francis francis repairs

[alicef]

I have a lovely francis francis X5, but the steam wand has stopped working. I live in a hard water area and have tried running descalers through to no avail. Does anyone know where I could get it serviced/repaired?
thanks for your help
alice

 

[aabreetech]

Where do you live?

 

[alicef]

this is my problem, chichester, UK

 

[aabreetech]

Are you getting water out of your brew head? Can you get water out of your steam wand? Open your steam wand and then turn on the brew switch. If you get no water from the wand you might just have a plugged steam wand. Just remove and clean.

 

[alicef]

blocked steam wand

I am sure this is the problem, but I can't see how to remove the wand without removing top cover which does not want to come away.............just anxious about ruining expensive machine by applying brute force!

 

[aabreetech]

The tip of the wand has probably been plugged with milk. You can take a paper clip and insert it in the hole in the end of the steam wand and open the tip. If this works you need to soak the tip in a solution of automatic dish washing detergent and hot water for a couple hours. This will loosen the milk and it can be flushed with the brew pump on and the steam knob open. Always flush the wand with water in the same manor after you have steamed your milk.

 

[aabreetech]

I have talked to a couple of people from Germany and they said the water in Germany is very hard. You probably have a mineral build up in your steam system. Do you have one of the old boilers or is yours one of the new brass boilers? If you have one of the new brass boilers you can use Durgol to remove the mineral build up, but you should remove anything that is stainless before you do. You can use one of the citric acid based cleaners designed for espresso machines also. Mix the solution in the water tank and pump it through the steam wand or brew head, then turn off the machine. Don't let the boiler heat with the solution as it can cause damage to the silicone gasket. Remove the water tank and drip trays and lay the machine on the steam wand side to allow the solution to get to the steam valve. After 10 minutes right the machine. Replace the water tank and repeat the first process until the steam wand opens. Then just pump water through the steam wand. If your water is that bad you need to decalcify more often.

 

[alicef]

thanks, will try that