Thank you Dave, I appreciate the thought.
A moment also to thank all you gents who responded to my plight with my ECM. As an update, I found getting a new boiler element very difficult. There are lots of companies who SAY they stock ECM parts, but in reality there are only two - Bella Barista and Doppio. I trawled the UK without success. I wore out two whole search engines,which are now lying in a pool of their own data, trembling, uselss, exhausted. Old before their time.
I waited and waited for one to arrive at myEspresso Machine pusher, without success.
I haven’t had an espresso since December!
So in desperation I turned to Germany, where ECM Manufacture Ersatzteile (see what I did there) are up to the gunwales. Got one sent over in just a few days.
AND YOU WERE ALL CORRECT! The Steam Boiler element was a gonner. The old one was caked in limescale. So much for using bottled water.
But the Steam boiler wasn’t filling up. Bella Barista were most helpful with telephone advice, and I removed and cleaned up the metal rod of the Filling Level Probe, which I found to have some limescale and light corrosion in the bottom 2 cms. Cleaned up, the Steam boiler filled, and heated to temperature. The Anti-vacuum valve was still pushing water into its drain tube, but when I operated the hot water valve I got a rush of steaming hot water.
For several seconds.
Then the OPV Safety valve popped up and sprayed water everywhere as I hastily reached for the off switch and mains p;ug.
I couldn’t find any deposits in the Anti-vacuum valve, but I replaced it anyway. It hasn’t stopped the drain bubbling out into the drip tray at a fqir rate of knots.
Meanwhile the steam boiler heats up but I have no pressure in the boiler. The gauge reads “Dead”. Zero. Nada. The water trickles from the Hot Water Outlet like wee from a 90 year-old.
And on top of all that I have confirmed that the water beneath the water tank area if a leaky valve. Which is saga in itself which I will share on another occasion. And the steam boiler isnt filling again.
So Im wondering if the OPV is now toast, and needs replacing. I had hoped it would auto reset, but I can find nothing on this component so far. Would that account for no pressure? But why would the OPV trigger anyway? Is there a blockage somewhere in the water systems? Is the solenoid suspect?
I keep telling myself this is a premium bit of kit. But I must admit I found myself pricing up a Profitec 700 this afternoon. So disappointed.
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks for your help and support.
