Machine history: Quickmill Vetrano. I am the second owner . Apparently 5 or 6 years old and purchased from Chris Coffee. The original pump (assuming a Fluid-O-Tech MA054 based on other posts) was replaced free under warranty. Chris Coffee sent the previous owner a PROCON model 112A060F11CB for the replacement. Looking at spec sheets the PROCON is rated at 60 GPH vs approximately 15 GPH for the original pump. I’m wondering if this lead to the failure of the PROCON? Is there any negative impact to using a pump with a higher flow rate in an espresso machine?
I found that the bottom weep hole of the current PROCON pump has corrosion around it. Furthermore the pump was not as quiet as the video Chris Coffee put out regarding some Vetranos shipping with bad motor mounts years ago, but it wasn’t as loud as their example of bad mounts either. This leads me to suspect that the pump is on its way out.
I took the pump off the motor to take a closer look and check if the motor is damaged. It looks like a little water has leaked past the pump seals (I can’t tell if it still leaks), but the motor is pretty clean where it connects to the pump (there was a little loose scale at the bottom of the motor but nowhere as bad as some photos I found online). When I ran the motor with the pump removed it was fairly quiet (no rattling or squealing from bearings), but not silent.
My understanding is that the pump failure can possibly lead to damage to the motor if water leaks in that direction. My search for a replacement pump found a local supplier (Simgo Ltd.) of Fluid-O-Tech pumps in this thread for about half the cost of other suppliers: http://coffeegeek.com/forums/espresso/machines/533811
Before going ahead I have a few questions/concerns: • The smallest pump they have is fluid o tech PA201 (rated at 50 GPH). Will the high flow be an issue? • They only carry pumps with 3/8” NPT inlet and outlet threads. I’m guessing the Vetrano had BSP threads for the pump inlet/outlet. How can I get this to work? • How can I confirm that the motor is in fact undamaged?
I can upload some photos tonight if that will help.
Noise is a very subjective thing, I have a rotary pump on my machine and it is nearly as loud as the vibe pump I had on my old Oscar. It has to do with being internally mounted, the way it is mounted and the metal around it. There are ways to reduce the noise but it does not bother me that much. I guess I am saying, you can not compare your in the house noise to that on a video. If the pump is remote mounted, they are nearly if not totally silent.
The volume in GPH isn't a big deal, that is what the pump can flow at no load, in your machine there is back pressure. As long as the pump can reach the proper pressure, you should be fine.
There should be no leaks from the weep hole or from the seals, these do wear out and replacement is "normal" in the life of the machine.
The fittings may be an issue if you must use the same hoses and tubes. You might be able to make custom tubes but YMMV. I would make sure the fittings will work before buying a pump head, which is all you need to replace, for the majority of service to the pump.
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I wasn't too concerned about the noise of the pump, but upon seeing the corrosion from the bottom weep hole I thought it may have been another indicator of the pump dieing.
I`m glad to hear that volume in GPH isn't going to limit my choices.
I had a chance to take a closer look at everything tonight. The bottom weep hole on the pump is full of rust and the pump casing near that weep hole is discoloured green. The motor also has a weep hole at the bottom where it mates with the pump. This was full of scale. I clean the scale to open up the motor weep hole, but left the pump alone.
I'll consider the idea of custom tubing, but I think the problem will catch up to me at the other end of the tube as I believe all the fittings in the machine are BSP thread. I did find a fitting with male NPT thread and female BSP thread so I will likely use that unless I find another source of reasonabily priced pumps. For anyone's info the fittings are made by http://www.adaptall.com/
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