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Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

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  • Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

    I understand the floor in the Rancilio factory is very clean. I now know why; they have a open Silvia boiler sitting below each piece of machinery to catch all the filings and bits of swarf. Once they cant pack any more in, they assemble the boiler and ship it out in a new machine.

    Heres what I found in the steam wand of my new (2 year old) machine. I suspect its been in there for a while and was just dislodged in transit, but suffice to say I had basically NO steam output until I discovered this.


  • #2
    Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

    for context...

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    • #3
      Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

      and detail...

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      • #4
        Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

        Filings? Or scale? Cant really tell from the pics but in the tip one they look awfully thin, dark, and flat. :-?


        Java "Needs new glasses" phile
        Toys! I must have new toys!!!

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        • #5
          Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

          very nice - just goes to show that even the best manufacturers have probs with quality control - whether it Italy or China.

          Cheers

          PS. Makes you wonder how much very small swarf - small enough to go through - went into the milk and espresso.. Its a worry.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

            Originally posted by Javaphile link=1164865682/0#3 date=1164866913
            Filings? Or scale? Cant really tell from the pics but in the tip one they look awfully thin and flat. :-?


            Java "Needs new glasses" phile
            I didnt try the magnet test but it definitely looked and felt metallic at every inspection. That said I cant imagine how so much swarf could come to be in the boiler (excluding my satirical opening post suggestion!). I wondered if it may have been something flaking off the element; I remember once on my Napoletana when it heated up with a low boiler that I got some interesting red colour and substance out of the steam wand afterwards.

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            • #7
              Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

              Originally posted by ozscott link=1164865682/0#4 date=1164866958
              very nice - just goes to show that even the best manufacturers have probs with quality control - whether it Italy or China.

              Cheers

              PS. Makes you wonder how much very small swarf - small enough to go through - went into the milk and espresso.. Its a worry.
              Thats if it IS swarf; as I said I cant imagine that much getting in there through an oversight.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                Yeah it looks suspiciously like scale or some other buildup thats become dislodged and ended up in the steam tip. The wide varience in size also makes me think that. In the pic here you can see some scale thats just a *ahem* bit larger.


                Java "Glad thats not in there anymore!" phile
                Toys! I must have new toys!!!

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                • #9
                  Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                  Hate to think the Italians are suffering from the China syndrome. Quality control is everything to a countrys manufacturing reputation.

                  Robusto

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                  • #10
                    Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                    Id have to agree with Javaphile that it looks like scale and , as you said Greg, probably off the heater element.....

                    Was it shipped dry? Ive found that the solid scale (and bits of the elements surface) will dislodge when the surface is allowed to dry out and then water and heat added sometime later....

                    Thats why I like to keep the boiler full at all times (Bit hard if you are like Java and live in a freezing climate for part of the year and you choose to store the machine in the shed!!)....

                    Id be doing a complete strip of your steam valve- just in case- probably full of the same gunk!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                      PMd Greg

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                      • #12
                        Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                        Hmm. Should not have been dry. Pretty sure the boiler was left half full.
                        Hope its nothing serious.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                          Mmmmmm.....


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                          • #14
                            Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                            It wasnt chokas with water but not sure how much was in there. Ive never actually seen scale inside a boiler, it looks similar in colour to the link on Javaphiles post so Id be guessing its scale. The only scale Ive seen before is around the top of the brita jug and thats white so I presumed all scale was. But I guess constant heat does things too. Im sure its nothing to worry about, just have to let it sit untouched for the customary week and then onto the operating table!

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                            • #15
                              Re: Repairmans swarf tray A.K.A. Silvia boiler

                              Greg,

                              That white stuff is the "soft" form of scale.... with constant heat etc it turns into the dark steel gray solid stuff.... in extreme cases (like the innards of Javas boiler) you can almost chisel it out!!

                              Yep rest and surgery is the go!!

                              Softened water.... and the occasional citric acid treatment should prevent re-occurance of the disease....

                              Prognosis of patient following surgery- a long an productive life.

                              P.S. by softened I dont mean a Brita filter (although they do remove some of the hardness in the water) - you need an ion exchange softener which replaces the calcium ions (in the calcium carbonate) with sodium ions - normally recharged with cooking salt! There are also special filters for water softening - these dont remove the calcium ions but add something which prevents the deposition of calcium carbonate - they apparently work well but need frequent replacement...

                              You will need one in Adelaide (I remember the water over there - but remove the large lumps first ;D ;D ;D) and you will also need one over here in Perth - the water is very hard (partially bore water with lots of dissolved calcium)

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