Bit of background on the machine...
Purchased back in 2021.
I updated the gicar in 2022 to the V2 software and also has the opv mod.
Regularly serviced and descaled including new anti vac and overpressure valves, group head valves etc when required.
I have a group head thermometer fitted and up to around last week the machine has been a workhorse running 12 hours a day pulling 10 plus shots minimum....until last week.
Now, the temperature when idle regardless of which brew mode or temp setting is completely erratic.
For example on setting 0 it can idle anywhere between 88 (at setting 0 I found it was normal to have around a -3 Deg offset between water and group temp on idle on the group thermometer) and 94/5 degrees.
As a consequence unless I do massive cooling flushes the brew temp is all over the place.
Curiously it never runs colder than the set temp, always hotter which rules out a thermosyphon stall. But it never goes and runs away on the temp either, so no wild overpressure.
After the steam boost to 1.5 bar the boiler still always returns to idle at around 0.5bar.
The obvious culprit was one or both temp probes so I' fitted 2 new temp probes... problem still persists.
Checked for any leaks in the boiler and group valves...none.
Boiler fill probe is working perfectly.
I've swapped back to the original v1 gicar to eliminate a faulty gicar...problem still persists.
Zero scale in machine.
No change to water being used or filters.
No excess water or drips from opv etc
No random boiler filling and solenoids all seem to be ok.
Swapped to another known working group head thermometer and both record the exact same readings.
Could it be an erratic and failing SSR or even a faulty brew temp selector switch
I'm at a loss.
Purchased back in 2021.
I updated the gicar in 2022 to the V2 software and also has the opv mod.
Regularly serviced and descaled including new anti vac and overpressure valves, group head valves etc when required.
I have a group head thermometer fitted and up to around last week the machine has been a workhorse running 12 hours a day pulling 10 plus shots minimum....until last week.
Now, the temperature when idle regardless of which brew mode or temp setting is completely erratic.
For example on setting 0 it can idle anywhere between 88 (at setting 0 I found it was normal to have around a -3 Deg offset between water and group temp on idle on the group thermometer) and 94/5 degrees.
As a consequence unless I do massive cooling flushes the brew temp is all over the place.
Curiously it never runs colder than the set temp, always hotter which rules out a thermosyphon stall. But it never goes and runs away on the temp either, so no wild overpressure.
After the steam boost to 1.5 bar the boiler still always returns to idle at around 0.5bar.
The obvious culprit was one or both temp probes so I' fitted 2 new temp probes... problem still persists.
Checked for any leaks in the boiler and group valves...none.
Boiler fill probe is working perfectly.
I've swapped back to the original v1 gicar to eliminate a faulty gicar...problem still persists.
Zero scale in machine.
No change to water being used or filters.
No excess water or drips from opv etc
No random boiler filling and solenoids all seem to be ok.
Swapped to another known working group head thermometer and both record the exact same readings.
Could it be an erratic and failing SSR or even a faulty brew temp selector switch
I'm at a loss.
