What makes this noise on my BES900?

[gregeeh]

Hi all,

When I press the one or two shot buttons on my BES900 I get a sound that sounds like a relay. Sometimes it's a single click and sometimes it sounds like a "double bouncing" sound like a relay clicking very quickly on/off a few times. Is this the 3 way solenoid or something else? It it normal?

TIA

Greg

[WiredArabica]

Hi all,

When I press the one or two shot buttons on my BES900 I get a sound that sounds like a relay. Sometimes it's a single click and sometimes it sounds like a "double bouncing" sound like a relay clicking very quickly on/off a few times. Is this the 3 way solenoid or something else? It it normal?

TIA

Greg

Yep it's the Solenoid, and it should click just once when you hit a brew switch. Before mine failed, there'd be a perceivable delay between pressing a button and the solenoid engaging and would sometimes exhibit a double bounce. If you get a loudish buzzing noise sometimes too / sudden loss of pressure to about half during a shot these are also indications of the solenoid on its way out (in my case it took 18 months to go from the first symptoms to the more serious).
Easy to replace yourself if its no longer under warranty.

[gregeeh]

Yep it's the Solenoid, and it should click just once when you hit a brew switch. Before mine failed, there'd be a perceivable delay between pressing a button and the solenoid engaging and would sometimes exhibit a double bounce. If you get a loudish buzzing noise sometimes too / sudden loss of pressure to about half during a shot these are also indications of the solenoid on its way out (in my case it took 18 months to go from the first symptoms to the more serious).
Easy to replace yourself if its no longer under warranty.

Thanks for the quick response. I thought it was the solenoid, and I have just replaced the gasket on it too but the "doubling bouncing"/buzzing sound is still there. BTW - The solenoid looked brand new inside when replacing the gasket. Have not had any pressure problems yet.

Guess it's time to get a complete new solenoid.

Greg

[WiredArabica]

Thanks for the quick response. I thought it was the solenoid, and I have just replaced the gasket on it too but the "doubling bouncing"/buzzing sound is still there. BTW - The solenoid looked brand new inside when replacing the gasket. Have not had any pressure problems yet.

Guess it's time to get a complete new solenoid.

Greg

It's probably worth having one on hand to ensure continuity of espresso. It may last for quite a while yet though. That said in my case it was a 3 week lead time for the pump and solenoid which was a bit painful!

[pcrussell50]

It's probably worth having one on hand to ensure continuity of espresso. It may last for quite a while yet though. That said in my case it was a 3 week lead time for the pump and solenoid which was a bit painful!

Agreed. I always keep a spare solenoid around in my kit. As well as some size #007 silicone o-rings to replace the ones that wear out in the boiler tops.

One thing I have found is that if you get a cheap blind basket for your portafilter, and run the cleaning cycle one a week with clear water and once every couple or a month with a couple of grams of espresso detergent, like Cafiza or Caffetto, it will last a good deal longer before it starts buzzing itself to death. I've even had this technique "bring back" a buzzy solenoid for a while. Eventually, the ruby seals fail and then there's not much left to do but replace it. Somewhere there is a thread out there where somebody managed to re-seal one, even. Not sure where to find it again.

Anyway, a spare solenoid, and some spare o-rings should be part of every BDB owner's kit.

-Peter