Leak on top of steam boiler over pressure

[Doodee]

Hello again,

My Vivaldi has developed a new problem. It seems everything does start failing after 7 years of constant use.

Today I noticed the machine have problems trying to intake water. The pump was on for a very long time before the machine gave an error.
Afterwards I power cycled it and tried again, but this time a leak formed under the machine. The leak came from the over pressure valve.

https://zuidholland.ddns.net/index.php/ ... yFcsenogKL

I removed it an soaked it in vinegar as some instructions in another thread suggested and added some silicon to the threads to form a seal before tightening it.

When I turned the machine on everything seemed fine, though no water was drawn from the reservoir.
When the steam boiler was getting up to temperature I heard a strange gurgle and when I removed the top cover I saw the pool of water.
https://zuidholland.ddns.net/index.php/ ... ft3ti85QZE

Anyone know what might be the cause? Have never had this issue before. Any help is appreciated.

[chas]

Check this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=2406&p=25053&hilit ... ill#p25053

[Doodee]

Thanks Chas.

Would the issue be the same if the boiler is still filling with water? I opened up the nut at the top (vacuum breaker) where the water was pooling and the boiler was full with water.

I figured it must be an outlet rather than an inlet so started to remove the over pressure valve(?)
https://zuidholland.ddns.net/index.php/ ... 42zLPMyzmR

The bottom part with the pin I had soaked in vinegar but thought the copper pipe might be blocked however I can blow into it without any obstruction.
So then I checked the elbow connected to the boiler
https://zuidholland.ddns.net/index.php/ ... 6T9bQHGxCM
But there was no blockage here either.

So I’m wondering if it is that pressure release valve since I can’t seem to push the pin at the bottom in, and since there is a spring inside I thought that might be possible?

[Doodee]

Tried to push it from the other end and with enough force it engages the spring.

If the steam boiler is over filling would it be the fill level probe?

[chas]

The fill probe should prevent overfilling if it is operating properly. The probe itself is just a metal rod so it can't actual fail. However, there are still several things that can go wrong.

Easiest:

There is a nut that goes through the top of the boiler.Inside that nut is a plastic sleeve. Then the probe goes through the sleeve. Lastly there is one final nut that cinches the probe to the sleeve that that it doesn't move. Over time the sleeve shrinks or gets compressed so that the water pressure pushes it up. When that happens the probe doesn't stick down far enough into the water. Try pushing the probe down and retighten the inner nut first.

Medium:

Over time the probe can get covered with mineral deposits and cease to work reliably. To check for this, loosen the inner nut and pull the probe out for inspection. If it is coated with minerals, soak it in white vinegar for several hours so you can remove the deposits.

Hardest:

If neither of the above solutions work for you, it is time to check the electrical connection to the probe. If you have a good connection touching the tib of the water level probe to the boiler should immediately stop the pump. If it doesn't, you need to figure out where the bad connection is between the probe and the controller board.

[Doodee]

Checked the fill probe and everything seemed fine, no mineral deposits.
Took off the vacuum breaker and noticed the PTFE tape wasn’t correct so applied a new layer.
Also decided to siphon most of the water from the tank with the vacuum breaker off.

Seems to have fixed the problem!
I’m wondering how the fill probe might have faulted in the first place to cause it to over fill.