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Mold/mildew in Rancilio Silvia over-pressure line

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Link to "Mold/mildew in Rancilio Silvia over-pressure line"by fizguy on Tue Dec 29, 2009 10:59 am

I am noticing a small area on the inside of the rubber tubing (the over pressure release line to the water reservoir) with some mildew or mold. The tubing is almost always full of water. Occasionally I can hear the water moving, mostly if I am steaming milk. I wonder if it is stagnant the rest of the time(?). I only steam milk once or twice a week, most of the time I am pulling shots for espresso.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions?

Thanks
fizguy
 
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Link to "Mold/mildew in Rancilio Silvia over-pressure line"by HB on Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:09 pm

Quick review... for the Rancilio Silvia, the OPV serves as an expansion valve during warmup to relieve excess boiler pressure. During use, it acts as an over-pressure valve to keep the maximum brew pressure below the valve's set point. If you brew double volume espressos, especially at higher pressures like 10 bar, the OPV sees very little action (for those who are interested, several threads in the FAQs and Favorites explain how OPVs work in greater detail under the heading Vibratory pumps).

A friend of mine owned a Silvia as was particularly fastidious about cleaning. He used the long thin brush that comes with the CamelBak Brush Set to scrub the interior of silicone tubing.
Dan Kehn
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HB
 
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Link to "Mold/mildew in Rancilio Silvia over-pressure line"by TimEggers on Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:12 pm

Another alternative is the widely available aquarium tube cleaning brushes available in most any pet store/isle (I purchased mine from Wal-Mart).
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TimEggers
 
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