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VBM Domobar is sick

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  • dungee
    replied
    Ok, tested this morning, woke up, turned on VBM, soon as some steam started to trickle out of the wand closed the valve. Machine warmed up and wallah, had steam pressure.

    Will order a replacement anti-vac valve today from coffeeparts, it's a good opportunity to order that bottomless portafilter that I've been wanting too :-)

    Will let you know if this resolves the issue. Thanks for all the input.

    Cheers.

    Leave a comment:


  • adjiland
    replied
    Should you do the above process with all machines when you turn them on and off ie leave the steam wand open till the steam stops coming out and leave open when you turn on till steam starts to come out, or is it only for ones with the above problem.

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  • Javaphile
    replied
    Originally posted by TOK View Post
    as long as you've bled all the steam out at as described upon switching off, and therefore equalised the boiler pressure with the outside, there shouldnt be a problem with you then closing the valve and walking away (or for that matter walking away with valve open, then coming back to close the steam valve some time later, in readiness for the next morning). When the timer switches the machine on in the morning with steam valve closed but no vacuum in the boiler, it should go to pressure without problem.
    No it won't. As Dungee discovered and stated in the original post:

    Originally posted by dungee View Post
    Warm up machine, can leave this on all day doesn't change the behaviour.
    Pressure gauge is on about 1.3bar
    Flush group
    Pull shot, fill jug, start to steam.
    There's almost no pressure, instantly when I open the valve the machine clicks, the heating light comes on and the pressure gauge drops to about .3bar.
    It will only come up to the 'false pressure' as with-out venting during warm-up the air in the boiler is not saturated, resulting in the above stated behavior. If he wants the machine to be ready in the morning to walk up to and fix a cuppa the anti-vac valve needs to be fixed/replaced.


    Java "Full steam ahead!" phile

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  • TOK
    replied
    as long as you've bled all the steam out at as described upon switching off, and therefore equalised the boiler pressure with the outside, there shouldnt be a problem with you then closing the valve and walking away (or for that matter walking away with valve open, then coming back to close the steam valve some time later, in readiness for the next morning). When the timer switches the machine on in the morning with steam valve closed but no vacuum in the boiler, it should go to pressure without problem.

    This is nothing more than a description of the alternatives resulting from your question, and of course it is your prerogative to deal with this in the way that best suits your needs.

    Leave a comment:


  • dungee
    replied
    Thanks for the input, I appreciate the comments. I'll test this tonight, didn't read this before I made my morning coffee...

    If it turns out the valve is faulty I'll replace it as I have the machine on a timer to turn on before I wake up and I'll wake to the sound of steam merrily hissing away :-)

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  • TOK
    replied
    Hi there. The method works and is how it was always done before anti vacuum valves were ever fitted to espresso machines (and very often since). The OP could in fact remove the stuck anti vacuum valve, plug the hole permanently and operate exactly as stated. The boiler will NOT collapse as a result of that kind of vacuum inside and if it were likely, it would already have happened as a result of the valve becoming stuck. This is a very common occurrence and there are 3 ways to deal with it in no particular order: 1) replace the valve with a new one, 2) rectify the existing valve, 3) apply the technique as described. All are legitimate alternatives for the owner to apply as he sees fit, hopefully without electrocuting himself if / when he gets into the machine. Using the services of a professional service provider is always preferable if venturing inside... and the cheapest option that incidentally does not involve any dangerous intervention inside the body of the machine by persons not having the expertise, is in fact the technique described. Hope that helps

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  • MikeS
    replied
    While the method suggested by TOC would work - if indeed the problem is that the snifter valve is jammed closed - my personal preference would be to fix the problem properly, least the day come when you forget to open the steam valve while the boiler cools down and perhaps end up with a collapsed boiler as the pressure in it drops when the steam condenses back into water.

    It's the reason snifters were invented and acting as an automatic air purge is just an additional, possibly accidental, benefit.

    Leave a comment:


  • TOK
    replied
    Wouldnt even try to "fix" that....

    Try this and you should have no further problem:

    When you switch off the machine after use, open the steam valve and leave it open unitl all pressure has been released.

    You can then leave the valve open until you next go to use the machine again OR you can close it after all the steam has been bled out....it doesnt matter which.


    When you go to switch on again, open the steam valve at the same time and leave it open until steam slowly starts to bleed out of the pipe with heat up of the machine. At that point (virtually as soon as you start to see steam curling slowly from the end of the pipe), close the valve. No need to leave it open any longer than that.

    Use machine as normal.

    Repeat this process every time you switch off and on (or on and off..... )


    If you adopt that modus operandi, you probably will not suffer that which you described in the topic...ever again.

    Hope that helps.

    PS....dont take any notice whatsoever of the temperature reading you took . If you want to do that you need to use the proper equipment to get a proper / accurate answer.

    Leave a comment:


  • 10ett
    replied
    Sounds like your anti vac valve. If this was jammed closed the boiler would hold a false pressure from turning the machine off to turning it back on again. A pretty cheap and easy fix. My guess anyway. I hope that helps.

    Regards,

    John

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  • dungee
    replied
    Also I'm measuring the brew temperature as the water exits the group and it's sitting at about 82C. Probably not the most accurate way to measure the brew temp but I still feel this is low.

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  • dungee
    started a topic VBM Domobar is sick

    VBM Domobar is sick

    Hi All,

    Hoping for some advice, VBM is sick..

    Gave her a descale the other week and since then or soon after I have no steam pressure when I first open the steam valve. Here's the process.

    Warm up machine, can leave this on all day doesn't change the behaviour.
    Pressure gauge is on about 1.3bar
    Flush group
    Pull shot, fill jug, start to steam.
    There's almost no pressure, instantly when I open the valve the machine clicks, the heating light comes on and the pressure gauge drops to about .3bar.
    If I then close the valve wait a few minutes, the pressure builds back up and bingo, plenty of steam.

    When I was descaling I accidentally overfilled the boiler and the pressure valve blew off for a couple of seconds. Do you think I've damaged the pressure stat?

    Funny this appears to only affect the machine one for each on - off cycle.

    The machine is about 6 years old and is on everyday for at least an hour. I have serviced the group a couple of years ago, replaced all the soft parts, springs and valves so I'm capable of replacing the pressure stat if required. The last people I contacted said I had to leave it there for two weeks.I'd die a painful death from withdrawals. I'd happy to send this off for service if anyone can recommend someone in Brisbane but I can't be without if for a couple of weeks...
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