The water level sensor of my ACS minima seems stuck

Ovidiu

my low water level warning sign came on and says: H2O - I refilled the water but the sign still keeps being displayed. Not sure what to do. I have the ACS version with 3 tunes going into the water tank.

Any hints are much appreciated.

Patrick

Ovidiu Take out the second longest tube withe wires inside and the little float mechanism on the end, and check the float mechanism is moving freely and not all gunged up.

If it’s not as simple as that, and moving the float mechanism doesn’t make the H2O warning go away, then it’s case off and look for a loose wire on the Gicar box.

Ovidiu

Patrick Hi Dave, thanks for taking the time to answer over Easter so I wish you a nice festive season.

While waiting for tips on this forum, I did check out that floaty thingy, there is nothing that seems weird. It looks the way it always looked when I had a look at it during the last 2 years. It seems to be whole and able to move. Not sure what to do except a visual check.

I then opened up the screws on top of the minima and had a look at where those two wires end up and they seem to sit well inside some plastic connector and below the plastic connector everything seems to be fine. Those two wires then go further down into the machine where I can’t really see much from the top opening. Should I open up the sides too and check if these 2 wires are fine until the end (wherever they might end up)?

And if they are and I can’t find any lose wires or similar? Any other suggestions? Just putting this out there while I go and actually dismember the machine further.

Patrick

If when moving the mobile part of the float to the position it would be when the machine has water didn’t make the low water warning disappear. There is either a fault in the wiring or the float switch. Next step remove the case and check the wiring…leave the case off for further instructions if wiring is OK.

Ovidiu

Patrick the floating part does indeed move up, if I pull it out too high, it does not, when I submerge it it immediately floats up. Can’t see anything wrong here. Can’t follow the 2 thin blue wires going from the sensor to their destination as it disappears somewhere deep inside the machine. Will try and add 2 pics right after this answer

Patrick

Ovidiu Is the last post with the connector and white wires the one that goes to the water sensor and the connector with the blue wires plugs into it?

If it is, you can do some checks, get a multimeter and set it to the resistance scale, move the float bit up and down and see if it makes and breaks the circuit. If it doesn’t the float switch is iffy and might need cleaning. If it does make and break the circuit then….Get the connector with the blue wires and use a small insulated length of wire to bridge the contacts in the connector with the blue wires and see if the H2O warning goes away.

Ovidiu

Patrick yes, I marked it again, this is the connection to the water sensor. Any tips on how to get to the end of the thin blue wire? I’m not sure what to remove apart from the sides and the top to actually be able to get to “where these blue wires lead to”. I can’t check the blue wire further than you can see in the picture, maybe the wire is broken further down the line or disconnected at the end?

Patrick

Ovidiu The blue wires lead to the Gicar box….which I know you can see.

Do my tests first..

Ovidiu

Patrick I need to drive an hour to borrow a multimeter so I haven’t gotten around to do your test. Can you advise where one could order a replacement for this water sensor? I’m sure it is not expensive and by the time I got the multimeter, the spare part could have also arrived so I wish to order it ahead of time.

Patrick

Ovidiu ACS will obviously have them and I would like think will be a small envelope item, otherwise European retailers who stock it. Although it’s not a common item, it’s used in all their machines (Vesuvius, Evo etc.) and is not a common failure item.

This is why I suspect it’s not faulty. .or perhaps needs cleaning.

simonc

Patrick €37 from ACS direct, having just ordered one.

Patrick

simonc Did that include postage….

Also if your machine was under 2 years old it’s still got its parts warranty.

Patrick

I remember it’s a hall effect sensor, so a very sensitive meter would be needed to test it. But while waiting, you can short out the two blue wires to get rid of the low water warning for now. If shorting out the blue wires doesn’t work, it’s likely the hall effect sensor is fine

simonc

Patrick €22 +€15 postage

Patrick

simonc The postage is a bit killer isn’t it….

Ovidiu

simonc would you mind sharing how you contacted ACS? The vendor I bought my machine went bust and I can’t find a website or contact details for ACS.

Ovidiu

Patrick awesome! I bought mine 09.06.2020

Ovidiu

Patrick btw. to explain my “silly” questions: I have neither any skills (left) to fumble with electronics nor the tools (I literally own 2 screwdrivers and one hammer and the tool to open the minima).

I did clean the water sensor with an old electric toothbrush, its as clean as it can possibly get.
I actually have to talk to my neighbor to see if he has a piece of wire so I can short it out, I’m getting sick of “bialetti coffee” 😅

Patrick

Ovidiu awesome! I bought mine 09.06.2020

Well just remember, Retailers have a bought out warranty, they get them cheaper because they are responsible for the warranty work, not ACS.

ACS don’t hold the warranty for that machine, the retailer who went bust does! ACS might help you for free, or a reduced price, but they absolutely don’t have to.

Ovidiu

Patrick thanks for clarifying but that implies that you can buy straight from ACS? Any tips? I can’t even find a website of their own or where do they sell their products from?

###edit###

sorry about that, I reread your messages again and I understand that the 2yr warranty applies to the reseller. Got it now.