Hope I'm saying this right. The pressure for steaming milk on my Elektra is great. Changed my pressurestat after some nasty scaling, and all is good.

This weekend I did a routine backflush on the grouphead, and ever since, I'm getting trickles out of the grouphead when I extract a shot. I've tried removing the three-way valve, and basically blowing on it to make sure it wasn't preventing flow. Not sure if I did that part correctly or not - and not even sure if that was the problem.

Anyone got any suggestions for what would cause poor pump pressure at the grouphead? Presumably, there's a blockage somewhere between the pump and the grouphead, but I wouldn't have a clue how to look for that, or what to do about it.

I should mention that even before the backflush, I suspect that I've had low pressure, but not this bad. I'm expecting to find something that was a little bit blocked before, and somehow, my cleaning over the weekend forced the issue.

Thanks for your suggestion...

Sounds obvious but are you sure you are not choking your machine with too fine a grind?

John

How much flow are you getting when the PF is off. Pull water into a measuring cup for ten seconds and measure it. The new machine (at least mine) runs around 75 mL (2.5 fluid ounces)

In 10 seconds, with no PF attached, I'm getting about 3/4 oz!!!

JavaJunkie wrote:In 10 seconds, with no PF attached, I'm getting about 3/4 oz!!!

It sounds like either the pump or a problem on the suction side (tank to pump). An obstruction on the presssure side would have to be as tight the puck itself to get that level of blockage. I'd check the tank for crud on the water hole, and pop off the bottom and check that the hose supplying the pump is on and unkinked. It could have inadvertantly pulled loose when you were changing the stat.

Well, took the cover off the bottom, and see no sign of anything that would lead to low pressure. No bent hoses, etc. I did detach the tube coming off the top reservoir...looked a little less than perfect on the inside. I tried using the cleaner that I use for the steamwand, but it only goes in about 1/4-inch. What else should I be looking for?

Since you recently descaled, it's likely then to be a piece of grit somewhere. The two most likely places are inside the pump or jammed in the group jet, as these seem the only spots that would cause this drastic a drop.

You can check the boiler fill; if that's anemic too, then the problem is likely in the pump.

If the boiler is filling at its normal pace, then the problem is likely in the group. I've never taken the group apart, but I've posted the diagram in the bench thread -- the jet is accessed through the big bolt on the left of the block above the saucer section of the group.

If the problem is in the pump, chances are it's fixable. I recently cleaned mine out after getting some gunk in while I was adding the OPV. There's a how to fix an Ulka on the Resources page which shows the two little spring valves which can get jammed open. The Ulka is a real joy to work on, two screws and everything else is keyed so it comes apart and puts together easily. The real trick is getting it back into the machine's base. It's attached to a screw whose top you see on the right side of the base. Use a thin stick to line up the pump (after you've attached the hoses and wires) and rubber pad to the screw hole, otherwise you'll be groping around for an hour. You'll need the usual pair of wrenches to detach the braided hose fitting from the pump head (there's a slot for a wrench in the Ulka's brass head).

With reference to the diagram that Jim posted and your knowledge re changing out pressurestats:

I would guess that the problem is a blockage in the grouphead.

a. Unplug machine from wall outlet.
b. Disconnect one of the leads from the pressurestat and even though it has the plastic insulator, put a piece of electrical tape over the lead. This will prevent the heating element from energizing.
c. Remove 3-way valve drain tube.
d. Remove group cover (1) which appears to be held onto the 3-way by single nut (3).

All of the above just gives you better access to the group jet "parts" (items 17,18, & 19) to mitigate the chances of scratching up any of that beautiful plating.

e. Replace nut and washer (3,4) as these hold the solenoid in place. Loosely attach 3-way drain tube.
e. Remove group jet cover nut (17) and remove group jet (19). The group jet probably has a slot in it for a flat blade screwdriver - use a piece of electrical tape over the blade when removing the group jet.
f. Inspect the group jet for blockage.
f. Plug the machine back in, hold a very clean thin white towel over the hole in the group and engage the pump for a few seconds. The towel should saturate and hopefully whatever was causing the blockage is self-removed.

Eric S.

Success!! Thanks so much for the tips. It was indeed a blockage in the jet. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine how something so big got through in the first place. Now, for the worry - what the heck is this thing?



I'll say this - nearly 3 oz in the 10-second test! And I need to learn to pull shots all over again...now that I'm getting such great flow, my grinder setting is way off! I must have had this problem for some time, because I don't remember ever getting shots where I could pull them too fast. Ooh, I'm so excited!

Thanks again for all the great advice. Now, I suppose I need to be concerned that the culprit is not part of a gasket that is going to soon fail elsewhere in the machine!

Wow, I missed this post! I wonder if it's some packaging material that started out in the tank and finally worked it's way up to the jet -- sort of like the espresso version of thrombosis.