Life of Gauges In Espresso Machines

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jcran17
Posts: 52
Joined: 12 years ago

#1: Post by jcran17 »

Nearly two years ago to the date, I replaced the gauges on my Brewtus II. Expobar Brewtus II Pressure Gauge Replacement

The steam gauge froze at 1 bar a few weeks ago and now the boiler gauge is very slow to return to 0 bar so I am guessing it is on the way out. I descale every 6-12 months and the mineral content of my water from the faucet is remarkably low. My machine is on a timer and runs around 4 hours a day total. The gauges I used were these: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... 8186_48186

Clearly, these are not the highest quality gauges and probably not designed for the temperatures we are using. I wonder, had I spent the money and replaced with $80+ of factory gauges would I have gotten more than two years out of them? How often to gauges in espresso machines go bad?

contraflow88
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#2: Post by contraflow88 »

I applaud you for not spending the $80 on the oem gauges. I think its silly to pay that much for a gauge, when one could simply do what you did. Its very obvious that most espresso machine companies use the same manufacturer for gauges as well. The top one is from the Expobar and the bottom from the Rocket. Pretty similar, different face, same plastic needle.




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jcran17 (original poster)
Posts: 52
Joined: 12 years ago

#3: Post by jcran17 (original poster) »

contraflow88 wrote:I applaud you for not spending the $80 on the oem gauges.
Certainly seems most OEM espresso machine gauges look really similar. I just wonder if they last longer than 2 years....

the steam gauge is an easy fix on my machine (just unscrew and swap). But, the boiler gauge is a pain as there isn't room for a compression fitting between the front of the machine and the boiler, so I have to direct solder it and bend sharply 90 deg.

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cannonfodder
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#4: Post by cannonfodder »

One of the keys to make sure it is rated for the operating temperature you are using. Brew pressure gauges are on the cold side of the system but steam gauges are subjected to high temperatures which will shorten the lifespan especially if the gauge you use is designed for temperatures in the 50-150F and you put it on a boiler running 230F. I had to replace the dual gauge on my Elektra 4 years ago but that was due to the moving company dropping it and springing the needles. Those dual nanometer gauges are upwards of $90
Dave Stephens

DaveC
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#5: Post by DaveC »

Can be from 1 month to 10+ years. I have had a number of machines 7+ years old and never a problem with the Gauges, I have also had a machine with a gauge that failed within a week.

jcran17 (original poster)
Posts: 52
Joined: 12 years ago

#6: Post by jcran17 (original poster) »

cannonfodder wrote:especially if the gauge you use is designed for temperatures in the 50-150F and you put it on a boiler running 230F.
The funny part is I can't really find a gauge rated for those temps unless they have stainless internals, which as you can imagine is really expensive. I find it hard to believe that OEM gauges carry that spec, but perhaps they do.
DaveC wrote:Can be from 1 month to 10+ years.
With that, I am thinking I will take another risk on cheap gauges and see how it goes...