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Steam wand wont stop???

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  • Steam wand wont stop???

    I am currently stuck with my Sunbeam Cafe Crema. While the machine has served me well enough for the past 2 or so years, it seems to have had enough today. I made 4 coffees from 3 pucks, heavily tamped and rather finely ground (#2.5 on a commercial grinder, for my retail customers. Its the grind we normally use for our decaf.)

    The coffees came out fine, quite slow, but thats how I like em.

    Then came the trouble. I turned knob to steam mode, I hear the pump start thudding loudly, as per usual, but after the normal 30-60 second wait, no steam. This has happened before, so I let the machine keep going and leave a cloth below the wand so that it doesnt send water everywhere when it starts. About 5 minutes later it finally starts, very loudly at first, and then after a moment its very, very soft steam, no pressure at all. I turn then knob back to the middle, but the "steam" keeps coming out.

    Anyone know whats going on? Even if I unplug the machine it seems to leak steam, and if I turn it on and turn iit to steam it starts giving me the same slow steam. >.<

  • #2
    Re: Steam wand wont stop???

    Sounds like a good upgrade opportunity...

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    • #3
      Re: Steam wand wont stop???

      umm ... (going back in my memory) ... I found on my old sunbeam that theres two rubber o rings where the steam wand joins the body of the machine - one under the screw, and one at the top of the joint.

      After a few months, the rubber started to perish, and occasionally bits of rubber would get stuck inside the wand, above the tip.

      First thing would be to get the tip off, and see if theres any rubber bits lodged up there. The plastic tamp/scoop has holes on it - two of them are hexagonal and are the same size as the tip. Use it to unscrew the tip (but make sure you screw it the right way - it cross threads really easily, and stuffs everything up if you turn the wrong way), and switch it to steam, and see if anything comes out.

      Secondly, turn the machine off, take off the reservior, turn the machine upside down, and unscrew the screw holding the steam wand on. This allows you to get the wand off, and you can check the seals. I think theyre about $2 to replace, from your local sunbeam service centre.

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