cannonfodder wrote:Wait until you see how much a replacement group bell costs.

Make sure you have wiped off any stray grounds from the portafilter ears and basket rim before you lock you portafilter in. The coffee will act like sandpaper and wear the parts much faster.

I always do that. But thanks.

What will a group bell cost approximately?

I just have to ask, since I don't recall after reading 4 pages of responses, how fine are you grinding, how much are you dosing, and how hard are you tamping? I had a new commercial NS portafilter in my Oscar that was in fairly tight (obviously not tight enough) but mainly I had dialed my new grinder in completely wrong, too fine, overdosed, too hard of a tamp and pressure was way to high. Blew the handle right out of there. It might also just wobble with the pressure too, is there any play in the handle where it connects to the basket? Sometimes the simplest explanations can be the right ones. You are dealing with a high amount of pressure, and possible too much pressure on the PF with a blocked 3way valve is causing it. Just other things to check first I guess.

No, none of that is the case. The portafilter tilts, it's not the connection between the handle and the basket. That would also not lead to the 'explosion'.

Also, I don't grind too fine, etc. Actually, it even happens with an underextracted shot. Espresso running faster than it should (lower pressure), and still: PFFKSSSJJJJ. So it's really either the portafilter or the group bell.

Well, the new portafilter has arrived.

Problem seems to be solved! The handle no longer moves up (even a tiny little bit down), and the motor can now choke without the portafilter 'exploding'. So it all seems normal now.

Thanks all! REALLY appreciate all the help.
Special thanks to Stefano!

You are welcome

Joep, glad to hear things are working out. Just another note, earlier in the thread you had said you were thinking of moving to a machine on which it will be easier to control the temp and has a pressure gauge. I found the following article HB on HX machines very helpful to getting consistent brewing temps on my Elektra: http://www.home-barista.com/hx-love.html.

As for the pressure gauge, the Elektra ones frequently go south anyway, and the boiler pressure doesn't really mean much. You are just shooting for a pressurestat setting that results in about 1.1 - 1.2 bar of boiler pressure when fully heated up for adequate steaming power and a reasonable range on the brew temp (to avoid having to flush too much). Once you get it set you can forget about it.

There are many Elektra owners here on HB who are always happy to help out. Many of us feel the Elektra design results in very good espresso with just a little effort. Hopefully you'll get great results too.

Enjoy your experience, James

Glad to hear it. Whatever the issue with the portafilter wings was, I am glad that it is fixed with a new one (and not a new bell).


Just out of curiosity... If you compare the wings on the two portafilters, what is the difference? Does it look like a lot from either the top view or the side view?

Enjoy your espresso!

Address7 wrote: the boiler pressure doesn't really mean much. You are just shooting for a pressurestat setting that results in about 1.1 - 1.2 bar of boiler pressure when fully heated up for adequate steaming power

I bit of clarification, the boiler pressure relates directly to the temperature of the water in the boiler, and that relates directly to the temperature of the water in the PF at the puck. Less so for say, an HX or a lever, than, say a DB.
I'm guessing that you meant to say that the starting temperature isn't that critical in a machine that can be 'adjusted' with a flush or two, yeah?
I'm also guessing that we're saying the same thing, but that I'm being a bit more CDO about it...

...the boiler pressure relates directly to the temperature of the water in the boiler, and that relates directly to the temperature of the water in the PF at the puck. Less so for say, an HX or a lever, than, say a DB.

True; I was only referring to an HX machine in the context of this thread; the recommendation for boiler pressure of 1.1 - 1.2 bar being a pretty good recommendation for the Elektra home series (actually, I think others recommend 0.9 - 1.1 bar for the Elektras); I meant no implications outside of these machines. We agree that flushing can be used to arrive at the correct starting temperature for brewing. So, we're basically saying the same thing.

Thanks though for giving me an opportunity to clarify; sometimes all the context is in my head, and never makes it to the comment!

Address7 wrote:Thanks though for giving me an opportunity to clarify; sometimes all the context is in my head, and never makes it to the comment!

No, really, my pleasure. I figured that you were talking specifics in reference to the machine being discussed. I just wanted to make sure, and to indicate to anyone else that was just cruising by that that was a specific, and not a general statement.
And, to make sure that I was still tracking! ; >

The new portafilter wing look much less tapered from the side. Nearly square, not as triangular as the old one.

Some things I don't understand. You guys talk about adjusting the boiler pressure and HX. I don't have a HX.
The Mini Verticale is just a regular Single Boiler machine, right? Also, I have a know on the back of the machine that says degrees celsius and is numbered from 30 to 120 degrees. I can adjust it between 90 and 120. That's the boiler temperature I presume. I have it around 115 degrees, but I'm still not really happy with my espresso...
I'll read some more. Especially on flushing, because that's quite random in my routine. I fill a cappuccino cup with water. Then I dry the basket, dose, tamp, throw the water out of the cappuccino cup, and brew. But the time between the flush (filling capp cup) and brew is quite random.

If you can steam milk and pull a shot at the same time it's an Heat Exchanger (or double boiler). If it's anything like the T1/A3, you'll need to pull a cooling shot. I draw enough water through my T1 group head for it to stop flash boiling and steaming. Then I quickly pull a shot (or in my case press the volumetric dispenser button while I work on steaming the milk).

Mark

Anther little clarification
the machine in question
doesn't have a pstat
temp is regulated by thermostast
however if your machine is not incredibly old you will have a adjustment knob ( back of the unit)
for the probe thermostat
the probe is not in contact with water but you can make sure that the inside encasing where the probe is
is clean from scale,
and that you use some thermal grease on the probe side to achieve accuracy as much as possible for that machine

Yes, that's what I said. A thermostat. I'll check for scale on the probe.

Does my single boiler need a cooling flush too after idling for an hour or so?

Hi Joep,

Does my single boiler need a cooling flush too after idling for an hour or so?

You can tell if the water is overheated if it first comes out sputtering and steaming, then settles into a steady stream. If this is not happening you may want to try turning up your thermostat.

You should probably flush before every shot. My SemiAutomatica returns to overheated within 45 sec. My routine is as follows: Start grinding coffee; Quick (1 s) shot to heat basket; pull out portafilter and wipe down basket; start cooling flush (cooling flush time is 11 - 13 sec); dispense and tamp coffee during cooling flush; stop flush, lock in portafilter and start shot.

My routine is a little different than that recommended in the HX lovers guide because I am trying to make espresso at 2200 m of altitude. You are basically at sea level, so you may want to start with the guidelines and find your own routine from there.

The guidelines and the basic routine apply to any HX machine, so even though we both have Elektras, and there are some differences between them (more than I realized), the basics should be the same.

I used to flush only about 5 seconds, to fill the cappuccino cup a bit, and between that and the brew moment often was a long time. Often with the sound of steam escaping in the first few seconds... I've now flushed for about 10 seconds before brewing immediately, and I immediately see improvement! Crema that doesn't turn to flakes in 30 seconds...