Diadema machine is dead - bugger!

admin

Hi guys, I've got a Diadema 'Junior' which is still making a noise but not pumping through any water...

Now those of you who know me will realise that unlike most of you, I have absolutely no technical expertise (remember my background was from publishing!).

I rang Cosmorex in Canberra (I'm based in Adelaide) and they said they could ship me a new pump, but it also 'could be the capacitor'. Have taken the lid off (even that stretched my technical capabilities :D ) and a friend of mine with a meter said it's actually a solenoid coil not a capacitor, but still seems to be holding charge ok (.97)... so presume the pump is stuffed, except if it's still making a noise, could it be something else - for instance I haven't descaled for ever ???

Problem is, I don't know any good repairers in Adelaide; do I buy a new pump from Cosmorex and get them to ship over (around $250) in the hope that I can fit it myself & this will fix things, or do I need to bite the bullet and start investigating couriers from ADL to Canberra and back?

The problem is that it's obviously pretty heavy, so if there was any way I could fix it myself that would be great but as I mentioned, I'm not the most technically competent of people!!

All and any thoughts/ideas much appreciated!


pic attached

Brett H

The Motor Cap is an easy replace... plug out, plug in. I’d personally Replace that first. They only last about 5 years in a hot environment! Do that now before you need to do it shortly after. Then check out this link but be warned... it’s all 240 in there... with all the metal... and the water...... https://www.espressoparts.com/resources/barista-basics/solenoids

mycuppa

Ash, most likely the pump or something related to a scale blockage in the water circuit. Could be the pump having a dead spot where it sticks and stalls - often that's the end of the pump and it can sometimes take the motor/vibe with it eventually from excessive load. If it's the capacitor, then the motor might do either 1 or 2 things - not spin (stalled) and/or it would make a strange/different/harsh noise from "pole-ing". There could also be a blockage in the group restrictor (jet), especially if a large chunk of scale broke off and is wedged in, but that is usually a gradual slowing of the flow and less pressure over time and generally some water might get through. - lower chance of that given there is noise and zero flow My suggestion is to contact Bill Comely @ HG Maintenance Services in Regency Park SA. Top bloke, excellent espresso tech. They mainly do commercial gear but if you ask nicely they might take it on for you. Pumps are pretty standard across many models, so they would likely have a compatible part easily at hand. I'd be also recommending they do a proper de-scale of the water circuit as it's going to be a downhill run from here with faults and failure if it's been deprived of love and attention in that area. Also, my advice is to avoid the risk of shipping the machine and that would be a last resort. Couriers are terrible, all of them - damage, stolen, other problems from the "shake and rattle". 1 in 4 are your odds Sir.

admin

Ok thx guys for the tips so far - Brett am pretty sure it's not the solenoid as it's still got some charge... Jeff, can I just check - assuming it's the pump - if I got that shipped over from Canberra, is that something that's fairly easy to replace (ie pop in myself)? Will call Bill as you suggest, but just wondering in case he can't do the job, plus am just curious to know how big a job that is? cheers A

mycuppa

Ash, I have not looked inside or worked on a Diadema so I don’t know how much other stuff needs to be removed to get access. On some machines it’s a lot, others less. Also don’t know your skill levels with using tools and making sure it’s not going to leak afterwards. for safety reasons (power) despite switching off the machine when you do the task, you might disturb something that could expose power afterwards (unlikely and a bit extreme, but a risk is a risk). Please ask this question to Cosmorex as they may be able to provide you with step by step instructions.

admin

Hey Jeff, tried HG but "he hasn't worked for the company for some time" - you wouldn't have a mobile for him, would you? cheers A

Brett H

The tech I use here in Brisbane doesn’t work for a repair company and the man is a genius! Ask around Ash... you may be able to find a similarly brilliant person in your neck of the woods!

mycuppa

Hi Ash - sent you a txt yesterday with an alternative contact number. Good luck. Cheers, Jeff

Cuir Beluga

If you have no luck with any of the suggestions already made I had mine sorted at Complete Cafe Services. Their service centre is in Unley and they are opened weekdays, failing that they have a shop on Portrush Road that is opened until around 1pm on a Saturday and they will transport it to Unley and then return it to Portrush Road for collection if need be. It could be worth a phone call anyway.

admin

Thanks guys, Jeff managed to get hold of Bill and the machine's now in his capable hands. CB didn't realise you're Adelaide-based - interestingly was going to try Complete Cafe Services if I didn't hear from Bill... how was your experience with them; you didn't say otherwise, so assuming you were pretty happy with them? cheers A

Cuir Beluga

They were very thorough I believe, I'll be going back next time it is due a service. No complaints at all.

askthecoffeeguy

So what was the problem in the end? Sounds like a water flow restriction problem - as previously mentioned could be a blockage at the group head which potentially could be fixed by removing the shower screen and giving it a good flush out?

admin

on 1572644386:

So what was the problem in the end? Sounds like a water flow restriction problem - as previously mentioned could be a blockage at the group head which potentially could be fixed by removing the shower screen and giving it a good flush out?

Hi Pat, sorry for the late reply... multiple things in the end; this has turned out to be a bit of a nightmare :'(  Bill initially did an acid soak to get rid of scale buildup, then replaced the inline return valve, which seemed to have failed. After he replaced this, it began leaking from the 'elbow' as the thread had apparently corroded away - see pic  ???  Basically the thread has totally disappeared, so he's going to drill and retap the elbow. It's pretty shocking mess (see pic); I asked him how he thought it could get so bad (eg 'operator error'?) and his answer was that it's likely because of dissimilar metals between the boiler/thread and the elbow; probs didn't help that for the last few years i didn't use unfiltered water - he says Adelaide water's pretty 'corrosive'.

Brett H

Holy crikey! At least it’s in good hands now!

askthecoffeeguy

Wow that's some pretty hefty repairs required ! Friends of mine I  Adelaide tell me that in their cafes they use reverse osmosis followed by remineralisation of the water for the longevity of their machines - I can only imagine that the same problems would impact for home use as well. Good luck with getting it all up and running again! Pat

admin

Ok so it's been a long process: actually I'm pretty glad that Jeff was able to offer his recommendation of Bill to take a look at this... reason is that it was so far gone that a normal commercial workshop would probably have been prohibitively expensive. It's taken Bill a while but he's taken this on as a bit of a 'personal' project and we're now at the stage where he's ready to re-install the boiler (see pic); quite frankly would probably have been throwing the machine out, otherwise. Cheers A

admin

Ok so bit of a 'pilgrim's progress' thing here - machine re-assembled for pressure testing - see pic! A

K_Bean_Coffee

That’s a very cool project. When finished you will be able to sit back with your brew and proudly admire the result. Nice work.

admin

get the Diadema back today - wonder how it's going to cope with the 40+ deg heat? ::)

Cuir Beluga

How did she go?

admin

actually have been enjoying using my old ECM (backup) so much, I haven't got round to putting it back in yet! Will report back in the next couple of days. A ???

Brett H

Good news! Fingers crossed 🤞

admin

took a while to get this hooked up and started, and have to say it was pretty disappointing... a few bubbles and squeaks (& steam clearly going somewhere inside) but no water came out the group head. Clearly will have to make a phone call A :'(

askthecoffeeguy

Oh not a good outcome hopefully you get it sorted surprised it left the workshop if it wasn't working! Pat

JohnA

on 1575334536:

took a while to get this hooked up and started, and have to say it was pretty disappointing... a few bubbles and squeaks (& steam clearly going somewhere inside) but no water came out the group head. Disappointing as I would have thought the first thing the technician would have done was tested it! Clearly will have to make a phone call A :'(

wow, that is not good at all, hope the tech does the right thing by you and get it working as it should have when first returned to you with no additional cost

Brett H

Oh no... back she goes.