# Vesuvius - underrated mains power switch causing failures - replaced by a higher amp rated switch fixed the issue



## CrazyFin (Mar 11, 2021)

Back in Sept 2018 my European version (230/240VAC) machine did the arcing sound. I had read about that problem which is happening in the power inlet connector. I read about it in a different forum and it is a quite long thread there.

Vesuvius dead - bad power inlet connector

I described the problem in more detail in my post at page 6 in that thread and also posted pictures:

Vesuvius dead - replacing power inlet connector, wiring and blade connectors

What I did was to replace the power inlet connector with a new one without a built in fuse and instead used a separate fuse holder. I also replaced the blade connectors with a higher amp and voltage rated ones.

All good after that for about 2.5 years until January this year (2021) when my Vesuvius suddenly started to reboot 25-30 seconds after initial power up!

I tracked down the problem to the mains power switch located on the left side of the machine near the water tank. When the machine rebooted I could see the light in the power switch flicker and I could also hear low arcing sound from that area! Look at this video and you can see the green light in the power switch flicker on the initial startup and after each shutdown when it reboots again. You can see the flickering of the green light in the switch at approx 10 12 seconds in to the video as well as 32 to 34 seconds in to the video:






When I opened up the machine to check the power switch I was quite shocked when the switch and one of the blade connectors looked like this:














Looking more closely at the power switch I realised that it is only rated for 8 amps at 250VAC:









The Vesuvius is specified to draw 2.5kW so with 235 VAC line voltage that we have here in Sweden that equals to approx 10.64 amps! No question why the switch will fail after a while.

Line voltage in the US is 120VAC so with 2.5kW this equals to 20.83 amps! The switch is rated for 16A at 125 VAC....

So I replaced the switch with one rated for 16A / 250 VAC and I also replaced the blade connector with blade connectors rated for these voltages and current levels.

Machine has been working fine after that (except for my mistake where I accidentally disconnected one of the wires to the auto refill solenoid causing the water pump to squeal when refilling.... see my thread Water pump squealing)


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

CrazyFin said:


> Looking more closely at the *power switch* I realised that it is only rated for *8 amps at 250VAC*?!
> 
> The Vesuvius is specified to draw 2.5kW so with 235 VAC line voltage that we have here in Sweden *that equals to approx 10.64 amps*! No question why the switch will fail after a while.


 Did you purchase the machine NEW or are you the 2nd/3rd etc. owner ?


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## CrazyFin (Mar 11, 2021)

Machine was brand new from a Swedish authorized ACS dealer.


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

WOW and *it came with the switch* you mentioned above....i'm gobsmacked....*i'm soooooo glad i never purchased one* !! .....after reading this and a few other things about this machine i couldn't trust it to be in the same house as my family. I'm glad you managed to fix/rectify the fault, and i'm glad you're safe to tell the tale.


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## Paulgab (Jan 13, 2019)

Crikey! That could've been lethal. Good job it's been dealt with.


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## rogher (Nov 22, 2020)

The switch is below the top of the tank. Perhaps it should've been a waterproof one? I think the problem might have arisen from splashes when topping-up.


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## CrazyFin (Mar 11, 2021)

I agree but that is somewhat difficult since the back of the switch is difficult to protect without starting to use for example shrink tubing on the back of the connector.

An IP65 rated power switch is not water protected on the back. It is just the rocker itself that is IP65-rated.

Look for example on this switch that is IP54-rated (splash proof) and rated for 16A (@250 VAC):
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/rocker-switches/7492437/

I don't think that the problem is coming from splashes but rather the fact that the machine draws somewhere around 10 amps on startup while the switch itself was rated for 8A...


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

CrazyFin said:


> I agree but that is somewhat difficult since the back of the switch is difficult to protect without starting to use for example shrink tubing on the back of the connector.
> 
> An IP65 rated power switch is not water protected on the back. It is just the rocker itself that is IP65-rated.
> 
> ...


 Since late 2018 they have used a different RFI suppression connector rated to 16A. The original connector was subject to pressure because they didn't use a right angled connector, so the pind could move under pressure causing bad connections and arcing. At least that's what I think for one of the reasons.

The Vesuvius will never draw even 8 amps for more than a few minutes when warming up...it's usual draw average is about 90-120Watt with the steam boiler on and for only brief moments will it actually draw more power...for it to draw 10 amps both heaters would have to be on simultaneously, which with PID control of the brew and steam boiler is a situation that would only exist for seconds.

I do believe that they are considering simply hard-wiring the machines again...because although the new connector they use is fine...it's a lot easier for them just to hard-wire it.


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## Josh H (Jun 5, 2021)

Hi, I am struggling with the same issue on my power switch, where it melted like yours on the blade...however the plastic connector covers on the spades have also become brittle from the heat and have basically disintegrated.

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for this machine? I want to make sure I'm connecting the right terminals to the switch as a few fell off when pulling the switch out.

I will also be putting in a more robust switch to hopefully avoid future issues of this kind.

Thanks for the help!


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

@Josh H how old is your machine?

Welcome to the forum


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## Josh H (Jun 5, 2021)

I believe it's from 2015 possibly 2016. Thanks for the welcome!


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

View attachment Impianto elettrico Vesuvius Eng.pdf


Then this should be the file you want..I think it's the generic one for USA/Europe....for that year.


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## Josh H (Jun 5, 2021)

Thanks! Perfect


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