Fill Valve Noise

[Banjobutt]

I have had my VII for a few months now and it has been working great! My previous machine was a Astoria Fiore (220 Volt commercial model).
I have enjoyed lurking on the Forum.
I have noticed the auto fill valve is sometimes (most of the time, not always) is noisy when operating. This is a recent development, say the last 5 weeks.I have not asked the dealer yet, I thought I would throw it out to the guys with all the experience.

Thanks

[Niko]

Welcome out of lurking!
It's nice to have you onboard.

Can you describe the sound?
If you can, post a link to a video (for the sound) in the video section of the forum.

[Banjobutt]

The noise is a very noticeable 60hz hum. It doesn't always do it, mostly it starts in a normal fill mode, almost silent except you can hear the solenoids click and then the buzz/humm starts. I have a provided a video link, it is a bit crude but should give you a good idea. The video is just after I ran the American Jet long enough to require a refill.

Fill Valve Noise Vdeo

Thanks

Chuck

[Banjobutt]

Whoops, for some reason the hyperlink didn't work on my last post.
cut and paste the following to view video.

Sorry,

http://home.comcast.net/~chuckpreston/s ... noise1.wmv

[Niko]

That sound is normal when the steam boiler is replenishing itself. You mentioned that this just started happening a little over a month ago....has it been more frequent than before? It is normal for this to happen even if you hardly ever steam milk, the boiler loses a little water over time so it calls for more water to keep the pressure at the set point. The frequency of this is what I'd be concerned with, does it do it way too often and for how long, does it take quite a while to fill, etc..
The sound is pretty normal, some S1's are louder than others only because of some little vibrations here and there from loose components.
When I get home, I'll replay your video with the sound cranked way up high so I can listen to it in a very quiet environment, but for now it sounds normal to me.
Nice video! :D

[Banjobutt]

I solved my noise problem with the fill valve. As with many problems it is not sloved until it gets worse, and then is easier to identify. The noise got very pronounced not just on fill valve operation but got very noticeable when I would pre-heat the portafiltler before pulling a shot, especially if I were to use the double button. The first half the shot would be silent and then an objectionable buzz/rattle/vibration. It was like the pump was cavitating. I removed the sides and back and found the noise disappeared. I did notice the pump does make a different sound after it runs for about 4 seconds (with an empty or no porta filter). I found that a water line and cords were touching the back panel. I moved the cords and water line and held them in place with a tie-wrap. The problem is now gone. I stole a picture from S1 Cage website and marked it to illustrate the problem area. All problems are simple, ONCE you solve them.