Overheating? Test cake?

Can someone kindly help me, please?

When the piston rises after brewing a sudden loud shot of wet steam escapes, soaking all internal components. Bubbling boiling water remains visible in the brewing chamber for a few seconds. The machine has been stripped, cleaned, inspected, and new seals fitted throughout. The brewing chamber looks perfect and hot water dispenses normally via rinsing or a mock brew without beans or ground coffee.

In the Service menu, "Autotest" finds no faults, though the "Brewing Function" reports "Cake thickness sensor inhibited" and calls for calibration using a "test cake".

Is the brewing chamber overheating and how can it be adjusted?
Can the cake thickness sensor be activated wihout a test cake?
Where can I obtain a "test cake", or if not available, how may I make one (material & dimensions)?

Any other thoughts or instructions, please?

Sorry, should have said... it's a Krups EA9000 Barista automatic machine.

I had the same problem a few years ago with a 9100th There
is a condenser in the bottom of the machine, which conducts the pressure from the drainage valve
into the drip tray.

This faulty construction has fan-shaped ribs on the inside, which should reduce the pressure. And exactly at these ribs the

coffee molder

collects

.


When the residual water/pressure) can no longer get through there, the whole mess inside








the machine


discharges








.
The condenser can be opened and cleaned, but please don't ask me how to get to it. I mean you
can reach it
from below
.
Once it's open, you can shorten the bars inside a little bit, then they won't clog so quickly. Don't forget to clean the hose connections, they are guaranteed to be closed.

https://www.kaffeevollautomaten.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=18004

Thank you MrLed. The condenser was indeed blocked with sticky coffee residue, but has been carefully cleaned, along with all removable pipes, but the problem persists.

Incidentally, for anyone else who may benefit - I have now made a cake tool from 40mm plastic pipe cut to a length of 14mm (guesswork!) and this enabled me to successfully activate, calibrate and validate the 'Cake thickness sensor' under 'Brewing function' in the service menu. It would be good to know what the correct thickness of this tool should be so that I can do it again to the proper dimensions, if anyone can tell me, please.

I also found the link in another thread that explained how to access the 'hidden' service menu: switch on and immediately press the ground coffee button three times. This has several more options to explore, including an eprom reset, though it is in French.

The EA9000 is a great machine - when it's working properly [I][/I]

I've now translated and read MrLed's link thread agian and can confirm that my drainage valve is also in good order with new seals. I didn't diassemble the distributor, however. Could it be that there may be a blockage inside there, or is it simply a box of gears?

I'm getting rrally good at taking this machine apart and rebuilding it - but I'd rather not do it agian if there's another answer to explore first!

Success! I dismantled the distributor (gears and ceamic discs) and cleared away a small quantity of coffee grounds. After reassembly the steam-ejection problem remained. If a blocked condensor could cause this, then this must be due to back-pressure preventing the brewing chamber from emptying correctly, I reasoned; so I looked for other cases and, sure enough, the culprit was a kink in the pipe between the boiler and the drainage valve. The pipe was re-positioned and the steam problem was solved. So easy, yet so elusive.

Hi,
I also have a Krups EA9000 and originally had the problem
of finding
ground coffee
in the machine all the
time
.
But now it's much worse... even during a normal rinse, steam is bubbling out of the brewing chamber and runs
down
the metal of the
brewing chamber.
I have already disassembled the condenser at the bottom of the machine - everything is fine there, the hoses are in place and the pressure valve has been disassembled without any visible
defect.
I am really desperate and hope someone else can help me. I have been working on it for days
.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I share your exasperation, Christian95!

Logic suggests that there must be a blockage somewhere between the upper part of the brewing chamber and the outlet of the condenser that’s preventing the pressure from being released and/or the contents from draining, so I would recommend you do any of the following that you haven't yet tried...

- dismantle the brewing chamber parts to clean beneath the strainer and also make sure the grommet and drain hole are clear (see YouTube for similar EA machine strips) - and when reassembling ensure all parts are correctly positoned and able to move smoothly;

- double-check that the drainage valve is correctly assembled and there’s no grease blocking a hole;

- check that the distributor has been assembled correctly – the parts will mostly only go in one way, but I suspect they need to synchronized, so before closing the unit ensure the tabs on the top of large gears are facing each other;

- double-check the condenser to make sure the entry and drain holes are clear;

- confirm that all pipes and the spigots to which they are attached are clear – this may require removal and perhaps probing, flushing or air-blasting and then refitting with new ear-clips or similar.

(I’ve written this from memory, so please check for any other components in line that should also be inspected.)

If none of the above cures the problem, check that the distributor motor is working and that the control board connectors are clean and making good contact. Any other thoughts, anyone?

Good luck

Hello to the group and thank you very much for the detailed answer and the tips.
But I still have a few questions about it:

"disassemble the brewing chamber parts to clean them under the sieve" ->
I could remove
the
upper brewing chamber sieve and clean it but how do I get to the lower
one?


"also make sure that the spout and the drain hole are free" -> Where can
I find the spout and the drain hole? I could not find YouTube videos about the machine.

"Double check that the drain valve is correctly installed and that no grease is blocking a hole" -> Which one
is the drain valve? I had only disassembled and inspected the drain valve.

"check if the manifold was assembled correctly - the parts usually only go in one direction, but I guess they have to be synchronized, so make sure that the tabs on the top of large gears are facing each other before closing the unit"
->I hadn't disassembled
the
manifold yet. Is the manifold the big white part with lots of hoses attached to it?
I had otherwise only disassembled the silver condenser.

Sorry for all the questions but I am a complete newcomer to coffee machines.

I too am new to these machines, but I’ve found they are easy to learn about, albeit with time, patience and a little help, so don’t despair, you will fix it.

All EA machines have similar working parts, so choose any video that seems to suit. Try searching for “Krups EA fix” to get started. There are dozens to choose from, so it may take a while. Meanwhile, hopefully this will help…

To be clear - the upper sieve is part of the piston and the lower sieve is inside the brewing chamber. To dismantle, see…

(from around 12.30 mins onwards). Ignore the voice, just follow what he does.

I wrote ”grommet” not “spout”, so this must be a translation problem. This is a rubber bung beneath the lower sieve. The drain hole is close by.

The drain valve is the cylinder attached to the distributor (quarter-turn to remove). It contains a spring and piston. Be sure not to lose or dislodge the rubber seal that is set in the mating surface.

I didn't say “manifold” (translation again) but I think you are referring to the distributor – see… (from around 8 mins).

Let us know how it goes.

Hello, unfortunately I still could not solve the problem....
I have times recorded a video and uploaded to YouTube. The water runs out at the hose clamp by the brew chamber and also splashes directly out of the brew chamber at the end of the brewing process.

YouTube Krups EA9000