Benefits of stainless steel boiler? - Page 2

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Heckie
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Joined: 14 years ago

#11: Post by Heckie »

It probably wouldn't hurt for 1st line to back up their claim with some evidence, as they have done with several of the other features of this machine... like the new micro-switch, Metal Y Pipe fitting etc. It looks like they have a whole wealth of info on this page r.e. the many upgrades of the machine and singling out one statement seems to be nit-picky ( not a reference to you Nitpick). I have seen several other companies convert to all Stainless Steel boilers claiming corrosion resistance and durability.. If I recall correctly Conti came out with an all SS boiler several years ago for one of their commercial machines I remember reading about it in a coffee & tea trade journal. And that was all the rage at the time. Although, the inside of a Conti I saw once, with a SS boiler was a friggin' mechanic's nightmare. :shock:
So the obvious.... the boiler isn't the only component at work here.

coffee_no_sugar
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Joined: 17 years ago

#12: Post by coffee_no_sugar »

Depending on the type of stainless steel, couldn't galvanic corrosion occur? Ok, the boiler wouldn't corrode but the copper/brass bits of your espresso machine may corrode. Too bad the ads didn't state the type of SS.

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cafeIKE
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#13: Post by cafeIKE »

For the terminally geeky
Corrosion Control - Galvanic Table :wink:

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innermusic
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#14: Post by innermusic »

All that said - I'd like to find a better machine than my Gaggia Dose which has an adjustable PV, some temp control, and a solenoid. The higher end Gaggias have aluminum boilers.
Steve Holt
Trent Hills, Ontario Canada
Vivaldi II, Macap MXK, Baratza Vario

Phaelon56
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#15: Post by Phaelon56 »

"Non-reactive" is relative. Some years back La Marzocco had a pesky problem with corrosion on the group heads where they attached to the stainless steel brew boiler. A Viton gasket and different type of sealant gunk usually fixed it but eventually they switched to welded on group heads. If I recall correctly the issue was caused by the dissimilar metals used on the boiler and the group head. (I may be mistaken - please correct me if I am.)

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Heckie
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#16: Post by Heckie »

Gaggia has had problems with dissimilar metals for many years with the models that have aluminum boilers, i.e. classsic, baby, etc.. sitting on a chromed brass grouphead. Don't know about the Marzocco's!? Though I was dumbfounded when Gaggia came out with the espresso model, why spend the $$ on the SS boiler and then wrap it in plastic?? And with the introduction of features such as the turbo-frother and their latest mistake, pressurized baskets, they really got me scratching my head.

Billc
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#17: Post by Billc »

The sealing problems that La Marzocco had were more a result cylindricity of the boiler shell. The groups were machined to a fairly close tolerance and were pretty rigid. The boiler shells are a SCH30 3.5 inch pipe. After all of the fittings and studs were welded on, the boilers were not exactly round anymore. In the past there was sealant and gaskets that would take up the difference. NSF would not allow the sealant to be used (sometime in the late 1990's). A silicone gasket was used for many years with good results. The problem was that the silicone would creep and eventually allow some water to escape. Once this happened then deposits would begin to precipitate on the outside of the boiler. Then the crystals would grow and cause worse leaks. There was a period in 2003 when a shipment of gaskets were not made properly and disintegrated after about 5 months of use. Pretty disastrous but LM stood behind the product and paid for replacement boilers and also install warranty for all who fell into the "faulty" category.

BillC

archibaldo
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#18: Post by archibaldo »

In my opinion best boiler is massive cooper outside and very thin ( 1/2 or 1/4 mm sheet or metal foil ) stainless steel lined inside as a internal protective layer without great impact to thermal transfer ,
because heat transmission resistance of steel is proportional with thickness of the element x 1/steel material conductivity .

poison
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#19: Post by poison »

jlhsupport wrote:+1 of course for 1st-Line.

As long as it's suitably thick (heavy-gauge) or wrapped in insulation, stainless steel is safely considered to be better. Stainless always retains heat better than copper. In fact, as temperatures rise, copper conducts heat at a faster rate than it does at lower temperatures.

Additionally, not only is stainless steel easier to descale, it actually resists the build-up of scale. Ever use a dishwasher with hard water? Scale builds up quickly on the plastic tubs but at a much slower pace with stainless. This benefit stems from its non-reactive relationsip with water. Yes, plastic and copper behave differently, but I believe the comparison is still valid.
Cross thread point here, but I just took my new Pro to Astra, and off-handedly asked Richard how often i should descale. He snorted, and said 'You're a long way from that, just enjoy'. I said 'but...', and he said 'stainless boiler, stainless heating element, maybe in five years you can think about it'.

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Benjammer
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#20: Post by Benjammer »

I was under the impression that brass/copper boilers were better due to them staying hot longer as new water comes in, better temp stability.

So my cheap stainless steel boilered machine Saeco Via Vaneto is better than the Quick Mill Silvano I've been contemplating getting? :lol: