Sorry to hear it. (Support group may actually be necessary). Not the thermostat, huh? I was sure that you were onto something there; I mean, the logic seemed to make sense. Thanks for the info on the "pins" (it would have been obvious if you had movement when you reconnected the leads) didn't seem right to me either, but I doubt it has anything to do with our similar problem (just something else I probably have to fix - if I don't throw this thing down the stairs!).
I'm at a loss.
Does your twin still brew OK or do you get the disco lights a few moments into the shot? I'm guessing that this condition is related (at least in mine) and indicates a lack of something: pressure, temperature, water in the boiler? I'd love to get this thing fixed, but like you, without a lead, I'm forced to start randomly replacing parts that could potentially be the culprit. That could get pricey pretty quick. Hope someone out there has some ideas for us.
yeah. I can brew shots all day with no problem same with hot water.
Its just the steam craps out after 15ish seconds... I can shut the steam off, and back on and get another 15s of full blast steam!. When this happens the current draw of the machine drops (from 7.3A down to 0.2A) at the same time.... Its just weird how It works for 15ish seconds....
I will probably blow out the rotary switch...making cappos.
My understanding of a fuse on Gaggia is that is just that, a fuse, not a re-settable stat. If the fuse is intact it should have end to end continuity. In not, then a fuse could be out. I have not actually layed my hands on a Twin, only seen the diagrams. Interesting tstat on the upper boiler, where my Classic steam stat resides, part 21.
Then there is part 65, which you replaced, on the thermoblock which should control steam.
Is the thermoblock working or are you getting hot water to steam from the boiler?
You have 3 elements to check resistance in if I see it correctly, 2 on the boiler and then the one on the thermoblock.
If I read correctly, in the bottom wiring diagram parts 4 and 9 in the lower L corner are fuses mentioned.
Thinking outside the box, the boiler, pump, and 3 way are basically like a Classic. Too bad that there is not a simple way to wire in simple switches and lose the thermoblock, or unplumb it, and have almost a Classic, the trouble free part.
per the website: Designed for higher voltage and current applications than the G4, the G5 series MICROTEMP® TCO is rated for operating currents up to 20 amps @ 250VAC and 277 VAC (25 amps @ 120VAC). Similar in appearance to the G4 series, the G5 series has a different internal construction designed for interrupting higher currents and withstanding higher temperatures.
I am in the process of trying to find the part for purchase, through the manufacturer via their distributors: Click Here (www.thermodisc.com) I couldnt find anything at digikey or mouser that was even close....
Question: I am wondering if the problems that people have with the baby twin and the "weak" steam, could be cured by going from the 229 deg C to 240 deg C any thoughts on this?
I may try this in the next couple of days: 1) Another thing I was thinking was to just run the machine with the thermoblock exposed, with a multimeter across the thermal cutoff. I would imagine that while the steam is coming out (for the first 15s, and the current draw is 7.3A) I would see some low voltage (AC) with that voltage rapidly increasing higher to 120 VAC when the steam dies (as the cutoff opens up, stopping current flow to the thermoblock, which correlates to the dropping in the overall current draw of the system to 0.2A ). If this happens I would think that it definitely has to be the thermal cutoff on the thermoblock as being the culprit.... (at least that is what I am talking myself into...) 2) I should then be able to verify by shorting out the thermal cutoff and retest; monitoring current draw and checking how long the steam works... obviously I would want to replace the part ....kinda wish I had a infrared thermometer (to see how hot things are getting) ... may be a good excuse to pick up a new toy....
any additional comments are definitely welcome....
I may be missing something here. On page 1 of that document the operating principle says that once it opens, it must be repalced. It is a fuse, so working or blown. Your description is more like the bimetal tstat clicking open and closed. I thought you replaced that part.
I have not seen a good description of how the Twin works, but is seems that since steam is produced in the thermoblock, you would need almost continuous heat on to the thermoblock and almost continuous pump run to keep water in it. Is that correct?
Unfortunately, there is also a "board" of electronics that could malfunction.
If you can safely run the system out where you can measure, then check the thermoblock element for function when trying to steam. If it gets heat, is it also getting water input? Do you hear the pump running during steaming. What shuts off first? If the pump turns off, then as I understand, the thermoblock tstat would reach limit and click off.
I see in your first post you said that: " Never a problem before, but now after about 20-30sec, it starts fizzling out and all the buttons on the keypad start blinking"
The blinking is what we call a "ventilate" error. This means that for some reason the water flow is to low. It could be one of many things. I would first check the seal under the reservoir. Then open up the flow meter and check the inlet side (there is a small orifice) to see if there is debris. Give all the tubing a good look for any kinks or anything that looks unusual. Time how long it take to run 8 oz hot water through the steam wand, it should be around 24 to 30 seconds.
This should get you going in the right direction.
Let me know how you make out and we can go to the next step if necessary.
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