# A few weird intermittent issues (Bianca)



## blankets (Feb 17, 2019)

Hi again, fresh on the back of issues with the vacuum valve:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/52011-dripping-bianca/page/4/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=838384&embedComment=838384&embedDo=findComment#comment-838384

I had a lot of water coming out of the stream wand yesterday on the first brew of the morning. After second coffee and a reduction in water, this seemed to go away, something to keep an eye on. Today I lift the group head level and the pump doesn't activate. I check the water tank and low and behold, it's empty. Why didn't the low water indicator fire?

I've since filled the tank a bit, to check it's pulling the water in, but once that's used, the water indicator isn't tripping.

Any ideas on what's going on? I've taken the top off and the water level probe is seated correctly and the magnet in the water tank is fine.

Edit: Ok the jack cable to the water tank wasn't plugged in, (the wandering hands of my 5 year old has been at play perhaps).


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

@blankets If the service boiler has no water, the heating element won't switch on. For the brew boiler, if you didn't leave it with the group lever up and hot...than that won't have drained either. If the pump doesn't activate...one would think it knows it's low on water, because one of the things the low water sensor does, is prevent the pump from switching on when you lift the lever, so you might think that points to another error?

From your description, it sounds as if you have 3 faults...but in fact, it probably highlights the single problem you have....you may have another, but it would be premature to speculate on the basis of a rapid comment by you without you doing some proper checks.

So what looks like 3 faults:



Failure to recognise low water


pump not activating, but it is, but it's not


Lot of water coming from steam wand


The picture is a bit confusing because of the conflicting logic and your account lacking detail....if I can explain..

*Service boiler gets low and water goes below probe tip, heating element switches off, pump runs to fill boiler...that's how it works*

from your description., it's unclear whether you have the machine on a timer to come on in the morning. Once you got down you lifted the lever and the pump didn't run. Because, *Service boiler gets low and water goes below probe tip, heating element switches off, pump runs to fill boiler, *you are not around, tank was almost empty, low water not working and pump eventually switched on because of a programmed time out. You swing by later, lift the lever nothing happens, because tank is empty.....pump locked out. *You switch it on and off*?, refill the tank, and it starts up. If it's this....then the low water sensor wires leading to the tank sensor may be loose disconnected, or it's possibly faulty..

If it wasn't the above.... and you simply filled it, and it started pumping....then the low water sensor is working, but for some strange reason not telling you it's low on water? If everything else is working OK, I really cannot see how this can happen, the LCC isn't going to go faulty in just that but...it's not how it works. Unless there is some really weird fault (I've never heard of before) in the Gicar autofill box that isn't sending a signal to the LCC...but we're getting quite exotic here and usually Occam razor applies.



> I've since filled the tank a bit, to check it's pulling the water in, but once that's used, the water indicator isn't tripping.


 If you can be a bit clearer....when the water is used what *exactly* happens? From your description I could assume



you lift the lever, the water comes out of the group until the tank is empty and the pump keeps running and running


or the machine is autofilling the service boiler and the pump keeps running and running once the tank is empty?


Or you lower the lever, then look inside and notice it's low on water and then the pump won't restart


or you notice no more water coming from the group or very little, it sounds like it's pumping nothing you lower the lever, then look inside and notice it's low on water and then the pump won't restart


I'm not being pedantic, but as you can see, I could make some very, very expensive guesses for you, for what might be a simple problem.


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