Mini Vivaldi II Flow Meter Problem

[Genkidess]

My first post. I want to thank you all for a great site and tons of info. I have a mini II and my group boiler temp sensor went bad. I ordered the replacement from Chris Coffee and made the repair. All went well and my machine was working great except for the alarm for dosing meter problem. I initially assumed I just needed to reset the auto dosing since it had been down and unplugged for a while. It wouldn't work and I kept getting the alarm. I cleaned the group boiler while I was doing the temp probe replacement. I assumed maybe a particle got stuck in the valve, but didn't really make since because the flow meter is before the boiler??? I removed the flow meter sensor and cover and was a little surprised. The impeller appears to have a melted fin ???, and the flow meter cover( held by 3 allen bolts) looks very deteriorated??? I am thinking that maybe my machine overheated, when the sensor failed and caused the damage to the flow meter? Either way I need to repair or replace the flow meter. I believe with a new cover and impeller I would be fine. Any one know if I can just get the parts to repair the flow meter or am I going to have to purchase a new one. Also any other things I should be concerned about given the damage that has occurred? I am currently using the machine and it is working great, except for the inability to automatically dose and the 3 lights blinking for the alarm. Here is a picture of the cover and impeller:

2011Aug06_6463SA(2).jpg (287.91 KiB) Viewed 7086 times

Again thanks for the great site and any knowledge you can pass my way..........Shane

[slo]

Welcome to the forum.
I really do not know what would have melted a single fin!!? Maybe a piece of FOD?
Is there a brand name written on the flow meter? Maybe you can try to contact the manufacturer or find a distributor of their products. It is very likely, thought, that you will have to replace the complete flow meter.

[Endo]

Very interesting indeed. I never heard of this before so we'll have to chalk it up as a "one time event" unless we see another.

I first thought it might be caused by fatique from the vibe pulses, but as Slo said, it's more likely to be caused by some debris (perhaps a metal shaving again?) It could always be a manufacturing quality or assembly issue as well.

Unfortumately, I suspect you'll need to replace the whole meter. Please let me know what they cost.

This makes me want to pull mine apart as well to see its condition. My "blocking alarm" has never worked, so I wonder if this is somehow related.

[Genkidess]

Slo and Endo, thanks for the feedback. It is a little weird??? Actually being ignorant until this occured, I don't recall my alarm working during back flush prior to this? I wonder if there where problems from the start. Endo, It is an easy task to inspect, and might be worth a look??? I think I'm going to email Chris Coffee and attach the pic and see if they can give me some feedback and a price. I did a quick search, and most flow meters seem to be around the $100-150 range, but I will update....

[Genkidess]

Just got an email from Jason at Chris Coffee, and I can't get the lid, the impeller is around $21 and the new complete valve is $83.30. He mentioned he had not seen this before, and suspected hot water back flowing from the group boiler? I will probably order the new flow meter and R/R. Can't say enough about Jason and Chris Coffee. Very willing to help and quick reply, also the part is significantly cheaper than from others I priced on the web.

[Endo]

He mentioned he had not seen this before, and suspected hot water back flowing from the group boiler?

Weird. I didn't think that was possible.

[eastpresso]

PM sent

[Endo]

I took my flow meter apart. Here's a picture:

Flow Meter Opened

c2011-08-14 032 (400x280).jpg (27.85 KiB) Viewed 6972 times

If this kind of thing interests you, you can find larger and more detailed photos on my blog:

http://cremina-endo.blogspot.com/2011/0 ... embly.html