# Eureka Mignon broken?



## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Hi all,

Just got a batch of new beans from Exchange Coffee today and went about dialling in my grinder and it jammed up and started humming at me! I found a bean jammed between the burrs and removed it, but it soon jammed up again.

Now I think on it, it does seem like the speed at which the grinder does its thing has declined recently so I'm suspecting the motor is on its way out?

It's still within warranty (barely) so I plan on calling the supplier first thing Monday but before I do I just want to eliminate the possibility of it being a silly, easily fixable issue - has anyone come across something similar before?

Just to eliminate one possibility, I actually dialled the grinder for a coarser grind than what I've been using for the past few months (from a 5 down to more like a 4.5) so I'm pretty sure the burrs haven't touched, the beans are still getting between the burrs and I can't see any obvious obstructions. I've found no evidence of foreign objects.

At the instruction of the internet the only maintenance I've performed over the last 11 months has been with a soft brush and a vacuum cleaner.

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated 

Cheers,

Will


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Update: I just had a look into the chute with a torch and had a good old investigate as best I could without touching any screws: I wound down the grind to +course and the motor kicked in again and it now appears to be behaving again.

I'm still a little concerned and the grinder is only a month within its warranty - is this normal behaviour or do I need to be contacting the seller?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Wombat said:


> Update: I just had a look into the chute with a torch and had a good old investigate as best I could without touching any screws: I wound down the grind to +course and the motor kicked in again and it now appears to be behaving again.
> 
> I'm still a little concerned and the grinder is only a month within its warranty - is this normal behaviour or do I need to be contacting the seller?


Have you ever removed the top and cleaned out around the burrs and sweep arms?


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Nope, wasn't sure whether unscrewing would void warranty and the internet told me to only use a vacuum on the top and doser chute.

It's also stopped again, so definitely a problem.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Wombat said:


> Nope, wasn't sure whether unscrewing would void warranty and the internet told me to only use a vacuum on the top and doser chute.
> 
> It's also stopped again, so definitely a problem.


I would make undoing the screws and opening up the burr chamber and immediate priority, before you try to use the grinder again. Remove all the compacked coffee that is in there....which should completely solve your problem. in no way should removing the top and cleaning the burr chamber void your warranty....in fact, I rather think the opposite would apply!

Think of it like never changing the oil in your car.....

P.S. if it's clean as a whistle in there with no mass of hardened coffee (unlikely)....then your problems lie elsewhere.


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

It's fine to remove the top and clean out the burr chamber etc, it's probably just full of old grounds and got itself jammed full, as it's part of a normal cleaning routine it's fine to do.


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for the tips fellas, I took the top off and there were indeed lots of hardened coffee which I cleaned out.

Here's where it gets strange - I put the top back on, started grinding again and it came to life like it was brand new and then jammed again. I took the top off and the grounds were back again, hardened.

I've attached an image for illustration - have I gone far enough with the cleaning or am I going to need to remove the bottom burr also? I've read on Mignon discussions this is a big no-no.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Wombat said:


> Thanks for the tips fellas, I took the top off and there were indeed lots of hardened coffee which I cleaned out.
> 
> Here's where it gets strange - I put the top back on, started grinding again and it came to life like it was brand new and then jammed again. I took the top off and the grounds were back again, hardened.
> 
> I've attached an image for illustration - have I gone far enough with the cleaning or am I going to need to remove the bottom burr also? I've read on Mignon discussions this is a big no-no.


No, looks OK in there now....if it spins freely with your fingers, there is not much more you can do. Could simply be a start/run capacitor gone...or some other problem, probably time to contact your dealer. If you bought from Bella Barista, I believe they give 2 years warranty, so if it's only 11 months old, you have no worries for a while.


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Yeah it spins freely until I adjust towards it being finer, at which point it starts to feel resistance and grounds come up from underneath the burr. I'm really not looking forward to a week without coffee if I have to send it off


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

I thought grinders had 2 years with BB but I think you will find that refers to espresso machines whilst grinders have 1 year

Warranty periods:- Coffee machines 24 months Grinders 12 months All other products 12 months.

The warranty is a "back to base warranty" which means the customer is responsible for the packing and carriage back to us we will then arrange shipping back, at the customer expense.


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Yeah with respect to BB (I'd be mildly surprised if they asked me to pay postage on a faulty item), I won't be playing that game unless they can provide me with legislation that contradicts Sale of Goods Act 1979:

Paragraph 48A & B:

(2)If the buyer requires the seller to repair or replace the goods, the seller must-

(a)repair or, as the case may be, replace the goods within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience to the buyer;

(b)bear any necessary costs incurred in doing so (including in particular the cost of any labour, materials or*postage).

With respect to the grinder, I gave it a second cleaning and wound the grinder to a considerably more course setting so I could gently nudge the grinds wedged down the side of the burr. It has just ground an 18g shot with no issues so fingers crossed, but think I'll report the issue to BB nonetheless before warranty runs out.

Any further tips are welcome and appreciated


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

BB get Mignons back with just this problem on a regular basis. It is always fixed by a good clean. I have never heard of them having an actually faulty one back yet!


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

That sounds about right dfk - I still think there are compacted grinds down the side of the burr that stops it spinning at finer settings and will likely accumulate in the not-too-distant future.

Is there any way I can get right down the side of the burr to dislodge all of those? I saw someone use a cotton bud in a YouTube video but were talking about a small gap that looks like its designed to only allow coffee particles through? I considered winding the burr to as coarse a setting as possible to widen the gap, but frankly I was worried about losing track of my grind setting


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Wombat, I would ring BB and ask Jordan to explain or email you instructions on how to do it without fear! I have never taken one apart although I am sure there is a sticky somewhere from coffeechap. I will see if I can find it for you and add it here


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

That sounds like a plan - I'll need to speak to them anyhow to understand my limits with regards to the warranty.

In the meantime the second cleaning seems to have done the trick. Shame I've used half a bag of the lovely fresh beans that arrived today getting to the bottom of this!


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

You just need a socket of the correct size and carefully check whether it is a left hand or right hand thread undo the nut and carefully remove the entire lower burr carrier i.e. do not try and lever it up from under one side with a screw driver. Once removed you can them simply unscrew the burrs from the carrier to clean underneath them and simply screw them back down to the carrier making sure to tighten each screw equally. You can then clean the bottom of the burr chamber out.


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

That sounds about right - dfk pointed out coffeechap's thread that shows how to with pictures (I can link if needed if anyone else stumbles across this thread with same problem?).

I just need to check with BB that I won't void my warranty by doing so


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Wombat said:


> That sounds like a plan - I'll need to speak to them anyhow to understand my limits with regards to the warranty.
> 
> In the meantime the second cleaning seems to have done the trick. Shame I've used half a bag of the lovely fresh beans that arrived today getting to the bottom of this!


well I guess you have gained some valuable information from this...open her up for cleaning a little more often than once every 11 months.


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## Wombat (Nov 12, 2013)

Exactly! Up until now I thought a fortnightly vacuuming was sufficient - lesson learned.

How often would you recommend removing the top cover to clean the burr, and if I venture the far how often should I remove the burr chamber and do the whole thing?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Wombat said:


> Exactly! Up until now I thought a fortnightly vacuuming was sufficient - lesson learned.
> 
> How often would you recommend removing the top cover to clean the burr, and if I venture the far how often should I remove the burr chamber and do the whole thing?


Well simply removing the top cover and cleaning in the burr chamber every few months, may prevent the accumulation and make it unnecessary to remove the bottom burr again, or at least for a very long time.


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