I noticed that when my machine is cold, the portafilter doesn't want to come out, and when I give it a tug, it drops and the basket (double) is a little dislodged.
Is this just due to the contractions of the metal as it cools? Do you store your portafilter in the group when you're done with the machine for the day?

I leave my pf on the group 24/7/365. The only times it's off the group are when I'm filling it or cleaning it.

At the end of your sessions, try not to crank it up there tightly. It only needs to be in contact, so that it preheats with machine warmup (or stays hot between sessions on an already warm machine). You also may need to pay closer attention to cleaning the group gasket in your regular routine.

I don't leave the PF in the group when the machine is off. I am not sure that it would be a good idea anyway.

I'm with emradguy: I leave mine in...but only "on the loose side of snugly," meaning just enough contact to hold it in, but loosely (don't want the group-head gasket unnecessarily compressed)...so it can warm-up properly each morning when I turn the machine on. And BE there to warm-up!

If I do NOT leave it in, "accidents" can happen: There are times the machine is warmed-up (I give mine 45 minutes) and I'm ready to make my espresso only to find there's no pre-heated portafilter in the group-head, but DO find a cold portafilter on the counter NOT ready to make espresso.

So in case I forget again, after cleaning/drying it's put back/kept in the group-head. And since it's in there loosely, I doubt any "shrinkage" of that area as the machine cools would be enough to hold a portafilter in like the OP seems to be having trouble with (if metal shrinkage is causing his problem).

Now, moving on to another espresso faux-pas: Forgetting to put the milk pitcher back in the refrigerator (or outside, this being Colorado) after cleaning so it's cold the next morning when I'm ready to steam milk...

And don't get me started on sometimes forgetting to put my cup on the warming tray when my machine's warm-up period begins, or having a wet/damp rag handy for cleaning the steam wand! [another ]

I hope Gig103 feels better now...at least he has only 1 issue -- I don't know what do about my 4.

-- BR

Yes I store the portafilter in the group so it heats up when I turn it on in the morning. I do not however keep a basket in the portafilter. Those I keep on the cups in the warming tray. I figure their mass is so little that in or out of the portafilter it can't make very much difference and if I keep them in the portafilter they are so hot I can't manipulate them independent of the portafilter.

Gig103 wrote:I noticed that when my machine is cold, the portafilter doesn't want to come out, and when I give it a tug, it drops and the basket (double) is a little dislodged. Is this just due to the contractions of the metal as it cools?

Yes, with the qualification that the basket sticks to the basket, not the group, and the non-metal gasket is contracting as well.

Do you store your portafilter in the group when you're done with the machine for the day?

Yes. It helps preserve the gasket by keeping it from drying out and limiting, to some extent, how much it contracts and expands.

Plus what everyone else said.

Rich