Kitchenaid Artisan 'spresso machine problem

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Kitchenaid Artisan 'spresso machine problem

Postby propofolpete » Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:27 am

Hi folks,
I'm hoping for a bit of guidance with my new bit of kit. I just got a new but non working Kitchenaid Artisan dual boiler machine. The pump works ok but there seems to be no action from the boilers. I put it on last night and the grouphead remained cold after 5-10 mins of waiting.
The machine is a nice step up from the Gaggia Selecta Deluxe I'm using at the moment so I'm happy to put a bit of time and effort into getting the problem sorted.
So people; what to do next? (I'm no electrician but later I'll be taking the top off to see if anything obvious is amiss-unplugged of course!)
Cheers,
Peter
so it goes...

Gaggia. Aristarco. Grindenstien. Has beans. SQM.
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Postby dwalsh1 » Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 pm

If it's new, take it back to where you brought it for a refund. :)
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Postby propofolpete » Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:22 pm

I would love to do just that but the machine has been forgotten in the mists of a complex repair swapout cock up. My chum who is the kind donor has a brand new warranty machine and this one was a replacement that got sent out, didn't work and was replaced with a working one but never collected. Therefore a more elegant solution is needed...
Still haven't had a butcher's inside but might get a chance in a while.
so it goes...

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Postby bruceb » Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:48 pm

Pete, the best way to go about this is to open it up, plug it in and using a multimeter follow the current from the mains cord to the heater to find out why no power is getting to the heating elements. However, if you are not used to working with 240VAC and don't feel comfortable with doing it don't even try as it is potentially lethal. In any case be certain the mains are unplugged before you open the case.

One can also try NOT plugging it in to the mains and using an ohmmeter to follow the connectivity, but this can be rather tricky. You may have to get professional help with this. It should not be rocket science, but it's much faster if you have some idea what you are doing. I suspect that many here are not familiar with this machine (at least I am not) so if you open it you might take some pictures and share them with us. Maybe someone will have an idea if they see the insides.

I just thought of something to check. There probably is an overheat switch in there, possibly on the heating element(s) it (them) selves. It could be a red button sticking out that you can depress and it will stay locked in. It might be somewhere else in the case, but it should be connected directly to the heating element(s).

Good luck and let us know how you get along or if you have any other questions. I suppose someone will attack me for my first suggestion, but that's ok.
Three Francesconi (CMA) espresso machines - Rossi, San Marco, LaCimbali, Faema and 2 Mazzer Major grinders- CoffeeTech Maggionlino, Hottop, Alpenröst and HW Precision roasters.
I decided I needed a bit of a change so I roasted some Monsooned Malabar. That was a change!
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Postby propofolpete » Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:42 pm

Don't worry Bruce I'm not brave/stupid enough to try anything too dangerous. I'm familiar with the power of electricity (in hospital defibrilator type situations!) and I won't go anywhere near live exposed cables.
The red cut out switch thing sounds interesting so I'll be looking closely at that-thanks Bruce.
Tis too late to open it up now but I will be taking pictures to remind me where to put stuff when I close it back up! I'll post any relevant pictures.
Of course I could ask the father in law to help- he is a fully qualified sparkie but lives in France! Eye watering courier bill maybe...?!
so it goes...

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Postby ahgee2 » Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:06 pm

propofolpete wrote:Eye watering courier bill maybe...?!

You might get lucky. I bought a very cheap spares/repair Gaggia off Ebay once with a non-working boiler. Was all set to replace thermal fuse, thermostat, boiler (in that order of preference) but was pleasantly surprised to find a connector fallen off the boiler element when I opened it up! Must have worked loose in transit ... and perhaps the same has happened to yours given that it has been shipped around a lot. Good luck!

Andrew.
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Postby propofolpete » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:22 pm

Thanks for the encouragement Andrew! I must confess that I'm sat here hoping for just that solution!
Fingers crossed!
so it goes...

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Postby propofolpete » Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:00 pm

The lid came off quite easily tonight however the innards are quite wonderful and complicated! No really obvious bugs and there are a coupla fuses inside that look OK (don't even got a fuse tester!).
The beast has two pumps and two boilers in there and what must be a few solenoids and a rather fancy looking box of tricks near the bottom. I'm sure the wiring would be easy to understand if there weren't quite so many control wires!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11482267@N07/6264202003/What next..?!
(Putting the lid back on now!)
so it goes...

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Postby bruceb » Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:33 pm

Looking at that I'm afraid you're not going to go far without going in deeper and looking for the "low-water" sensor and the overheat reset. Those would be the two questionable components, aside from all the electronics, of course. You might also try just removing the water tank and looking for a low-water sensor and if it has any moving parts try to jiggle them around a bit. Having never seen one of these machines I'm afraid I can't really be much help.
Three Francesconi (CMA) espresso machines - Rossi, San Marco, LaCimbali, Faema and 2 Mazzer Major grinders- CoffeeTech Maggionlino, Hottop, Alpenröst and HW Precision roasters.
I decided I needed a bit of a change so I roasted some Monsooned Malabar. That was a change!
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Postby propofolpete » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:08 am

No problems Bruce- I don't think many people here have much knowledge of the KA. In fact I'm not sure I've seen the machine listed on anyone's sig.
No matter-I've not enough expertise in electrics to go any further, so I'll be looking for a more skilled and paid person probably to sort it.
I'll get on the phone to my father in law and see what he thinks then who knows...
so it goes...

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Postby easylife » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:22 am

Oh, that is very "busy".

I'm sure I've read elsewhere that these machines are largely made from the innards of 2 Gaggia machines assembled in the same case. If true, I'm sure that it is a bit more complex than that, but anyone who knows about the domestic gaggia machines may have some helpful suggestions.
Reneka Techno, Mazzer Mini-e, and a few other bits of coffee related junk
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Postby ahgee2 » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:50 am

Hard to be sure from the photo, but clamped on top of the boiler, inside the clear plastic tube, there seems to be a thermal fuse. That's where I would start! With the machine powered off, check for continuity with a multimeter. If the fuse has blown, they cost less than £1 from Maplin. Good luck, Andrew.
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Postby propofolpete » Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:49 pm

All this information! You're spoiling me! Now where's me mulitimeter..?
so it goes...

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Postby lukas » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:58 am

The left boiler does indeed look like the ones from the Gaggias built up to 2008 or so. If there's a problem, it should be easily solvable by someone familar with Gaggias.
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Postby propofolpete » Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:09 pm

Just tonight spoke to a guy I know from my old hospital's electro-medical engineering dept. He says he'll take it along to the bench and have a butcher's.
Thats a much better idea than me looking inside it and wiggling bits! :lol:
so it goes...

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