It's a fabulous machine Ed. So do you think the water is delivered to the basket under pressure? Is there a dispersion screen above the basket, and a metal filter in the basket?

Thanks for the pictures.

Stephen I think it might develop some pressure. I think the thing on the right side of the top looks like a pressure regulator? The basket does have filter holes(course grind). No dispersion screen or such, can't tell yet if there ever was one. Might need to do a upgrade mod.
Update: Reneka, France contacted Boyds Coffee (Us sole importer for Reneka) about my email. Spoke with Mike at Boyds and he is going to see what he can find for information. Sent him some pics too. Next is to split open the Top under the collars (gasket doesnt show any leaks but has bonded it together so it will take some time to carefully remove) and see what it has for guts. Ed

Yes, a pressure regulator or at least an overpressure relief valve. It's clearly not, as I thought from the e-bay photos, a fitting for a missing hose.

In Andrea's first mail he referred to a drainage hole in the bottom of the group, which may imply little or no prssure (although it does raise the question how it works, so the water doesn't drain out when it is cold.) If you were to do an uber-mod and get it to work at 8 or 9 bar (without it blowing up), if this isn't the mother of all percolators, you would thern certainly have the mother of all shots with a 180 mm basket!

It would be great if you could get more information from Reneka and develop some kind of dialogue with them.

Stephen Mike at Boyds said that a Rep. from Reneka France was going to be here this weekend and he would discuss it with him. Good timing. Ed

How's this bad boy coming along Ed?