lawrenceny Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 4 Location: California Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Jun 20, 2010, 8:53am Subject: Ulka Pump for Starbucks Barista Missing Spring
I was taking apart the ulka pump on my starbucks barista machine and I accidentally lost one of the springs. The spring I lost is the the one labeled #4 on this diagram: http://www.myschiffman.org/cg/pump_parts.jpg . I am able to pump water just fine to my steam wand but the water is just sort of dribbling out weakly through the brew head. Does anyone know if it is because of that spring and if so, where can I buy that spring?
c4h5n2o Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 234 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: LM Grinder: Bunn/Vario Drip: Swiss gold Roaster: No time
Posted Sun Jun 20, 2010, 9:46pm Subject: Re: Ulka Pump for Starbucks Barista Missing Spring
More than likely. I wouldn't expect it to work without that spring. I'm unaware of anyone who sells Ulka parts per se or even rebuilds these commercially. It would generally be labour prohibitive & a shop would just replace the $40 pump.
I think your practical choices are to pay a visit to your local service department or hardware store. A lot of repair guys will stockpile surplus parts from espresso machines that have had a major component failure. If you are lucky, one will have the exact spring (or whole pump) at a low price. Or stop by your local hardware store and buy the closest spring you find there. If the sizing and tension is approximately right, you'll be in business.
The only other thing I can think of is to watch your local Craigslist and see if you could pick up a cheap, non-working machine and strip the pump from it. A lot of machines use Ulka pumps, so it doesn't necessarily have to be the same model machine. Of course if the machine isn't working because of a failed pump, this may not work so well.
lawrenceny Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2010 Posts: 4 Location: California Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Jun 20, 2010, 9:58pm Subject: Re: Ulka Pump for Starbucks Barista Missing Spring
Thanks for the advice. Yeah I figured I could call a few repair guys and hardware stores to see if they have any spare parts lying around but I just wanted to make sure that the spring was what was causing the weak pressure to the brew head before committing to looking for that part. It would be great if someone knew if that missing spring was indeed the culprit.
c4h5n2o Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 234 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: LM Grinder: Bunn/Vario Drip: Swiss gold Roaster: No time
Posted Sun Jun 20, 2010, 10:26pm Subject: Re: Ulka Pump for Starbucks Barista Missing Spring
The missing spring and about ten other parts could be causing the problem you are having with the pump. If all of the other internal parts are in working order, then the spring is all that you need. It's less likely, but still possible that you have multiple bad parts.
Your description describes a pump that is working but not building much pressure. So it's either not sealing or completing a full stroke. Springs are typically inexpensive, so if you have the time & inclination to try you may well resurrect your pump.
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