Life of Gauges In Espresso Machines
-
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 12 years ago
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?
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?
-
- Supporter ♡
- Posts: 176
- Joined: 10 years ago
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.
-
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 12 years ago
Certainly seems most OEM espresso machine gauges look really similar. I just wonder if they last longer than 2 years....contraflow88 wrote:I applaud you for not spending the $80 on the oem gauges.
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.
- cannonfodder
- Team HB
- Posts: 10497
- Joined: 19 years ago
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
-
- Posts: 1743
- Joined: 17 years ago
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.
-
- Posts: 52
- Joined: 12 years ago
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.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.
With that, I am thinking I will take another risk on cheap gauges and see how it goes...DaveC wrote:Can be from 1 month to 10+ years.