# Kitchenaid 5KES100 - steam purging into water tank



## hubrad (May 6, 2013)

Hi all,

I have the Kitchenaid double boiler machine, and just in the last week or so it's started to make noises at the back (oo-err!) which turns out to be steam coming from the OPV down into the water tank.

The speed of this escape varies from nothing to constant(!) It's noticeably faster with the pump in operation, even just working the main side, presumably because that lifts the system pressure.

I've never really looked closely at the temperature gauges as they're somewhat vague and only really tell you that each side is up to temperature. I'm trying to decide whether the boiler is running a bit hotter than normal (no sign of it going 'overheat'), suggesting a thermostat problem, as it really is kicking steam out when the knob is turned even a wee bit. Or perhaps the OPV spring has weakened a little hence it's just going off at a lower pressure.

Since there's also signs of slight leakage from the steam boiler I plan to replace the seals while I'm in there..

Does any of this ring any bells with anyone? The machine is coming up to 8 years old, and I bought it about 18 months back, so it strikes me as worth putting a bit of work into it.

Thanks in advance, HUGH


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## hubrad (May 6, 2013)

Having watched and listened more closely for a couple of weeks I feel I'm getting closer, but I can't find any really detailed info on the construction of he KA. The exploded parts list is little more than the title suggests.

Got a pressure gauge to fit on the PF, which tells me the OPV is working 'correctly' at 14 bars. Once the coffee side gets up to this pressure water comes down the pipe into the water tank.

The problem appears to be on the steam boiler side; any time I get water into the steam boiler I get steam coming down into the water tank. The confusing bit is that the OPV appears to be the only path for this escape, as the OPV is bolted to the end of the steam boiler. This suggests to me that either a) there's a 2nd overpressure escape inside the steam boiler block, which vents into the OPV below the valve, or b) the Steam boiler is building up too much pressure poss. thermostat fault?) and venting through the OPV.

All of this doesn't affect the operation of the coffee side, but I'm building up to a dismantling job on the steam side and replace all the seals as there is a tiny bit of steam leakage going on alongside the main escape and I really don't like the combination of condensation and electrical connections..


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