Vesuvius Pressure Profiling Machine - General Discussion

To me it looks like it needs 1bar or so to seal. But as it gets close to sealing the flow of steam must slow and condensation runs back towards the valve. Wetting the top of it as shown. Which is probably where all of the scale has come from around it.

I will look in this thread for Maria’s email and get a part request fired off.

Thank you everyone for helping

Adrianmsmith · 2025-03-23T11:21:15+00:00

Tal

sales ACS [sales@mevsrl.net](mailto:sales@mevsrl.net)

How to solve a problem, contact Maria. 🥰

TTal · 2025-03-23T11:22:39+00:00

Absolute star. Cheers

Have fired off an email so hopefully get a response tomorrow.

TTal · 2025-03-23T17:47:03+00:00

Hi again,

Paolo has been helping me on a Sunday of all days, can’t ask for more than that.

He suggested I remove the vacuum breaker and descale it. I did but couldn’t resist separating the plastic part from the metallic part. I didn’t take an photo for order of reassembly! Could anyone confirm the position of the smaller spring please?

This

Thanks

Edit: have reassembled as above and believe that is correct

Cuprajake · 2025-03-23T18:42:55+00:00

Looking at the valve id prob descale it too

It wont seal till it reaches pressure, so some steam and water is normal.

TTal · 2025-03-23T19:07:13+00:00

Cuprajake

Haha, I did kick myself for a moment, fired back up and no change. But Paolo suggested that the boiler could be overfilling hence the steam. So I’ll pull the level sensor next and give that clean up.

The fitting originally identified above though is definitely leaking, perhaps the hose just needs trimming off and refitting. Though that loop doesn’t look particularly long. I could get a fresh piece of hose instead. Will measure it shortly

John_Yossarian · 2025-03-23T19:37:38+00:00

Tal you have made nice progress. As @Adrianmsmith said, I second him 100%, drop Maria an email and get a spare. I did buy thermal probes, (one of the original ones, they were made of brass, gave up the ghost) and they were cheaper than anything available in the UK. One thing is they use DHL and this might come a bit on the dear side, but I would still buy from ACS.

TTal · 2025-03-23T20:39:44+00:00

I didn’t remove the one that is leaking, Paolo advised I descale the vac breaker first, shown here:

Son in bed now, so will go for the fill probe next.

DavecUK · 2025-03-23T21:16:07+00:00

Tal Edit: have reassembled as above and believe that is correct

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/blog/2996-vesuvius-vacuum-breaker-oring

DavecUK · 2025-03-23T21:17:39+00:00

Cuprajake It wont seal till it reaches pressure, so some steam and water is normal.

It’s a memory metal vacuum breaker, these seal on temperature… so much earlier than normal vacuum breakers

TTal · 2025-03-23T22:20:01+00:00

Ok interesting, much appreciated.

I’ve just descaled the fill probe as per Paolos advice and that looked fine to me. I may have disturbed that little spring, or O ring as it now takes 1.3 to 1.4bar to seal, whereas before it was sealing around 0.9bar. I’ll take it apart again and check it works with boiling water as per above.

I did find a leak in a hose though, hard to see, but the dark line is a tiny split. Is this hose bought with the flanged ends? Or is it an feature of the compression fitting to spread it out, so if I trimmed the line back a little and refitted it?

TTal · 2025-03-23T23:25:10+00:00

Opened the vac breaker again. O ring looks ok to me, but going by Dave’s link above maybe it needs changing anyway. I’ll order a set of seals to be sure.

Spring also works well, expands in hot water etc. have cleaned it up again and refitted. Will take it off again once I sort some seals.

Edit: just cut the leaky pipe by trimming around 10mm off, I think I will get some PTFE tubing and replace this short run. It’s rather tighter than I would like now.

Just turned it on. It now stops the steaming from the drip tray at a much more modest 0.7bar, before I started this it was 0.9 to 1bar, and just now before taking it apart a second time it was up to 1.4bar before closing so we are winning, o ring hopefully will sort it.

Cheers

DavecUK · 2025-03-24T09:16:31+00:00

Tal I did find a leak in a hose though, hard to see, but the dark line is a tiny split. Is this hose bought with the flanged ends? Or is it an feature of the compression fitting to spread it out, so if I trimmed the line back a little and refitted it?

The flange is formed by the compression of the fitting. To remake he end all you have to do (and it sounds like this is what you did), is trim the end off with a stanley knife.

Adrianmsmith · 2025-03-24T09:21:56+00:00

DavecUK

Obviously my initial suggestion was wrong and i no longer have a pressure profiler, so, what is that connector. Does it have a non return in it that can also need cleaning or replacing?