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Can't get my new faema to work!

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  • jsroberts8
    replied
    I found there was a slow drip coming from under the machine today. I pulled the side off and found a trickle of water coming from a stainless hose. After pulling it off and adding some plumbers tape, the trickle became a solid spray and I found a crack in this connection. Does anybody know what this part is called? I have been looking on coffeeparts but can't find the replacement.

    Leave a comment:


  • artman
    replied
    Yes same spots. If you have a 0.9mm drill but it will be even better.

    If you search here I’m pretty sure I did a post about it a few years back.

    It’s not just the number of holes that makes an impact , more so the total area which then drives the steam volume output.

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • kelvin8r
    replied
    Originally posted by artman View Post
    These are amazing workhorses, built to last a lifetime and so simple.

    I had the A1 version (rotary tanked and volumetric), mine had a 4 hole steam tip (none in centre, all around the outside edge), the holes were 1.5mm from memory. I welded up the holes with JB weld and redrilled to 1mm, it made a huge difference. easy microfoam and plenty quick.

    Cheers
    Did you re-drill the 4 holes in the same position mate?

    Leave a comment:


  • artman
    replied
    These are amazing workhorses, built to last a lifetime and so simple.

    I had the A1 version (rotary tanked and volumetric), mine had a 4 hole steam tip (none in centre, all around the outside edge), the holes were 1.5mm from memory. I welded up the holes with JB weld and redrilled to 1mm, it made a huge difference. easy microfoam and plenty quick.

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    Originally posted by rroodd View Post
    Not sure which tip yours has but I had the centre hole tig welded up on mine, made a huge improvement over standard - like chalk and cheese. Possibly even other mods or replacement tips that work even better, but once I did this it more than good enough for making textured silky smooth milk.

    Rod
    Yep, this is what I need to do!

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  • Sullo
    replied
    epic score there!

    Leave a comment:


  • rroodd
    replied
    Not sure which tip yours has but I had the centre hole tig welded up on mine, made a huge improvement over standard - like chalk and cheese. Possibly even other mods or replacement tips that work even better, but once I did this it more than good enough for making textured silky smooth milk.

    Rod
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    Originally posted by roosterben View Post
    Wow what a find!

    I worked on a La Cimbali M21 Junior which I think is the same machine, which I did some basic work on to get going.

    Given it has sat unused for 4 years your anti-vac valve might be stuck closed, this could be creating false pressure. This is probably the top stainless round object on the top of the boiler (from your pic above). If you remove it with a spanner and pull it apart and soak in some coffee cleaning powder or even hot water and detergent for a few hours you might find this helps the problem. One of the two silver valves is probably the safety valve, leave this one untouched as they are not safe to tinker with. You could also try before removing while the machine is heating to push the pin on top of the valve in and out a few times to loosen it, just be careful as it will (or may) vent hot steam from the boiler.
    Yes I have realised how lucky I was to score this machine as I have done more research! The only downside at the moment is that I have no group handle. I purchased through an auction place and they stored the group handle so it wasn't stolen...turns out they have now lost it and so I am trying to negotiate what is going to happen. So although I have been using it to steam, I still haven't pulled a shot yet!

    I did notice the anti- vac was getting stuck, but a couple of times letting the steam through seems to have helped that. It seems as though I have fixed the issue and it is turning on and building pressure perfectly now. I just tinkered with so many elements, I am unsure which was the one that fixed the issue! Haha.


    The only issue now is the power of the steam. I have read people say they have been able to use this type of power to get microbubbles for one coffee, but I am struggling. Considering getting a tip with 2 holes to try and slow or down a little.

    Leave a comment:


  • roosterben
    replied
    Wow what a find!

    I worked on a La Cimbali M21 Junior which I think is the same machine, which I did some basic work on to get going.

    Given it has sat unused for 4 years your anti-vac valve might be stuck closed, this could be creating false pressure. This is probably the top stainless round object on the top of the boiler (from your pic above). If you remove it with a spanner and pull it apart and soak in some coffee cleaning powder or even hot water and detergent for a few hours you might find this helps the problem. One of the two silver valves is probably the safety valve, leave this one untouched as they are not safe to tinker with. You could also try before removing while the machine is heating to push the pin on top of the valve in and out a few times to loosen it, just be careful as it will (or may) vent hot steam from the boiler.

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    After turning the machine off and back on, the pressure moved up in less than a minute to 0.8 bar. It didn't quite make it into the green zone before stopping and slowly dropping back to zero. I thought I would check the steam power as it drops back....holy steam batman! This thing is powerful compared to my old bezzera! And it wasn't even up to pressure!

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    Hmmm, so the overpressure valve did help. I gained a small amount of pressure after turning on and for the first time, water came out hot! Good sign! However after allowing some steam out, the pressure slowly dropped back down to zero....

    The investigation continues, but hot water is definitely a good sign compared to what I had last night.

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    Originally posted by rroodd View Post
    I had a laugh some people's perspective on things is amusing some times.... "the machine was just a bonus" - not sure if you realize how much these machines are new, but you probably should be looking at the Mini Mazzer as 'just the bonus' in this deal my friend... Also, 4 years old is definitely not 'a bit dated'. Certainly looks like it's been un-used by the looks of the internals - you don't often see that clean. These Faemas are worth a few grand at least. I use the La Cimbali version ( the Faema is just a re-badged La Cimbali ) and they are very high quality. Sounds like a heating issue to me - bit hard to tell all the wiring connections from the pics but i'd aslo be looking to see if there's a over-temp reset /breaker that needs pushing. ( I can't remember if , or where it is at the moment.. ) I'll have a Dr Google and see what I can find.
    Yes I do understand this is a great machine. When I say it was a bonus, I was only looking to upgrade my grinder when I found this as a package. Truthfully for the price I paid, I would have been happy if it was just the grinder, hence the machine being 'a very big' bonus.

    From what I have read, they are solid machines and should give years of service. Also, 4 years is still young for a good machine, I just wasn't too sure of there are any parts that would deteriorate if not used...rubbers etc.

    The over trmp/ reset button sounds familiar from the manual, I look into this[emoji106]

    Leave a comment:


  • jsroberts8
    replied
    Originally posted by LeroyC View Post
    Does this model have a two stage/two setting power up? If so you’ve only turned on the pump and not the element. It’s a bit hard to see in your photo, but that’s what I’d look at first.
    I'm not too sure. I read about a switch that moves two positions, however this is just a basic on/off switch. I will look into this more though.

    Leave a comment:


  • rroodd
    replied
    I had a laugh some people's perspective on things is amusing some times.... "the machine was just a bonus" - not sure if you realize how much these machines are new, but you probably should be looking at the Mini Mazzer as 'just the bonus' in this deal my friend... Also, 4 years old is definitely not 'a bit dated'. Certainly looks like it's been un-used by the looks of the internals - you don't often see that clean. These Faemas are worth a few grand at least. I use the La Cimbali version ( the Faema is just a re-badged La Cimbali ) and they are very high quality. Sounds like a heating issue to me - bit hard to tell all the wiring connections from the pics but i'd aslo be looking to see if there's a over-temp reset /breaker that needs pushing. ( I can't remember if , or where it is at the moment.. ) I'll have a Dr Google and see what I can find.

    Leave a comment:


  • LeroyC
    replied
    Also it looks like something isn’t connected to the boiler. I don’t know this model specifically, but it looks like there’s a spot on the boiler for either water or power that isn’t connected.

    Leave a comment:

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