Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 9:18am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Thanks for your kind word! It's my pleasure to be of help here.
Anyhow, I think you have to at least replace that black threaded plastic with a new one. I am guessing in the link given above, it's the item number 3 in the diagram 3.
It makes sense now because when you boil down the water last time, the machine get too hot and tripped the fuse. While you were able to reset the fuse, the plastic insert was melted in the process. Then when you moved the machine into storage, the feeding tube somehow get dislodged from the loosely-melted threaded plastic.
Water is the only thing that prevents the machine from getting too hot so that's why it's best to make sure the boiler is at least 1/2 full when heating up. With water in, the machine temperature would be regulated at about 250F which is the boiling point of the water under pressurized condition. Without water, it could get as high as 300-400 Fahrenheit until the element is burnt out. You're lucky in this case because your heating element might burn out too if left too long without water.
So the problem now is to find a local vendor for you to source that part...
Plado Senior Member Joined: 1 Dec 2004 Posts: 44 Location: United Kingdom county of Devon Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresseria Automatic... Grinder: German burr Emide. +... Vac Pot: No Drip: NO Roaster: no
Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 9:24am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
OK hold on, cancel that request for further help - I've fixed it. But thanks Russel as well because I might have needed to pursue that avenue.
Photo attached is the proof of the pudding ! Fished out the tube as you know. I used a stiff wire brush to clean the copper thread on the pipe-end.
I heated the thread area up with my recent Christmas gift (a Chef's blowtorch for browning dishes like macaroni cheese!) Then clamped the pipe gently in the vice and screwed the black plastic gland back on.
It wouldn't "bite" at first so I twiddled a drill in it to remove further debris from the damaged plastic thread.
Then the gland screwed on perfectly and was fairly tight too and perfectly perpendicular angle to dip down into the tank properly.
Offered it back up to the body of the machine carefully threading the pipe in through the hole and down into the tank. Put it all back together and tested it with a single shot of mochapot style (see photo) it looks rather weak but that's because I didn't put much coffee in on test.
Tastes a bit metallic but after a couple of brews and emptying the tank it should be back to its normal self.
So thanks to you and the others here who so comprehensively studied my problem. I'm very grateful to you. You have saved my machine (even though it is still now my spare secondary machine) and it will work again for some time I hope.
Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 9:30am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Great! That's a really nice cup there!
I have no idea why pavoni has decided to use a plastic insert to secure the feeding tube in the first place(that could even melt!). I would be a little concerned about the long-term health effect if that is indeed a piece of plastic. Because it will get in contact with steam/water inside the high heat boiler, which can't be any good to the health. If you have any chance of stumbling into a part vendor, I would recommend to get a new piece of that insert just for health concern, which probably would just cost a little. We have no idea what kind of chemical would be leaching out after it was melted. But it's now your secondary machine so it's probably not so huge of a concern right now.
Plado Senior Member Joined: 1 Dec 2004 Posts: 44 Location: United Kingdom county of Devon Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresseria Automatic... Grinder: German burr Emide. +... Vac Pot: No Drip: NO Roaster: no
Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 10:26am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Yes that seems a bit crazy when they could have made it brass. Though brass and steel mated together in the presence of moisture could have set up electrolytic corrosion. I expect it's a hard type of plastic, something like ABS plastic as used on vehicle fenders. If it was ordinary injection moulded plastic it would melt at coffee temperatures (above 100ºC) - but as you say it's a slight health issue as plastic melting through slight overheat of the machine could very easily give off toxic substances into the water.
I will investigate the possibility of getting a new plastic collar and screwing the original pipe into it. I hate the thought of more crumbling bits of black debris being stewed into the water and affecting the taste of the coffee. Coffee as we know is critical in keeping unwanted flavors out of the brew. Even an uncleaned filter head with traces of the dried out previous brew can make it taste bitter and stale.
Incidentally I once had a very nice coffee in a burger bar on our coast here, and it was a filter coffee kept hot by stewing a large amount in a pyrex jug on the machine. I knew that usually stewing coffee that long can make it taste vile. I asked the cafe manager how he could keep stewed coffee still tasting good when it had been simmering on the hotplate for half the morning. He told me there was only one variety that could withstand being kept hot for protracted periods and it was called Vienna Coffee with Fig Seasoning. Perhaps the figs does something to sweeten up the bitterness that must be present for sure.
OK now I'll go see if I can find that spare part, but as you say there's no immediate rush. It would be good to find one.
Plado Senior Member Joined: 1 Dec 2004 Posts: 44 Location: United Kingdom county of Devon Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresseria Automatic... Grinder: German burr Emide. +... Vac Pot: No Drip: NO Roaster: no
Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 12:08pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Found a new plastic insert on sale in the UK which is apparently called Plastic Connector from Inlet pipe to group.
I checked out the USA site and made inquiries about shipping costs but they haven't had a chance to reply yet.
Meanwhile I looked at theespressoshop co uk and they had one for as little as $12.22c or in UK money that's 7.50 uk pounds including postage.
So I'll certainly fit that onto the existing pipe. I might also do a clean-through using citric acid and then flush it all out which should help.
Once again my grateful thanks for your detective work solving this problem. I knew it would be essential to come and have a rant here about my "troubles Pavoni" !
Posted Wed Dec 28, 2011, 12:22pm Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Hahaha. No problem at all Plado. As I said before, it's my pleasure.
Also, while you're at that, remember not to soak any of the chromed-part in citric acid (such as the shiny group head) because it would tarnish the shininess. What's Pavoni without the shiny chrome? Haha.
Plado Senior Member Joined: 1 Dec 2004 Posts: 44 Location: United Kingdom county of Devon Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Krups Espresseria Automatic... Grinder: German burr Emide. +... Vac Pot: No Drip: NO Roaster: no
Posted Thu Dec 29, 2011, 7:38am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Thanks - that's a good tip. I think it might be better if I flushed it out using a sachet of Puly Cleaner Descaler that I bought for the Gaggia machine. I could simply dissolve a sachet in a litre of water and then run the machine to heat it up and push a blank brew through the head into a container, then switch off, vent the pressure empty out and refill with flushing cold water - and brew that through the head and finally rinse again and the machine should with luck clean its own tank and pipes.
I think I'll post another question now about the loose tank. I've found the main cylindrical body of the tank is loose on the base. If I move the shot-lever sideways the tank is free to turn on its axis and I dare not move it more than half a centimeter either way for fear of busting a pipe or pulling some wiring.
I have opened the old machine base before I threw it away and I couldn't see any way to get a wrench on any kind of large ring or nut.
So I'll go post a new question. Thanks Sam -- Plado
Posted Thu Dec 29, 2011, 8:23am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Concerning the loose tank:
There should be a metal flang and a gasket that secure the boiler to the base. It is threaded and very difficult to tighten fully. If you remove the heating element, you can use an oil filter wrench or a preice of PVC pipe w/ cut outs that match the spacing of the flange's three "ears" to tighten it.
IMAWriter Senior Member Joined: 4 Jul 2002 Posts: 5,462 Location: Brentwood, TN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Nothing at the moment Grinder: Vario-W,Preciso-Esatto/KyM... Vac Pot: Adcraft SS, Yama 8 cup Drip: Brazen.Chemex, Hario, Clever... Roaster: Behmor 1600, CO/UFO combo
Posted Sun Jan 1, 2012, 1:10am Subject: Re: La Pavoni - 2 machines died in 3 years. Not a good record.
Plado, great to see things working out. Our members here are incredibly giving, as many of us had the benefit of advice when we were new to this awesome coffee "thing."
BTW, as a lever owner (and former owner of a Millenium Europiccola) it's a good idea to bleed the steam wand when the light first goes out. This relieves the "false pressure" and allows the machine to reach the proper temp.
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