La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

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La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by cruiten »

I purchased my S1 Vivaldi II back in July of 2009 and it has been working like a charm.

This weekend I decided to perform some basic cleaning so I removed the front cover, and I was surprised by the scale buildup and the location of the scale buildup that I found on the left side of the pump. I also took a little mirror to look behind the pump and everything looks clean. I also checked the drain hole in the motor cover and it looks perfectly clean.
IMG_0341.JPG
IMG_0341.JPG (977.69 KiB) Viewed 7892 times
The scale appears to be concentrated on the side of the pump and has "wept" to the water-input connection.

The machine is working as expected, but I was wondering if this is something that I should be concerned about.
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chas
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by chas »

That's definitely not good. There is so much scale in the photo I can't tell where the leak is. The normally place is the area between the pump and the motor due to leaking bearings. A leak in that location can also get into the motor and ruin it's bearings as well.

You should remove the pump and check to be sure that the motor is not impacted. Then remove the scale, find out what is leaking, and fix it. Since the scale is on the side, you may luck out and find that the bearings are not affected.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by cruiten »

I had some free time last night so I pulled the pump from the motor.

I am happy to report that everything looks clean as a whistle and moisture free.

It really looks like there was a problem with the replacement braided input line that I had to purchase back in June of 2015 when the nut to the filtration system line broke off during cleaning. I remember that I had some trouble connecting the new BSPP waterline to the pump, and I had to use some teflon tape and a lot of torque on the nut to keep it from leaking.

I don't see how this could cause what I am seeing now, especially since this would go against the laws of gravity, but I can't see anything else that could have caused this.

I have checked the pump on a daily basis this past week and it is definitely not leaking now, so I am going to keep my fingers crossed and visually check the pump on a weekly basis.

Thanks for the help.
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chas
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by chas »

I hope that does the trick for you though I concur that it doesn't make much sense given where the mineral build-up is located. My only thoughts are that either something above the pump is very slowly dripping down onto that side of the pump or else there is a very small hairline crack in the pump housing. The latter is highly unlikely.

You should probably pop the front cover every 3 months or so and recheck it.

In the photo below I have circled the most likely spot where a leak could occur and then drip down on the pump. It might be worth checking this area for any signs of dampness and mineral deposits if you haven't already done so.
S1top.png
S1top.png (315.77 KiB) Viewed 7812 times
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by cruiten »

I checked the area that you circled and I do not see any dampness or mineral deposits.

By the way, I noticed the pink tubing in your picture. In my machine that tubing is clear/opaque similar to the tubing to the letter "C" in your picture.

Do you know if we need to replace the existing plastic tubing as a preventive maintenance item? My machine will be 8 years old this July and I want to make sure that it will keep going for at least another 8 years.
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chas
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by chas »

FYI, that's not a water line. That's the power cable.

BTW: I'd just leave the water lines alone unless/until you start to have problems.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
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Re: La Spaziale S1 Vivaldi II - Scale buildup on pump

Post by cruiten »

chas wrote:FYI, that's not a water line. That's the power cable.
:oops: Oops... :oops:

I will take your advice and leave the water lines alone, even if they are power lines... ;-)
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