Phil104 After the helpful messages above from @Cuprajake and @MediumRoastSteam, I contacted Reiss. He confirmed that in all likelihood I needed to replace the sirai pressure switch, and safety valve, and whilst at it, replace the anti vac valve too. After it worked okay yesterday I contacted him again and he confirmed my concern that if it has done it once, it will do it again and that I should replace the pressure switch.
It depends when you last serviced it, does it need descaling, when was it last properly serviced, when was the vac breaker last changed and the safety valve last changed.
- You definitely need a pressurestat.
- You might need a safety valve (if it’s like £20, change it
- You might need a vacuum breaker (if it’s like £10 change it), if it’s the type with an O ring, simply put a new FKM O ring in it for pennies.
If the machine is designed properly, the pressurestat should never be exposed, and when the water drops below the probe tip, the heating element should shut off. As they use a very simple and standard Gicar box, I am sure the heating element will switch off when the boiler detects the water level below the probe.
Where Fracinos in my opinion have a bigger problem is in their insistence of using 2.8Kw or thereabouts heating elements…Fracino love those in their machines and of course the L1 uses the same element. Or the lower power 110V element. This really isn’t a fantastic choice should problems arise, especially in a horizontal boiler, because continual power applied to the heating element at a time when it really should have turned off and with the water still not below fill probe level, still risks that very violent boiling exposing part of the element….whilst it’s still getting power.
Personally an element of that power would not have been my 1st choice, something around 1600 to 1800W would have been better.
In fact a common fault I would see in other Fracinos, heavenly et al with those very powerful elements in relatively small boilers were leaking element gaskets after not that many years…was the issue related, I don’t know, but it was very common.