4 years on- Vivialdi SII rebels
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 2:57 pm
We bought our Vivaldi SII back in 2010, and it has been great until last month. A bad GFI switch has caused things to go sideways for us. The initial problem- the machine got very hot and made a popping sound, which I later figured out was the volumetric flow sensor. I disassembled the sensor and found that the impeller had melted. In addition, water appears to have flown backwards out of the inline filter on the intake side of this sensor. (I have pics of both but am new to the forum and only see links to pictures as an option.)
My first question is- does anyone know what could cause this sensor to overheat and for water to flow backwards?
I have since replaced the volumetric sensor with a new on from Chris Coffee, now I am getting the error documented on page 15 of the manual: 5.2 Coffee Group Temperature Detection System Failure. And sure enough, the machine is not heating up. I used to hear the sound of the machine heating, now I do not. Machine is a on a dedicated 20 amp circuit and new 20 amp GFI BTW.
My second question is- does the sensor initiate the heating and is that the likely culprit at this point? I am thinking that it is, and that I need to order a new one like this: http://www.chriscoffee.com/Vivaldi-Temp ... p/7540.htm
When all this started to happen I was already playing with the idea of a true E61 group head machine, a good friend has one and espresso on his setup is always better than mine. That's with me as barista or him, or my wife, etc. We have used same beans, same grinder to be sure, only difference is machine brand and E61 vs my 53mm vivaldi. So that got me thinking I should just buy a GS3 and fix then sell the SII
My last question is- for folks who have own both the Vivaldi SII and the GS3 is there a material difference in espresso quality (mostly interested in flavor)
My first question is- does anyone know what could cause this sensor to overheat and for water to flow backwards?
I have since replaced the volumetric sensor with a new on from Chris Coffee, now I am getting the error documented on page 15 of the manual: 5.2 Coffee Group Temperature Detection System Failure. And sure enough, the machine is not heating up. I used to hear the sound of the machine heating, now I do not. Machine is a on a dedicated 20 amp circuit and new 20 amp GFI BTW.
My second question is- does the sensor initiate the heating and is that the likely culprit at this point? I am thinking that it is, and that I need to order a new one like this: http://www.chriscoffee.com/Vivaldi-Temp ... p/7540.htm
When all this started to happen I was already playing with the idea of a true E61 group head machine, a good friend has one and espresso on his setup is always better than mine. That's with me as barista or him, or my wife, etc. We have used same beans, same grinder to be sure, only difference is machine brand and E61 vs my 53mm vivaldi. So that got me thinking I should just buy a GS3 and fix then sell the SII
My last question is- for folks who have own both the Vivaldi SII and the GS3 is there a material difference in espresso quality (mostly interested in flavor)