Hi,

I have been playing around with my first espresso machine for the past couple of months which is a La Pavoni Eurobar (hyped up version of the Saeco Via Veneto) which has a pressurized portafilter.

I felt it was time to move up a bit, especially since I'm quite fond of multitasking and would like to froth at the same time as I'm pulling my shots. So for the heck of it, I surfed the local ads (kijiji.ca) and found an add for a "mint condition Andreja Premium" for 750$. I talk to the man on the phone (nice guy) and he's willing to let it go for 600$ (canadian). I jump in my car and get to his house to find out the machine is actually the Andreja - without the Premium i.e. no anti-burn wands, no group pressure gauge, smaller pump, etc. So of course my enthusiasm falters a bit but the machine is really gorgeous. The man says he's had the machine for 3 years and maybe pulled 50-100 shots total. I figure I can live with less bells and whistles and we settle for 570$ (canadian dollars).

I figure first thing I should do before giving it extensive use is a proper cleaning (detergent and descaling) as well as a new group head gasket and shower head. The man didn't have the blind basket for backflushing which is a bit of a concern if he never actually backflushed his machine. I did pull a few shots when I got home and machine seems to run ok although needs some dialing in to get nice shots.

The serial number indicates 01-13-05-01690 so I *assume* the fabrication date is January 13, 2005, which probably means he has had the machine for 5 years (not the 3 years he mentioned). Can anyone confirm this?

I've been trying to get information on this model, i.e. the NON-premium Andreja and could not locate anything. I'm looking for the operations manual, parts manual and any other info, tips or comments on this particular model.

All things considered I think I made an OK deal. I just hope I wont be missing the extra features of the Premium model too much. What do you think?

Cheers

Alex

Hi again,

First of all, thanks in advance for any guidance on these issues.

So I'm starting to dial it in pretty nicely with my Ascaso mini, getting more and more consistent shots with every pull. I do have some concerns and made some observations as well as a bit of testing.

I think I have 3 issues with the machine.

First of all, I found that the water flow from the pump seemed a bit low compared to the online videos I saw. So I did some testing and without the portafilter and shower screen the machine pumps out approximately 7oz per 30 seconds (a bit less than 2.5 oz per 10 seconds). I have no idea what the flow pattern should look like but water comes out from not only from the hole in the head but also from the outer brass (I think) rim of the head - see attachment to offset my bad description. (side note, this might be the 41 watt Ulka pump and not the 52 Ulka that is on the Andreja Premium, not sure if this changes anything)



Second of all, the machine "whistles" once in a while under pressure. I hear it's the OPV valve and that I should not worry about it.

Third issue is regarding the lever. I only noticed this after I descaled the machine because I started seeing some drips close to the handle. I notice that under pressure, that handle has a tendency to move outward (to the right) which caused, on 3 occasions, a small leak (see 2nd picture). Any idea why and how to fix this?


Any help is appreciated! I hope what I thought was a great deal (570$CDN) will still be one after I get diagnosed! Also, if anyone could point me to any resource for a manual, specs or parts list this would be great too!

Cheers

AlexFWD wrote:So I did some testing and without the portafilter and shower screen the machine pumps out approximately 7oz per 30 seconds (a bit less than 2.5 oz per 10 seconds).

That's around 400 milliliters/minute; according to this chart, it should be closer to 650 milliliters/minute (no resistance):


From Purpose of adjusting OPV

It could be that the pump is dying, but judging from the thick layer of grime covering the brewhead, I'd check for an obstruction (e.g., clogged gicleur, screen, or pump intake).

AlexFWD wrote:I have no idea what the flow pattern should look like but water comes out from not only from the hole in the head but also from the outer brass...

Looks reasonable to me, assuming of course you have the dispersion screen:

AlexFWD wrote:Second of all, the machine "whistles" once in a while under pressure. I hear it's the OPV valve and that I should not worry about it.

Yes, there are other reports of the over-pressure valves on Quickmill models squealing.

AlexFWD wrote:I notice that under pressure, that handle has a tendency to move outward (to the right) which caused, on 3 occasions, a small leak (see 2nd picture). Any idea why and how to fix this?

See Leaking E61 brew lever, is it normal? Sounds like the cam lever gasket is worn out.

Well.I bought a 2007 premium for 400 dollars one year ago.It worked perfectly until I blew a switch.I invested 100 dollars in december and replaced valves ,o rings etc and now the machine works perfectly again.
mine has the new type steam wands an two gauges.One for the brew pressure and one for the boiler pressure.

But if the guy didn't have a blind filter???Must be really dirty inside there.

The leak you describe is easily fixed by replacing two rubbers.
my machine:
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r156.../060-2.jpg

400$ wow! That's the deal of the century!

Yes I had some concerns that since the guy didnt have the blind filter he had never backflushed the machine. That feeling was mitigated by the fact that he told me he pulled somewhere between 50 and 100 shots total with his machine.

So I'm following your advice HB and looking into a possible clog in the system. I removed the mushroom and found some scaling, nothing crazy I assume when comparing with other pics I've seen on the board and elsewhere. So the parts are currently sitting in vinegar and I will make sure the gicleur and screen are clean as a whistle. If this does not raise the water flow through the head, I will need to open her up and see if something is clogging the pump intake.

Here are some pics.

AlexFWD wrote:If this does not raise the water flow through the head, I will need to open her up and see if something is clogging the pump intake.

Before you do, I'll ask the question I should have asked first: What's the pressure while brewing an espresso? That's ultimately what matters. Also, an alert reader pointed out to me via e-mail that the gicleur itself could be responsible for as much as 4 bars of resistance, which would correspond to the free flow rate you are measuring. If so, you'll see that higher pressure while flushing without a blind basket.

See now only a week in and I'm already starting to miss the extra features the Andreja Premium has. My Andreja only has the boiler pressure gauge (which I run between 1.0 and 1.1 according to the gauge). I think the boiler's pressure seems steady through the pull (don't know if that tells you anything)

All I can tell you is that my gut feeling says there is sufficient pressure since the shots make lotsa nice thick crema and the coffee has that nice reddish tint to it. I think my puck starts breaking up after about 10 seconds of pouring but I figure that's another issue I'll have to work on (grinding/tamping/coffee quality). Coffee tastes fine. Nothing to go crazy over but makes a decent espresso. (goes with the coffee quality too - milano espresso whatever that is.. Costco espresso!)

While you're lurking on the board... I realize I have not descaled the machine yet with a descaler through the water reservoir. Should I be worried that the exiting scale will re-clog (if that's a word) the system I just cleaned out?

Thanks a million for your help!

(now I'm going to put everything back together and do some testing, wish I could make some coffee right now)

Clean parts:

AlexFWD wrote:I realize I have not descaled the machine yet with a descaler through the water reservoir. Should I be worried that the exiting scale will re-clog (if that's a word) the system I just cleaned out?

No, judging from how little scale buildup there is on the mushroom. See Checking an E61 Espresso Machine for Scale for more details.

Ok so with this procedure I went from a little less than 7 oz per 30 seconds to exactly 8oz per 30seconds. That's approximately an 18% increase in pump flow at the cost of 25 cents of vinegar which means a cost of 1.4 cents per percentage of pump flow increase = cheapest upgrade ever.

I will do a proper descaling through the water reservoir tomorrow and report on the results.
Thanks again!

That mushroom looks brand new.Be careful with that descaling.That stuff's nasty.If I where you I'd buy a complete revision set for your machine for maybe 40 dollars and so and clean the E61 group and replace all the rubbers.That'd be the first thing I'd do.