My new ebay S1

[lrumanes]

Hi All,

I am now the proud owner of an S1 I found on ebay last week at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 4355213884

I was the first bidder and took the Buy Now price of $359. As he seller was close by, I asked if I could pick it up and have him deduct the shipping, and he agreed, bringing my cost down to $296. My girlfriend works close by, so I didn't even have to drive the hour to get it. Sweet. The seller has hundreds of items on ebay and I doubt he as any knowledge of the machine other than he got it at an auction.

Based on the pictures, I was expecting the machine to be in rough shape. The back panel wasn't flush with the side and there were no straight on shots, so I assumed the machine had been dropped off a truck or was at least missing a portafilter. For that price though, I didn't think there would be much I couldn't fix and still make it a good deal. I got it tonight, and while the portafilter is gone (anybody got a spare double?,) it's in better shape than I thought it would be.

First off, it's an older model, with no pressure gauge, and the drip tray doesn't say Vivaldi, just La Spaziale. The warming tray is steel, and the plug is the funky 20A one. There are no major dents so I doubt it was ever dropped, but a few pieces of metal are nicked. One thumb screw and two screws from underneath that held the side panels on are missing. Hopefully this doesn't mean it is inoperable and someone attempted to repair it. The machine still has water in it! I'll post some pics tomorrow, but after quickly taking it apart, I've noticed the following.

- There is corrosion (white and powdery) or mineral deposits on the thread of the middle steam boiler valve that leads left to the solenoid valve (?), next to the circuit board with the white plastic cover. There is more at the on a few of the upper group boiler bolts.

- One of the 8 bolts on top of the steam boiler, in back and just left of the blue connector with two brown wires coming out, is quite rusty. There appears to have been some leakage in this area as well, and there are some brown stains under the lid and running down the side of the boiler.

- There is much green corrosion at the bottom of the group pressure adjustment screw, and less at the end of the 3-wat valve outlet.

- The steam wand and knob are both lose, and moving or tightening one wiggles the other. Are these supposed to be attached to anything other than the sheet metal?

- There are two brown wires with female connectors in back that go to nowhere. One comes from the back left of the group boiler, the other comes from cluster in the reddest tube that leads the back left side of the machine in back of the circuit board.

- The circuit board is not anchored to anything, it just wobbles. The plastic anchor pins are there, but it's not connected and I don't want to force it.

That's all for now. Does anyone have suggestions on where to start, other than ordering a portafilter? I've rebuilt a Pavoni that was in much worse shape, but I'm not sure if I should dive in and take the boilers and all connections apart to clean them, or just descale and see how it goes.

I'm moving the weekend and my soon to be gutted kitchen does have both a water softener and under-sink filter system, but I plan on starting the demolition soon after moving in. Is it possible to just run a line from a 5 gl. water bottle on a higher shelf to get the machine running, or do I need to be tapped into an actual public water source? And if I get a portafilter with the gauge attached, can I just take the gauge off and use it?

Thanks,

Louis

[wgaggl]

You got this great machine for a really good price.
However, it hurts inside to see with how little love and appreciation these pictures were taken. The seller really doesn't know anything about that machine.
I see it's really one of the earlier pieces. It doesn't have the swiveled steam arm (probably not the 3 hole steam tip), I'm quite sure it has the old electronics (where the temperature setting goes "backwards"), I bet it has the old thick brass diffuser disk, if you think the machine is quite noisy, you also might want to get new motor mount screws.

Thanks to Chas, this site provides all the info you'll need to get that baby up to producing great shots.

chriscoffee.com can provide you with all the parts you'll need, Chris really takes good care of his customers.

Well, have fun and welcome to the club!

Wolfgang

[chas]

Hi All,

I am now the proud owner of an S1 I found on ebay last week at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 4355213884

I was the first bidder and took the Buy Now price of $359. As he seller was close by, I asked if I could pick it up and have him deduct the shipping, and he agreed, bringing my cost down to $296. My girlfriend works close by, so I didn't even have to drive the hour to get it. Sweet. The seller has hundreds of items on ebay and I doubt he as any knowledge of the machine other than he got it at an auction.

I hope it turns out to be a good deal. Someday when I decide to upgrade I guess I'd better not count on the proceeds of my S1 sale to offset much of the cost of a new unit!

Based on the pictures, I was expecting the machine to be in rough shape. The back panel wasn't flush with the side and there were no straight on shots, so I assumed the machine had been dropped off a truck or was at least missing a portafilter. For that price though, I didn't think there would be much I couldn't fix and still make it a good deal. I got it tonight, and while the portafilter is gone (anybody got a spare double?,) it's in better shape than I thought it would be.

First off, it's an older model, with no pressure gauge, and the drip tray doesn't say Vivaldi, just La Spaziale. The warming tray is steel, and the plug is the funky 20A one. There are no major dents so I doubt it was ever dropped, but a few pieces of metal are nicked. One thumb screw and two screws from underneath that held the side panels on are missing. Hopefully this doesn't mean it is inoperable and someone attempted to repair it. The machine still has water in it! I'll post some pics tomorrow, but after quickly taking it apart, I've noticed the following.

- There is corrosion (white and powdery) or mineral deposits on the thread of the middle steam boiler valve that leads left to the solenoid valve (?), next to the circuit board with the white plastic cover. There is more at the on a few of the upper group boiler bolts.

After a year I have a little on mine. Everytime I have the covers off for any reason, I wipe things down really well. That seems to take care of it.

- One of the 8 bolts on top of the steam boiler, in back and just left of the blue connector with two brown wires coming out, is quite rusty. There appears to have been some leakage in this area as well, and there are some brown stains under the lid and running down the side of the boiler.

After I switched on my S1 on returning from Christmas vacation I noticed a subtle hiss from the area of the steam boiler that was never there before. I traced it to the bolts on the top of the boiler having loosened up a bit, though I only had to tighten one specific one for the hissing to stop. Sounds like yours was in that condition for an extended period. In your case you might want to back that bolt out and check its condition first. If you tighten the bolt and the head snaps off you will be spending some real repair bucks..

- There is much green corrosion at the bottom of the group pressure adjustment screw, and less at the end of the 3-wat valve outlet.

Better be sure you can clean that up as you'll need to be checking the pressure adjustment now and peridoically especially if you don't plumb it in. The rotary pump produces a pressure boost above the line pressure. If you plan to attempt to pull water from a bucket w/o pressure, the group pressure will be way low. You may even find that the pump will strain and cavitate if you don't at least have some line pressure coming in. Chris Coffee sells something called FLOJET which is a pump assist for those that can't plump in. It's about $139, however. Maybe you should look for one of those on ebay!

- The steam wand and knob are both lose, and moving or tightening one wiggles the other. Are these supposed to be attached to anything other than the sheet metal?

I think that's it. Should be a nut on each side of the sheet metal so you can get it tight enough not to wiggle.

- There are two brown wires with female connectors in back that go to nowhere. One comes from the back left of the group boiler, the other comes from cluster in the reddest tube that leads the back left side of the machine in back of the circuit board.

Check out the photos at the link below. Your S1 may vary. On mine the two large brown wires connect to the heat coil on the boiler.
http://www.rimpo.org/s1/S1Photos.html

- The circuit board is not anchored to anything, it just wobbles. The plastic anchor pins are there, but it's not connected and I don't want to force it.

Those of us earlier adopters who purchased their S1s from Chris Coffee had flawed controller boards. Chris provided us replacements to swap out ourselves. The is not easy especially getting those plastic fasteners back on. Obviously your previous owner had that board out for some reason and got lazy putting it back. Hopefully he got the many plugs back into their correct locations.

That's all for now. Does anyone have suggestions on where to start, other than ordering a portafilter? I've rebuilt a Pavoni that was in much worse shape, but I'm not sure if I should dive in and take the boilers and all connections apart to clean them, or just descale and see how it goes.

I'm moving the weekend and my soon to be gutted kitchen does have both a water softener and under-sink filter system, but I plan on starting the demolition soon after moving in. Is it possible to just run a line from a 5 gl. water bottle on a higher shelf to get the machine running, or do I need to be tapped into an actual public water source? And if I get a portafilter with the gauge attached, can I just take the gauge off and use it?

Yes, you can. Though if you want to do this I think you'd be better off not buying the S1 PF Pressure Gauge assemby from Chris Coffee and instead buy a PF and a separate PF pressure gauge from Espresso Parts NW. It sounds like you'll be doing a lot of work on this puppy. You should invest in a good set of open ended metric wrenches. You'll need almost every size from 10mm to 25mm.

Thanks,

Louis[

[lrumanes]

Below are the pictures of my S1. I've discovered that the machine may have come from Canada, and no one at La Spaziale USA ever saw one without a pressure gauge. My portafilers and test gauge are on the way. I still haven't taken the boilers apart or even plugged the machine in, but will some time next week after I move.

I'm most concerned about the two brown wires with female connectors coming from from the left side of the group boiler and the somewhere near the circuitboard that have no where to connect to. They both end above and between the boilers. Do you think they might go to the pressure gauge, ad one been installed?




The steam boiler has obviously leaked, and one of the bolts is rusted. Has anyone ever taken the boilers apart? Are the gaskets reusable?




The circuit board is no longer attached.




More corrosion at the pressure adjustment screw.



Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Louis

[chas]

Lou:

Your 2nd photo down from the top shows an extreme close up of the steam boiler. You can clearly see the two fat brown wires connecting to a cylindrical blue safety device with an orange button on top.

On my S1 there is an identical one of these devices screwed into the group boiler and the two brown wires going nowhere in your photo should plug into it just like the two brown wires on the steam boiler.

I can see the cylindrical fitting where this device goes in your top photo but there is a bundle of blue, brown, and yellow/green wires in front of it so I can't tell if the hole is capped on yours or if there is just an open hole.

These are the wires to the group heater coil and the device is a safety breaker (heat or pressure. noty sure which) that is in series wth those wires. So your group boiler is not going to be operational until you can get a replacement installed.

While checking in with Chris Cofffee for that part you might inquire about purchasing a new set of bolts and a gasket for the top of that steam boiler.

Based on my experience that I covered in a post a month or so ago with finding the bolts loose on the top of my steam boiler, I think your photo shows the long term danger of letting that condition go.

If you don't mind spending an additional $30 or so you might ask about a replacement steam arm and tip. There is a replacement for the original arm and four hole tip that is a fully articulated arm with 3 hole tip. This is an easy user replacement and provides superior results to you orignal arm and tip.

[chas]

Lou:

What's the status of your restoration?

[lrumanes]

I just got back to it Saturday. I have both boilers apart and am waiting on parts from Chris. I'll be replacing both gaskets, the rusted bolt, and the missing high temp fuse that was broken off of the group boiler. The fuse has a small bolt coming out the bottom that screws into the nipple that is welded onto the boiler. As the hole doesn't go all the way through, I'll have to get the remains of the bolt out. I'll try an easyout or may be just tap it, or rig a bracket to hold the fuse down on the boiler. After that I'll plug it in and see what happens. Hopefully the electronics are ok.

I'll keep you informed. Thanks for all the help.

Louis

[chas]

If you have a digital camera document your progress here. You probably have your S1 more torn down that most of us ever will.

Sounds like your S1 had some hard commerical use. It's hard to believe a home user could get an S1 in that condition. I wonder how in the world that fuse bolt got snapped off?