OT:Espresso Machines - Manual/Lever

[William]

Originally Posted by benb

Nice latte art.. is that chocolate or something to get that effect?

My attempts to learn that have not been great, but I don't have a real milk steamer.

Also I don't think I'm really a latte person.. I prefer cappuccino, which is also easier to do with what I have.

That was not my work, I just wanted to post the happy face lattae.

I play around a little bit but most of my lattae art leans more toward the impressionistic/Jackson Pollock genre.



W.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by kgreene10

Aw, man! Just when I had convinced myself it’s an extravagance that I don’t need, you eloquently express why I NEED one of these.

Do you have the barista version with pressure gauge? Would you recommend it?

Have pressure gauge, don't really need it in all honesty. Get used to the pressure just from feel very quickly. With that said, I still think it looks cool so I'd go for it if its within budget.

[William]

Well after more than two and a half plus years of pulling 3 shots a day (6 a day on the weekends) we had a major malfunction.

I had pulled the first shot of the day with no issues and was prepping to pull the second. I grabbed hold of the lever to pull it up and it did not want to go. I could have forced it but I didn't, obviously something was amiss. I put my hand on the base again to test it and realized it was much much hotter then normal. I realized the temp was running away and building a lot of pressure in the boiler (hence the lever not wanting to pull up). I flipped off the power switch and was reaching to open the steam valve to release some pressure when the pressure relief valve went off and did its job. I unplugged the maching and pulled it away from the wall when I realized there was some water under the base.

After letting it cool off I drained the water and opened up the base to find a crispy connector, crumbling boiler spacer, and moisture...not a good combo. At this point I'm not 100% on where the water came from. The boiler spacers just sort of cushion the connection above and below to the base. I'm thinking the heating element gasket could be the culprit.

I was getting ready to order the gasket kit from Stefano's anyway but I guess I'll be adding a few more items now.

I guess the chicken or the egg question is... Did a short cause the heating element to run away building too much pressure that then blew the gasket? Or did the gasket start to leak putting too much moisture onto the wiring causing it to short and the element to run off?

That being said, any thoughts?





W.

[tellyho]

Still can't believe you all have lever machines as your daily drivers. I owned a LP, rebuilt it all as a fun project but moved it briskly along as it's a PITA.

I'd go with the easy explanation on your water issue: gasket leak caused the rest. At least the fix is relatively simple.

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by William

Well after more than two and a half plus years of pulling 3 shots a day (6 a day on the weekends) we had a major malfunction.

I had pulled the first shot of the day with no issues and was prepping to pull the second. I grabbed hold of the lever to pull it up and it did not want to go. I could have forced it but I didn't, obviously something was amiss. I put my hand on the base again to test it and realized it was much much hotter then normal. I realized the temp was running away and building a lot of pressure in the boiler (hence the lever not wanting to pull up). I flipped off the power switch and was reaching to open the steam valve to release some pressure when the pressure relief valve went off and did its job. I unplugged the maching and pulled it away from the wall when I realized there was some water under the base.

After letting it cool off I drained the water and opened up the base to find a crispy connector, crumbling boiler spacer, and moisture...not a good combo. At this point I'm not 100% on where the water came from. The boiler spacers just sort of cushion the connection above and below to the base. I'm thinking the heating element gasket could be the culprit.

I was getting ready to order the gasket kit from Stefano's anyway but I guess I'll be adding a few more items now.

I guess the chicken or the egg question is... Did a short cause the heating element to run away building too much pressure that then blew the gasket? Or did the gasket start to leak putting too much moisture onto the wiring causing it to short and the element to run off?

That being said, any thoughts?





W.

I have no insight on this besides - yikes! Glad it didnt turn out worse..

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by tellyho

Still can't believe you all have lever machines as your daily drivers. I owned a LP, rebuilt it all as a fun project but moved it briskly along as it's a PITA.

I'd go with the easy explanation on your water issue: gasket leak caused the rest. At least the fix is relatively simple.

I have a LP and dont find it a pain at all. My father in law had nothing but problems with his for years because he was just "winging it" and overfilling it with grinds and trying to pull shots and only having about a 60% success rate. As soon as we started weighing beans each time, its now a 100% success rate

[572cv]

Been watching this discussion from a distance. No huge interest (despite enjoying espresso very much) until the Cafelat Robot came up. Now, there’s a machine that could fit in very nicely with my lovely JKS stainless !

[tellyho]

Originally Posted by 572cv

Been watching this discussion from a distance. No huge interest (despite enjoying espresso very much) until the Cafelat Robot came up. Now, there’s a machine that could fit in very nicely with my lovely JKS stainless !

It is a super.cool machine, but SO much work to pull one shot. I can't even bust out my aeropress. Silvia is available at the flip of a switch.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by 572cv

Been watching this discussion from a distance. No huge interest (despite enjoying espresso very much) until the Cafelat Robot came up. Now, there’s a machine that could fit in very nicely with my lovely JKS stainless !

As long as we are talking about robot espresso, I saw this on TV a couple weeks ago: Robotic Barista

Sheesh....no thanks!

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by tellyho

It is a super.cool machine, but SO much work to pull one shot. I can't even bust out my aeropress. Silvia is available at the flip of a switch.

I actually disagree. Its shockingly quick. No need to pre-heat a machine or even the portafilter. Just boil the kettle, grind your coffee and you're off to the races.

[Epicus07]

Anyone going to pick up an Odyssey Argos? They look beautiful, have Bluetooth sensors for boiler temp, boiler and head pressure etc and can be switched between spring piston and fully manual pull lever.

I’m very tempted…

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by William

Well after more than two and a half plus years of pulling 3 shots a day (6 a day on the weekends) we had a major malfunction.

I had pulled the first shot of the day with no issues and was prepping to pull the second. I grabbed hold of the lever to pull it up and it did not want to go. I could have forced it but I didn't, obviously something was amiss. I put my hand on the base again to test it and realized it was much much hotter then normal. I realized the temp was running away and building a lot of pressure in the boiler (hence the lever not wanting to pull up). I flipped off the power switch and was reaching to open the steam valve to release some pressure when the pressure relief valve went off and did its job. I unplugged the maching and pulled it away from the wall when I realized there was some water under the base.

After letting it cool off I drained the water and opened up the base to find a crispy connector, crumbling boiler spacer, and moisture...not a good combo. At this point I'm not 100% on where the water came from. The boiler spacers just sort of cushion the connection above and below to the base. I'm thinking the heating element gasket could be the culprit.

I was getting ready to order the gasket kit from Stefano's anyway but I guess I'll be adding a few more items now.

I guess the chicken or the egg question is... Did a short cause the heating element to run away building too much pressure that then blew the gasket? Or did the gasket start to leak putting too much moisture onto the wiring causing it to short and the element to run off?

That being said, any thoughts?

W.

I have never worked on an espresso machine, but I have done pressure testing of HVAC units.

You need to isolate the leak and figure out why it was there. To my eye, it looks like you have a problem with the brass-copper junction in the middle of the photo.

I don't know what the pressure testing is for these machines, but my first step would be to contact the manufacturer with the same photos you showed here. They'll know the problem. Either it's a simple at-home fix, or you will need to send it in for a refurb.

It sounds like this machine has been a trooper, so I wouldn't hesitate to send it in for a professional refurb.

[9tubes]

The white plastic housing on those blade connections are prone to getting brittle from heat, and then cracking. Cracking can then cause a loose connection, which then can generate resistance, which then generates heat, which then leads to a burned white plastic connector. The fix may be as simple as replacing the little white connector. Can you see a crack (though the black burnt part might obscure)?

BTW, if you're going to replace one, replace them all. IIRC there are silicone versions of those now, heat-impervious.

That said, I am curious about the white substance appearing in a circle around the top center of that reservoir. Maybe the mfg can tell you whether that was part of the mfg process.

[William]

Originally Posted by 9tubes

The white plastic housing on those blade connections are prone to getting brittle from heat, and then cracking. Cracking can then cause a loose connection, which then can generate resistance, which then generates heat, which then leads to a burned white plastic connector. The fix may be as simple as replacing the little white connector. Can you see a crack (though the black burnt part might obscure)?

BTW, if you're going to replace one, replace them all. IIRC there are silicone versions of those now, heat-impervious.

That said, I am curious about the white substance appearing in a circle around the top center of that reservoir. Maybe the mfg can tell you whether that was part of the mfg process.

I'm trying to get info on whether there is a wiring kit for the millennium models. I won't use Orphan for reasons stated earlier in this thread, and so far Stephano's hasn't replied to inquiries. I tired calling and the vm said to use their email. So far no reply. I see a wiring kit for the Professional model, but unless I'm missing it I don't see a specific Millennium model (unless they are one in the same?).



W.

[William]

To add to the mystery, I used a multimeter on it yesterday and everything is checking out okay.





W.