer is available from Chris' Coffee. Cup rail is not a huge deal. They are hard to find, but this is a cosmetic detail. Under the cabinets, you hardly notice so I plan to give it a go with super glue.
Anything else I should be looking for, specifically with regard to shipping issues?
Thanks for listening.
Group Boiler Triac Failure Code - RESOLVED
Tangled Manometer Pointers - RESOLVED
Broken Cup Rail - RESOLVED (sort of)
NEW, other issues:
Cracked/missing flag terminal insulation on Steam Boiler
Small leak from hot water outlet at boiler fitting
My main question is whether there's anything else I should check for "hidden damage." Now, my story:
I noticed the cup rail as I was unpacking it and thought, "bummer." I took off all the body panels with the intent of looking inside the brew boiler. I noticed some of the panels were misaligned, whereas the listing photos had not shown this. I shrugged it off at the time. I proceeded to check things out. I needed to switch it to 15 amp mode for my kitchen, but I also noticed that the timer switch was set to "on." Since there's no timer, I moved it to "off."
Seller reported it had always been used with RO water so scale was not an issue. Inside of the brew boiler was spotlessly clean, so very pleased there. Since there was quite a bit of condensation throughout the machine's interior, I let it all warm up and dry overnight. This was Friday. Seller had not drained the boilers, but this shouldn't have been an issue given the mild weather at the origin and destination and everywhere between.
Saturday morning I turned it on and everything seemed to work. I even pulled a few shots with it, but I then noticed the "tangled" manometer. "Wow," I thought, "This thing must have fallen off the truck." And then the broken rail and sprung panels made sense. Luckily nothing had been bent or seriously broken. The outer box had appeared pristine, and the machine had been well packed.
I left the thing on and went about my business, but when I came back for round two about 4 hours later, lights 20 and 21 were flashing at me. My elation turned to bitter disappointment. I unplugged it and went off to sulk. Sunday I plugged it in and turned it on and it started warming up again. I was able to diagnose a bit and realized that it would warm up and behave normally for a little while, but then the group temperature would simply stop cycling. The temp display read "94" but the group was obviously cooling. The Steam boiler works fine. No noises or leaks. Volumetric dosing works. Hot water works. I was eventually able to reproduce the error code by leaving it on for several hours, until I guess it cooled enough for the "brain" to realize something was wrong.
I called Chris' Coffee on Monday and they said it was probably the group temperature sensor, but they recommend replacing the triac at the same time. I ordered both parts and they are on the way, but they're on the "slow boat" and now stuck in New York due to severe winter weather. Might be two weekends from now before I get a chance to fix her. I don't think the heater element is bad, since the machine warms up initially.
I plan to remove the manometer and try to shake the needles loose. No idea if this will work. If not, a new manometer is available from Chris' Coffee. Cup rail is not a huge deal. They are hard to find, but this is a cosmetic detail. Under the cabinets, you hardly notice so I plan to give it a go with super glue.
Anything else I should be looking for, specifically with regard to shipping issues?
Thanks for listening.