S1 Vivaldi II - steam boiler issue (overflow)

[opaqueportafilter]

Out of nowhere, after over a year of perfect use, the steam boiler started leaking/shooting off water when turned on. I have La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II.

I replaced the vacuum breaker, hoping that was the issue, but nothing changed. I did notice that the gauge shows no pressure when heating up, and then very quickly the pressure jumps up to about 2 bars and that's when the boiling water starts sputtering from both the vacuum breaker and the "tall breaker/release valve thing" (i don't know what this is called, someone please enlighten me. It's the only other thing circled in the pic below...)

Any thoughts on what I can try next to fix this issue???.... Thanks in advance for any insight! See pic below... (circled places are where overflow is happening)

[chas]

The VBV sputtering and then pressure jumping up when it closes is normal. However, when everything is correct the pressure should never be higher than 1.6Bar. 1.3-1.6B is the range I've seen on all S1's.

The Pressure Relief Valve should pop open around 4Bar. I know the pressure gauge for steam only goes to 2.5B. Is it possible that the gauge was actually "pegged" and the pressure did get to 4 Bar? If this valve is opening too early you should fix or replace it. You should check out this website:
http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/the-pressure-relief-valve

In any case, neither of these valves can cause the boiler to overfill. Leaking is only a symptom.

It is most likely either mineral build-up or set too high on the water level probe or else the solenoid valve that opens to let water into the boiler has some mineral buildup.

If it is the solenoid valve then the boiler will overfill even when the pump doesn't come on. However, if you hear the pump running when the boiler starts leaking, then it is most likely the the water level sensor.

The easiest thing to try is to loosen the small top nut on the water level sensor, push it all the way down, and then tighten the nut. In order to tell if this fixed or helped in any way you may need to drain out the excess water first.

If this doesn't work, loosen the same nut and then pull out the water level sensor rod. Check for scaling and clean as required. Then reinstall and try again. You'll need to drain excess water before you try this fix as well.

[chas]

One other thing to check. The coffee boiler should come up to temp before the steam boiler even turns on. Is this happening or is the water leaking out of the steam boiler before the coffee boiler reaches temp?

If the steam boiler starts heating right away before the coffee boiler is up to temp, you may have a shorted steam boiler triac board.

Also if you press the Boiler button to turn off the steam boiler - but it still heats up - the triac board is probably toast.

[opaqueportafilter]

Hi chas,

Thanks again for some sage advice! I did what you recommended regarding the water level gauge. I adjusted it, pushed it all the way down, and drained excess water in the tank, and now everything seems to be working....

I pulled it most of the way out, and there didn't seem to be any scaling, so I'm not sure why it defaulted to begin with, but hopefully the issue doesn't return!

Thanks again!

[chas]

There's Teflon collar around the water level rod. It compresses / shrinks with age and then the water pressure can slowly push the rod up. And your picture did make it look higher than it should have been. It doesn't take much.

[chas]

BTW: Someone a couple years back discovered an undocumented button combination that allows the user to make small adjustments in the steam pressure. This is documented in the latest VII User's Manual update. If you want to try that you can find the manual by first clicking on the "Other S1 Websites" link above, then select the "LaSpaziale S1V2 and V2 Mini Website" link, finally click on the "VII User's Manual" link to download the manual. The method is described on page 15. This only gives you a range of plus or minus 0.3bar but it can make a significant difference in steaming.

[opaqueportafilter]

Thanks a million for the tip! I was actually wondering about adjusting the steam pressure...

You rock, chas.