Bellezza Bellona – Steam Boiler Overheating

A customer complained yesterday that their steam boiler was overheating. In this situation, the first thing we ask is which water are you using? And, not to our surprise, the customer was using mineral packets added to distilled water. Sorry, we will not mention the well known brand. We do not recommend using this type of water. First, stop using the machine! Continued use with an overheat will damage the heating elements.

There is one way to fully descale the PID on the steam boiler. First, on a machine that is cold and not plugged into an electrical outlet, the top cover can be removed using our video. The steam boiler is in the lower left bottom corner in the picture below. Second, the red wire on top can be disconnected and the fitting removed to allow descaling solution to be poured into the hole with a funnel – to the top of the boiler – DO NOT ALLOW the solution to spill anywhere outside the hole!  If solution gets into the machine, the machine will need to sit for a minimum of 24 hours to avoid damage from water touching any electrical components which can be shorted and damaged without warranty coverage. Insert the fitting with plumbers tape (about 3 wraps) back and tighten into the hole. Reconnect the red wire and put the top panel back on (after confirming the inside is dry). Third, allow the machine to sit cold for 8 hours.

Fill the reservoir with water and connect it to the machine’s back port for water. Turn on the machine and allow it to heat up. While heating, place towels on the front drip tray and panel to prevent descaling solution to ruin the machine’s finish. Place a vessel that can accept hot water under the hot water spout, and empty it when it’s 3/4 full.

Once heated, depress the hot water switch to allow descaling solution to come out. Once the pump kicks in, shut off the hot water switch. Allow the machine to re-heat the steam boiler. After 5 minutes, depress the hot water switch to displace more solution with water. This process needs to occur until 2 full reservoirs of water are depleted through the steam boiler. This insures the solution was displaced.

Test the machine and make sure it does not overheat. If it does, then stop using the machine and a different, more manual process will be needed to clean the PID sensor.