Check Valve Help ! Slightly OT

[JoeLee]

I need to find a replacement check valve for my coffee maker. Sometimes it doesn't seal properly and most of the water boils out and the things blows steam like an old locomotive.
I'm not sure if it's the little plastic ball or the seat. I can't find an exact replacement.

The valve fits inside the silicone hose that comes off the bottom of the water reservoir. It allows water to gravity flow into the heating element tube, when the water boils in the heater tube the steam pressure or water floats the ball up to seal. When the water in the element boils out the pressure drops, the ball falls and water fills the heater tube again. Simple repeat process.
When this first started I thought that perhaps some grounds got in there preventing the ball from sealing. That wasn't the case after taking it apart and cleaning it. So this is where the problem is.
If I can't find an exact generic replacement. The ball may be hollow to help it float, not sure.



The check valve is inserted in the hose on the left.



JL...................

[Doozer]

Do you want me to just send you $14 so you can buy a new coffee maker?
Maybe reverse engineer it, draw it in cad, 3D print one,
but you still can't call yourself a machinist.

-D

[Doozer]

You know I am ball busting, right ?

-D

[JoeLee]

Do you want me to just send you $14 so you can buy a new coffee maker?
Maybe reverse engineer it, draw it in cad, 3D print one,
but you still can't call yourself a machinist.

-D

I don't have 3D printing capabilities and how would you print it with the ball inside ?? Would have to print three pieces. It's a simple thing, the ball isn't sealing all the time.
Why buy a new coffee pot ? Should be an easy fix. Easier if a replacement part can be found.

JL.............

[reggie_obe]

Maybe just limescale from hard water? A couple of hours or overnight in vinegar might do it.
Might be futile, but: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/co...15_130592.html

[J Tiers]

Those things are stone simple, and they don't even have to seal that well. Possibly the ball gets stuck, it's not likely to be some detail of just how well it seals.

Another possibility is that the heater tube is limed-up and does not boil the water that well. Those pretty much depend on fast boiling of the water so that the steam bubble blows the water out. Lime may slow the boiling so that there is no sharp blast of water up to the grounds. Clean the lime out with whatever coffee maker cleaner your local store has. If it has got to that point, you probably will need to run it through several times, and maybe add more cleaner.

[Ed ke6bnl]

I have 2 of them I use for a hose fluid level. You can have one, I have far more sophisticated level systems now. I can't believe I found it. get your address to me and I will send it out

[gellfex]

You could buy a barbed fitting inline check valve from McM for $14, but thats kinda silly unless it's a really nice coffee maker. I like my Aeropress, stupid simple!

[Paul Alciatore]

Nothing unusual about that. The only thing that differs is your degree of subtlety, which usually is not very great.

Another thing that came to my mind after reading the other responses is you obviously took it apart for cleaning. Could you have reassembled it with that valve assembly backwards? It may not work both ways.

You know I am ball busting, right ?

-D

[JoeLee]

Maybe just limescale from hard water? A couple of hours or overnight in vinegar might do it.
Might be futile, but: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/co...15_130592.html

I had it apart a couple weeks ago, it was clean. Put it back together and it worked fine...... until this morning.

JL................

[JoeLee]

Those things are stone simple, and they don't even have to seal that well. Possibly the ball gets stuck, it's not likely to be some detail of just how well it seals.

Another possibility is that the heater tube is limed-up and does not boil the water that well. Those pretty much depend on fast boiling of the water so that the steam bubble blows the water out. Lime may slow the boiling so that there is no sharp blast of water up to the grounds. Clean the lime out with whatever coffee maker cleaner your local store has. If it has got to that point, you probably will need to run it through several times, and maybe add more cleaner.

No, heater tube is clear, but I have worked on others that were clogged up because bottled water was used and that's high in minerals.

The ball may be getting stuck, hard to tell. I really don't see how it can. If it's supposed to float on the water backing up the tube it may be filling with water and unable to float. That would stop it from sealing.

JL..............

[JoeLee]

Nothing unusual about that. The only thing that differs is your degree of subtlety, which usually is not very great.

Another thing that came to my mind after reading the other responses is you obviously took it apart for cleaning. Could you have reassembled it with that valve assembly backwards? It may not work both ways.

No, it's in there the right way. It's been working fine for a few weeks.

JL.............

[DS_park]

For almost 3 decades I have ensured the other half can use her favorite type of coffee maker every day, a Melita / Gevalia BCM-4C.

#1. As per post 5 above, vinegar. After soaking check valve overnight, reassemble, add a few cups of vinegar to the machine, let sit 30 min and turn the machine on to cycle it (vinegar) through. FUME ALERT, THIS WILL STINK! Cool and retry with water only. Usually fixes the spurting check valve thing.

#1a note this should be done once a year or so to prevent scale build up.

#2 Spare Machine. Find used identical model(s) at garage sales, goodwill, salvation army, or online.Clean test and have ready for stand by service.

#2a Spare Parts. Breaking one down for parts is a type of recycling. Take a less promising unit from #2 and its a parts machine.

In your case if the check ball is truly damaged, find any free coffee maker and rip apart for just the ball. Pretty sure many of them are about the same size.

Good luck.
DS_P

[jdunmyer]

Regarding mineral buildup: I have very hard water that also has a bunch of iron in it. Every couple of months, I fill the Mr. Coffee with half-and-half vinegar and water, then run it through. Run 2 or 3 more cycles with just water to rinse it out, and I'm good to go for another 2 months or so. If I neglect it for a couple more months, it still operates, but is noticeably slower to brew a pot.

[eKretz]

I don't have 3D printing capabilities and how would you print it with the ball inside ?? Would have to print three pieces. It's a simple thing, the ball isn't sealing all the time.
Why buy a new coffee pot ? Should be an easy fix. Easier if a replacement part can be found.

JL.............

Actually you can print it fully assembled since the 3D printers print a thin slice in cross section at a time. Fully functional multiple piece assemblies are printed in assembled form all the time. However, I wouldn't think any lower cost 3D printer would have the resolution to print a check valve that doesn't leak.