Water usage when deciding HX vs. double boiler espresso machine? - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
User avatar
BaristaBoy E61
Posts: 3512
Joined: 9 years ago

#11: Post by BaristaBoy E61 »

Another factor to at least be mindful about regarding single vs double boiler might be wear & tear on the pump, lever, valves & switch.

Might not be a big factor but one nonetheless.
"You didn't buy an Espresso Machine - You bought a Chemistry Set!"

Frankg16
Posts: 4
Joined: 7 years ago

#12: Post by Frankg16 »

It's funny I saw this post because I very recently switched to a DB after owning an HX for 4 years. One of my motivations was to get away from the extended cooling flushes needed on my machine. Granted that my HX was a "dragon" and there are others that are tuned better for home use (mixers). My HX required an 8 ounce cooling flush after sitting idle and it recovered almost instantaneously so required about a 4-5 ounce flush between shots (about 3-4 min apart). It was a tank machine so I had to add water to the tank every single time I used it. So my advice to you if you want to buy an HX is consult with the seller first if it is better tuned for home use which requires smaller flushes. The recovery will be slower between shots but for most people it should be OK unless you are pulling shots immediately back to back. I think a 1-2 minute recovery period would suffice.

Nunas
Supporter ♡
Posts: 3661
Joined: 9 years ago

#13: Post by Nunas »

Dang! All this discussion got me wondering if my seat-of-the-pants estimates in my earlier post are right. Well, they are, more or less. I filled the reservoir and did a 22-second cooling flush (taking the temperature to 90C on EricS's thermometer. That water I captured measured 150 ml. Then I pulled two doubles with a cleansing flush at the end of each, and a blind basket flush of the group. Then I purged the wand and steamed about 1/3 of a 450 ml foaming jug of milk into cap foam. Then I gave a purging shot to clean the wand. Then I took my (now clean) foaming jug full of water and refilled the tank. I had about 50 ml left over. This is my usual morning routine. Bottom line, two cappuccinos in my Stella (Dragon HX) takes about 400 ml of water end-to-end.
Initial Flush about 150 ml (measured)
Two normale doubles about 120 ml (converted from weight)
Foaming about 35 ml (converted from weight)
Cleaning about 95 ml (calculated)

Thinking about how this would relate to a DB, I guess it would all be about the same except the flush might be half or less, based on the few times I've used a DB. So, returning to the OP's original issue, the water saving between running an HX (dragon) and a DB might be around 75 to 100 ml per session. 'Tain't a lot per session. But for someone that runs four sessions a day, every day, it might add up to something in the order of 150 litres of water (that's about 40 gallons for y'all). :D I think I need another coffee :wink:

Post Reply