# Fracino Contempo Preventative Maintenance - any repair/maintenance manuals, guides etc?



## MaxUK (10 mo ago)

Hi all,

First post here and looking forward to speaking to you all 

I have a Fracino Contempo at my small Cafe. I've taken over from my father who is rather ill as of late, and therefore I really don't know much apart from making coffee with the machine (which, even that sometimes surprises me! ). 

I live in an area with very hard water, and, as I was doing the accounts a few weeks back, I didn't see that we've had the machine serviced or maintained. I've also noticed it splutters sometimes (guessing this isn't normal...)

I've been searching for a guide to do some preventative maintenance and minor repair work for some time, such as stripping and cleaning, replacing small bits and, most importantly, descaling and cleaning!

As far as I know, we run this off of electric and mains water.

Can anyone provide me with any information, advice, or manuals/guides?

Thank you so much in advance


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi, fwiw i'd give Fracino a call and ask for a quote r.e. a "once-over" or see what other options they do...their technicians are kitted out in their vans and should be able to get you up and running pretty quickly and for not daft money. Saves messing about; time is money (busy cafe') as they say.

Best of luck.


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## MaxUK (10 mo ago)

Rincewind said:


> Hi, fwiw i'd give Fracino a call and ask for a quote r.e. a "once-over" or see what other options they do...their technicians are kitted out in their vans and should be able to get you up and running pretty quickly and for not daft money. Saves messing about; time is money (busy cafe') as they say.
> 
> Best of luck.


Hi Rincewind, 

Thanks for your reply, being wintertime for us at the moment, we aren't that busy, and thus can't really afford several hundred pounds in costs. Whilst I appreciate what you're saying, and If it was August I'd tend to agree with you, when the wind and rain effectively makes the day kaput I'd rather be productive and try it myself 

You wouldn't happen to have any info on where to get a hold of some servicing information, would you?

Cheers


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## Rincewind (Aug 25, 2020)

Trying it yourself can backfire if one is clueless or not experienced...i admire peeps having a go at fixing things, but this particular item involves steam, high pressure and mains voltages; a recipe for disaster in the wrong/inexperinced hands. The last thing you want is for it to go belly-up in/near a customer; saving money could cost you more in the end. I wish you well.

Sorry but i refuse to give service information/other on a public forum as this can be harmful to those that are not qualifed to understand said information or those that want to have a go and or abuse said info or share/sell. Humans make mistakes and the internet is full of info that if read/misunderstood can have consequences that are not good (worst case death) for those who want to have a go/save pennies...i'll not be responsible for someone possibly doing themself harm/other...sorry but that's the way i work. I much prefer to teach an individual on a one-to-one basis or in a classroom, tis what i do.

I hope you manage to get it sorted out...good luck.


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## MaxUK (10 mo ago)

Rincewind said:


> Trying it yourself can backfire if one is clueless or not experienced...i admire peeps having a go at fixing things, but this particular item involves steam, high pressure and mains voltages; a recipe for disaster in the wrong/inexperinced hands. The last thing you want is for it to go belly-up in/near a customer; saving money could cost you more in the end. I wish you well.
> 
> Sorry but i refuse to give service information/other on a public forum as this can be harmful to those that are not qualifed to understand said information or those that want to have a go and or abuse said info or share/sell. Humans make mistakes and the internet is full of info that if read/misunderstood can have consequences that are not good (worst case death) for those who want to have a go/save pennies...i'll not be responsible for someone possibly doing themself harm/other...sorry but that's the way i work. I much prefer to teach an individual on a one-to-one basis or in a classroom, tis what i do.
> 
> I hope you manage to get it sorted out...good luck.


appreciate what you are saying, whilst I don’t necessarily agree with it, I respect your decision to not give any information on the grounds that you do not wish to be responsible. All I can hope for is that someone else has some faith that I can clean my own machine up 

all the best 👍


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## NewboyUK (Jul 14, 2018)

MaxUK said:


> Hi Rincewind,
> 
> Thanks for your reply, being wintertime for us at the moment, we aren't that busy, and thus can't really afford several hundred pounds in costs..


Can you afford for it to break down and loose a few hundred pounds anyway? 
A couple of hours down time for servicing vs running around for a engineer. Keeping compliant with PSSR and insurance. 
You may think what you do is safe but if it goes wrong - how would it pan out? 

Basic tasks like group seals to stop filter leaks and the like are fine and dandy but working on the pressure system is another game


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## MaxUK (10 mo ago)

NewboyUK said:


> Can you afford for it to break down and loose a few hundred pounds anyway?
> A couple of hours down time for servicing vs running around for a engineer. Keeping compliant with PSSR and insurance.
> You may think what you do is safe but if it goes wrong - how would it pan out?
> 
> Basic tasks like group seals to stop filter leaks and the like are fine and dandy but working on the pressure system is another game


I’m not looking to work on anything super serious! Basic maintenance and preventative. Things like descaling and replacing seals!  I recognise that working on high-pressure systems is dangerous, I don’t intend on doing so, and if something went majorly wrong, I would probably call an engineer.

With the weather the way it is we can’t open anyway! We are in an exposed position, therefore I would rather try and do something useful, such as clean or maintain, rather than just sit at home on my arse .

It would probably take me three or four weeks at the minute to make back that money on coffee - whilst it may not seem like a lot of money to a large coffee shop in an area with high foot traffic, it’s quite a bit for me.


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## NewboyUK (Jul 14, 2018)

Sometimes a simple descale can cause you problems. 
A pinhole in the boiler that may be plugged with scale - you descale it and its a whole world of trouble. Boiler out job. 
If your changing seals in the valves then your messsing with steam and water pressure. 
Best option is to do the group seals and clean all that area. Make sure if you start both groups empty and use the measured buttons - they both stop at the same time. This is a crude way to check group flow. 
If one runs longer then theres issues


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

The advice you have been given is sensible, from your own questions you give a distinct impression of a lack of technical knowledge. Are you aware that the machine should be pressure tested for use in a commercial premise ?
In the event of an accident your insurance would be void.


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