ACS Vesuvius Evo Leva

LMSC

Camby Thank you. Appreciate your help. We already have a nice custom-made dosing ring made by @Norvin. I was asking him if he plans to make some, which will snug fit externally. 😊

DavecUK

gus6464 So who’s finding after having their EVO for a while the process of making espresso boring? My EVO is so consistent with pulling a good shot that I kinda miss the uncertainty sometimes of my old e61 machine.

I used to dream and still do about just using one machine and really just not having to think about it. At some point when I have finished my grinder testing, the Vibiemme will get returned and I can get back to a less finnicky machine. For now having a machine where it’s hard to get a good looking shot, is a great test for the grinder.

danielpugh

Hi All,

Quick update - getting top off the machine was very easy. Everything looks pretry clean, with no obvious signs of leak. Definitely a quiet hiss indicating a leak somewhere. The problem I face now is finding where as there are no obvious loose joints. The hissing goes away if I turn off the steam/service boiler, but beyond that I’m stuck now at how to locate the source of the noise. Was thinking a stethoscope, but not convinced will work. Any ideas?

(

LMSC

danielpugh Mirror to go around the pipe, as tiny steam particles would settle easily on a mirror than to our eyes!

DavecUK

danielpugh interesting, I assumed you had a memory metal vacuum breaker like on the alpha, but I notice it’s a standard one. So check the vacuum breaker and the safety valve for leaks. All the boiler fittings have the Sigilant sealant sweatmarks so they are likely to be fine.

With the machine on, use a wooden or plastic spoon handle and press down the vacuum breaker pin and blast some steam through for 4 or 5 seconds. That might steam clean it and may well seal fine with no more hissing.

P.S. Whatever you do, don’t remove the vacuum breaker circlip, only regret lies in that action.

danielpugh

@LMSC great idea - have a mirror will try that!

LMSC

danielpugh Please try to get pictures or a clip of your find and importantly the fix and share it with us. Thx

danielpugh

@DavecUK Yes I thought it looked different. Also the seal/cap had been broken/removed on the pressure thing. Anyway I tweaked it as best able (no change to the sound, although the whole assembly rotated rather easily). Will try mirror shortly…

DavecUK

danielpugh although the whole assembly rotated rather easily

which bit exactly, rotated easily?

danielpugh

Ok, no joy with mirror. So assuming the worst case and that it’s coming from the pipe under the boiler. I took off the plate and took a look.. problem found I think. Trying to insert a photo - strangely managed earlier today, but now it just inserts code.

danielpugh

@DavecUK i was talking about the T junction with the vaccuum breaker on top (rotates easily).
earlier today images uploaded via anonymous/imgur, but now seem broken
so i uploaded manually to imgur - hopefully this works! click me to see the picture…

LMSC

danielpugh Is this problem pipe located at the bottom of the machine ? Is that a sponge/piece of cotton you have wrapped up to identify the leak?

DavecUK

I can see the images fine on imgur, it’s this one and clearly the source of your leak. In fact is that limescale…looks like it, if so, check out your water.

It’s at the bottom of the boiler so a bit of a pain to deal with. You may need to undo a number of fittings, working down towards it….to be able to undo that one. Perhaps @Paolo_Cortese can advise the best approach, as I have never seen a production machine.

If it were me, I would clean up the threads and try to use PTFE tape to seal, if you do you don’t have to do it up completely just most of the way and ensure it’s lined up correctly. Enough PTFE for it to be tight all the way in, but not overtight and snap the fitting off, as you only have the small flats on the elbow for grip.

P.S each end of every elbow is threaded, and is why you will have to work your way down removing fittings

Cuprajake

wow what water are you using in that machine?

personally, if thats what it looks like already may be worth while doing a full descale of the boiler then sorting the leak,

LMSC

@DavecUK I thought, it is a sponge / cotton has been used see if there is a leak. I didn’t consider limescale as @danielpugh would have taken care of feeding filtered water.

If you suspect it is, a massive clean up exercise of the boilers and sorting the water are required before he should consider using the machine again.

danielpugh

Obviously a problem to sort out. This is the water report for our area - https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/siteassets/water-quality/2020-wq-reports/zcw4-wq-report.pdf it seemed particularly soft when i last checked. Quite surprised at the buildup in just over 3 months.

on top of that i also have a plumbed in bestmax premium filter which is supposed to neutralise limescale. Seems like osmosis is the way forward. If only there was an osmio countertop with plumbed output!

LMSC

danielpugh That’s strange. The total hardness looks ok. Get a drop kit, measure on 20 ml each for GH and KH, standardise for 5 ml.

Osmio zero has another model (under the counter, I think). Please give them a call.

Paolo_Cortese

https://www.dropbox.com/s/06wuoos0qgz6s1v/IMG_8123.jpg?dl=0

Here the sequence to remove the 90* fitting. First disconnect the pipe from the fitting 1. Second remove the 2 fitting and reducing in one step, it’s not necessary to remove individually each fitting than you are able to remove the 90 degree fitting from the boiler. Clean and use a sealant to assemble everything together. I hope that it’s clear.
Paolo

danielpugh

Thanks @Paolo_Cortese that does make sense. will do as soon as i can prepare myself for physical lift ;-)

LMSC

danielpugh How often do you steam - it’s a service boiler, right ?

danielpugh

is there a cheaper place to source replacement valve than here https://www.voltagerestaurantsupply.com/products/la-marzocco-vacuum-breaker-b2029-anti-vacuum-anti-depression-valve (obviously assuming that one fits the evo)?

@LMSC - thanks = “drop kit”? i do have a kit i bought some time ago for aquariums

[edit] i think i have this one kicking about

[more editing] i did contact osmio - their kit was too big, almost as difficult - needed a waste pipe (where there was none) going to get complicated, but probably worth it!

LMSC

danielpugh Please try https://www.espressoparts.com/

LMSC

danielpugh is there a cheaper place to source replacement valve than here

This one

Edit - yes, that’s the kit

LMSC

danielpugh Please consider descaling the boiler as well.

DavecUK

danielpugh is there a cheaper place to source replacement valve than here https://www.voltagerestaurantsupply.com/products/la-marzocco-vacuum-breaker-b2029-anti-vacuum-anti-depression-valve (obviously assuming that one fits the evo)?

Yes, ACS….I thought that was the breaker being fitted as standard to Evo machines, but I think @Paolo_Cortese ran out of parts and had to use a standard breaker, on a batch of Evo models (at least that’s what I was told today when I queried it).

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