| Applies To | SOVDA Lift with a SOVDA Vacuum Box, especially after installation or after replacing air pipes or the three-way valve |
|---|---|
| Estimated Time | Up to 15 minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Tools Required | A torch and a step-ladder |
What You'll Notice
Your Lift runs, but it only picks up coffee for a few seconds before stopping, or it doesn't pick up any coffee at all, even though the vacuum is on. You may have already checked your cycle times and found nothing wrong.
This usually happens straight after installation, or after the air pipes or the three-way valve have been replaced. It's almost always caused by two air pipes being connected the wrong way round, which makes one of the Lift's valves work backwards.
The Lift has two valves that must open and close at the right moments. Both are driven by the solenoid box, this is the silver box that sends air to open and close the valves.
The butterfly valve, this is the flap inside the cyclone that holds coffee in the cyclone while the Lift is lifting, then opens to let it drop out.
The three-way valve, this is the valve that redirects the vacuum's suction away from the Lift and out through the silencer, so the coffee can drop out of the cyclone. It is connected to the solenoid box by the same air line as the butterfly valve, so the two valves open and close together.
If either valve is working backwards, the symptoms look almost identical, which makes the fault very hard to spot. The only reliable way to find it is to check one valve fully, then the other, in the order below. Don't skip ahead, and don't change both at once.
Before You Begin
Your cycle times (TH and TL) are not the cause of this problem, so please leave them as they are. Changing them now will only make the fault harder to find.
⚠️ Turn off the air supply to the Lift before disconnecting or swapping any air pipes. Air pipes under pressure can whip loose when released and cause injury.
⚠️ Use a stable step-ladder on level ground to reach the valves, and never stand on the top step. A fall from height can cause serious injury.
⚠️ Keep your fingers away from both valves while the Lift is running. They open and close with force and can trap fingers.
If at any point you are unsure or uncomfortable, stop and contact Technical Service before continuing.
Check 1 — The Butterfly Valve
Estimated time: less than 5 minutes | 1 person
Always check the butterfly valve first. The rule is simple:
Control box off: the butterfly valve must be open. Lift running: the butterfly valve must close.
While the Lift is running, the butterfly valve opens and closes as the Lift cycles, so seeing it open once doesn't mean it's faulty. If it's open when you look, or if it takes you a while to switch on the control box and climb the step-ladder, watch the valve for about 10 seconds to see whether it closes.
Set the Lift to STOP so the control box is off. Shine a torch through the window of the hopper below the cyclone and look up at the butterfly valve.
If the valve is open, it is working correctly. Go to Check 2.
If the valve is closed, the air pipes to the butterfly valve are the wrong way round. Turn off the air supply, then swap the two air pipes that come out of the solenoid box. Do not touch the pipes or T-connectors on the three-way valve for this check.
Turn the air back on and check again. With the control box off, the valve should now be open, and when you start the Lift it should close. If it does, go to Check 2 to make sure the three-way valve is also working correctly.
Check 2 — The Three-Way Valve
Estimated time: less than 5 minutes | 1 person
The rule is the same as for the butterfly valve:
Control box off: the three-way valve must be open. Lift running: the three-way valve must close.
The three-way valve opens and closes at the same time as the butterfly valve, so it will also cycle while the Lift is running. If it's open when you look, watch it for about 10 seconds to see whether it closes.
To see the valve working, remove the silencer, this is the larger part fitted to the open side of the three-way valve. It is held on by a tri-clamp, so release the clamp by hand and lift the silencer off. With the silencer off, you can see the ball inside the valve turn as it opens and closes.
With the control box off, check that the valve is open. Then start the Lift and check that it closes.
If the valve works as described, refit the silencer and close the tri-clamp fully. Your valves are both cycling correctly.
If it works the other way round, turn off the air supply and swap the two air pipes on the three-way valve itself. Do not swap the pipes at the solenoid box for this check, you have already set those correctly in Check 1.
Turn the air back on and check again, then refit the silencer and close the tri-clamp fully.
For a dedicated guide to fitting the three-way valve, see Upgrading your Canister Vacuum to a SOVDA Vacuum Box.
Still Not Working?
If both valves are opening and closing the right way round and your Lift still isn't picking up coffee, work through the SOVDA Lift Troubleshooting guide [placeholder link, article not yet published], or contact Technical Service.
To help us solve it quickly, please include:
- Your Lift's serial number
- What you saw at each check, and whether you swapped any pipes
- A short video of the butterfly valve through the hopper window and of the three-way valve with the silencer removed, each filmed with the control box off and then with the Lift running
- A photo of the control box screen showing your settings