Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

[noidle22]

For anybody following along at home...and interested...the quote is in : $601. Standard 3 months warranty.

Bit steep but if they're replacing all the required things and running a descale then I suppose it could be justified. Did they provide a list of what they will be doing?

My BES900 seems to be having a pump problem. Of late the pressure when using the blind filter has dropped from 10 to 9 bar. Also, when a shot is being pulled the gauge sits at 9 bar, but the needle "bounces" a little. Lastly, I cannot dial in a good shot anymore. It's either too slow or too fast. This is using the Breville smart grinder and a double basket (and fresh beans). I've checked the dosing of the grinder and it's still reproducible, and I've confirmed the grind size is changing as the coarseness knob is adjusted.

Any ideas?

If it's a first or an early second release BES900 with an original OPV, the OPV will probably need to be replaced. If the machine has been operating at 10 bar with the blind basket in place but is now at 9 bar then something is wrong.
I would suggest the OPV and then if that doesn't help, the pump.

Also, if anyone needs spare parts for their machines, PM me and I will try to get them to you for near on trade price plus postage. However, I WILL NOT supply any component that runs on mains voltage. PM me for more info.

[peter.scales]

Bit steep but if they're replacing all the required things and running a descale then I suppose it could be justified. Did they provide a list of what they will be doing?

I've only talked on the phone so far. I'll ask for a breakdown, thanks.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

There is one option.... Swapping the serial numbers around with someone who's machine is in warranty.. dodgy I know but can be done and will get fixed

....it's called 'fraud'.

[tiddler2]

So those $4k Italian/European machines with 10yr minimum life expectancy start to look like a much more economically-viable alternative.

Anybody care to share (considered) thoughts on this? Apart from rants, is what I mean.......

You can get a good, reliable machine for less than $4K, it might be time to bite the bullet and upgrade.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

You can get a good, reliable machine for less than $4K, it might be time to bite the bullet and upgrade.

Not too hard to find one from a site sponsor or other local retailer for a little over half that amount in fact But to each their own. The BDB is certainly big on features for a machine at it price.

[ShotHead]

Nothing wrong with 9 bar. How is the flavour? That is the ultimate test. Pressure may bounce if you are getting channelling through the puck. Try tampiing a little heavier.

Barry

Thanks Barry. Flavour is not very rich (poor crema). I dial the grinder to a certain point and the flow is slow and thin, but the puck is wet. One setting more coarse than this and the flow is too fast. I can no longer dial it in to give me a crema-laden 60ml in ~30 sec. I've checked that my dose is correct and consistent and my tamp hasn't changed over the last 10 years.

Doing some more reading, I read a few posts saying that the "flutter" I'm seeing can be due to a problem with the OPV.

So I think I'm going to take the machine to a Breville authorised repairer and get the OPV replaced. My closest one is Cosmorex in Canberra. Anyone used them?

[beezneez]

Our machine is at least 3 or more years old and although it makes good coffee I am thinking of replacing it with a more reliable unit. Firstly the boiler got a hole in it and although Breville agreed to supply the part it still cost us $200 to fix, that was last year. The single shot button hasn't worked almost from the start and I always do it manually, we can't get the shower curtain off to clean it, the pressure has dropped no matter how I grind the beans or how hard I press down and now it has stopped working altogether. The water would not come through the head or the separate hot water spout and the temperature shot up to 103! The machine has been looked after very well and cleaned
regularly, we replace the filter every month. I don't feel like paying the large fees charged by the repairers so it looks like Goodbye to a machine I love. The thing I like best is being able to get really hot cup of coffee and whilst I know this is sacrilege it is my personal taste.

[cyberhuey]

So those $4k Italian/European machines with 10yr minimum life expectancy start to look like a much more economically-viable alternative.

Anybody care to share (considered) thoughts on this? Apart from rants, is what I mean.......

This is exaclty what i have done, with my BES900 playing up, i ended up buying a 3 yo Vibiemme Domobar Super Lever SS for just over 1/2 new price in good cond and working beautifully, i am wrapped to say the least, what a georgous machine
:-)

[coolie21]

Have also moved on. However have just had the BES900 fixed up ready to retire it to the beach. A big shout out to one of our local service agents (NOT the one I contacted here ) who replaced several key parts and descaled it for a reasonable price.

Here it is on the bench beside the Profitec Pro 700, interestingly one of the bigger home machines, but still less wide than the BES900.

I have to say, when the Breville worked well, it worked very well. Lets hope its 'retirement' extends its useful life span...

[beezneez]

Our BES has had a reprieve, rang Breville and they advised to do a factory reset. Now it is working again and even the single shot is okay. The only real question now is how to get the shower thingy off. The last time it went to the repairer we told them about it but they did nothing, is it possible to drill out the nut and replace it? I love the look of the Profitec but where do you buy them in Perth?
I would love one of these shiny toys but thinking about it if it lasts ten years, that is about the same cost as buying 2 and a half Brevilles in that time. When the BES does eventually die that will be the thing to think about.

[saroadie]

The only real question now is how to get the shower thingy off. The last time it went to the repairer we told them about it but they did nothing, is it possible to drill out the nut and replace it?

Hi beezneez,

Had similar issue with my BES900. Caused by corrosion of the thread in the group head (aluminium) not the screw (which is stainless steel). My remedy was to re-tap the thread to original size which lasted a while but I ultimately ended up using a re-coil kit to replace the thread with a stainless steel insert to reinstate the thread to the original dimension.. This fix has been fine for several months and seen removal and reinstallation of the screw several times for shower screen cleaning. Gets tight no problem. Solid as ever. I'm sure to always clean and re-lube the screw with food grade grease. Original screw still in use.

Sounds like yours is well stuck. There's an element of risk attempting to remove it in that the thread in the group head will almost certainly be damaged. Possibly to a point where replacement parts are required. If you want to attempt a repair and can remove the screw, you'll need a re-coil kit to repair the group head and a die to clear the thread of the screw when it is removed. You'd need to be sure to clear the hex socket of the screw completely of coffee residue to ensure the hex key gets a good engagement of the screw. The re-coil kit required it to suit M5 x 0.8mm thread. Complete kit is around $30. Good luck.

[beezneez]

thanks for your advice. It sounds like drilling out the hex screw will be problematic so I think I will take the problem to a service centre and let them fix it. Better that than stuffing the whole thing up.
I know this sounds really dumb but I didn't realise until lately that the screen could and should be removed and cleaned, the user manual doesn't mention it.

[saroadie]

thanks for your advice. It sounds like drilling out the hex screw will be problematic so I think I will take the problem to a service centre and let them fix it. Better that than stuffing the whole thing up.
I know this sounds really dumb but I didn't realise until lately that the screen could and should be removed and cleaned, the user manual doesn't mention it.

You're most welcome for the advice. Drilling out the screw should not be required unless the hex socket has been rounded out. If so then you'd be replacing the group head anyway because you'd never get a stainless steel screw out of corroded aluminium working with the sizes involved here and leaving enough material to repair it. Without all the potentially required tools it's probably better to pay to have it repaired.

I did post a warning on this problem earlier in this thread about the importance of regular removal, cleaning and particularly lubrication of the screw when reinstalling.

[PrescottCR]

Saroadie- I believe it's easy to miss the gold nuggets in 100 pages of mud. Too bad we don't have a place to post a note which has collected all those nuggets for easy access.

[beezneez]

Saroadie- I believe it's easy to miss the gold nuggets in 100 pages of mud. Too bad we don't have a place to post a note which has collected all those nuggets for easy access.

Oh, so true! It would also be useful if Breville contained more info in their manual. I have searched it but can't find any reference to the shower screen removal and clean. Just says to flush it etc. which we do after every coffee. I also can't find anything about having a descale done under warranty, the only mention of descaling is advice not to do so. Now if I want the machine descaled the quote is $150 and who knows how much to get a new shower screen, the service people gave grave warnings about possible problems and high cost. I love my machine but really am disappointed with the maintenance side of things.