Hi. So I'm going to look at a used Elektra (i believe its a sixties - thanks to the guys over at coffee geek) tomorrow evening and I was just hoping on some tips to what to look for. The machine is going for £500 (US$765) and the story goes that the people who are selling it, bought the machine with the current shop but are converting the shop to something else and don't need it. It was used in a coffee shop and was in good working order a few months ago when they purchased the shop. So it has been used, but presumably cared for. The pictures are the only ones i have and as the new owners didn't use it they can't really give me too much information on it.

So, is this worth the risk? What should i be looking for in the model? - i doubt i will be able to see it working, maybe plugged in.


if it needs work are most things user replaceable? are parts easy to come by?

Just some general questions - does it require a special connection or will it go in a standard electrical socket? Does this require an external pump to feed water into the machine? If it isn't connected to the mains water, can water be fed from a barrel? Would this require a pump?

any help would be great

Thanks

Damien

That looks like a T3.

See http://www.elektrasrl.com/sixties_2gr_el.php where you will find further details.

It's an excellent machine and still in production so you should be able to get the parts you need from various sources in the UK or direct from Italy. It doesn't appear to have been looked after particularly well, though.

See if you can get it working. The pump is built in and it may still be plumbed in. Normal mains connection.

Cheers

Mike

thanks, its good to know its normal mains and built in pump. i hope i can get her going, £500 is a lot of money to lose. but i suppose its risk v reward, because it's a beautiful machine

Nice machine, very elegant, but looks rough and needs parts (is the drip tray even present?) I'd offer them GBP 350 for all the work that needs to be done to get it tuned up. The worst they could say is no. Good luck.

#222

I feel I know a little about buying a used Elektra, mind you mine was a T1.. With a bit of work, you would have a beautiful system.

Here are some of the things you might want to think about.

Measure where you plan on placing it in your kitchen. It's bigger than it looks. Don't forget to measure how high the system is and how much room you have.

Did they store it indoors? It's important that the boiler and tubes full of water did not freeze.

Did it have a water softener? If not, (or even if it did) you may have to descale it. A chore, but not too difficult. Fairly easy if you are willing to take thing apart and back together.

Age? The face plate will likely have the year of the build. You are likely going to replace the head gaskets in each group head. Perhaps there are other gaskets that need replacing as they age? I replace everything on mine since I had it in pieces and don't expect to ever have to do it again.

The pump may need some prompting to turn as it has sat for a while. Mine worked just fine.

Running from a bottle is not recommended for any length of time as the rotary pumps like positive pressure. A flojet accumulator can be used to over come this and pressurize the water from the bottle for you.

Not being in the UK, I can't say if it's plug compatible with your wall outlet, but others have (or will) comment on that aspect.

Missing parts? All can easily be replace, but it will of course cost you some money.
The drip tray is made up of two pieces: a splash guard and tray with a hole in the bottom. The cup warming tray looks to be in place. The stupid little key to program the system if you want to change the amount of flow when you press a button? Double/single baskets? Springs in each portafilter to hold the basket in place?

Look in the interior for any "extra" wiring that doesn't look stock. Mine was missing the emergency heater cut off, a $20 part (or so) that was simple to replace. I didn't notice it missing, but a sharp eyed fellow Elektra owner pointed it out.

If you do elect to plug it in, make sure there is water in it (slosh it around?), don't ruin the pump by running it while dry.

=-=-
Mark

edit: fixed url to my restore

Thanks for that Mark, i'm going to print this off and use it as a kind of check list. i am very willing to take it apart but i have no engineering experience (electrical or otherwise) so i hope that won't be a decisive point. i really want to see it running, but obviously they dont have it plumbed in.

Hi Damien,

be sure to check that the machine is in fact theirs and not a rental, otherwise the company that rented/leased it might be after you as it's their property.

Regards,
dsc.

dsc wrote:be sure to check that the machine is in fact theirs and not a rental, otherwise the company that rented/leased it might be after you as it's their property.

hmm, yeah, i didn't even think about that. good point.

Hi, if i want to take the back off what tools would i need? would it be easy enough to do in this persons kitchen?

If it's the same as my T1, the outside is likely held on by 4 nuts on the inside, 2 on each side. With a flange on the back that rests on the frame. [edit] They are sometimes hard to get at in the T1, perhaps there is more space in this one.[/edit]

BTW: There isn't a whole lot more to see with the sides off that you can't see from the top. It's a pain to get mine back on as it's fairly heavy, the one you are looking at is even heavier. They didn't skimp on the stainless in this machine.

Mark