Proper plumb in setup and settings

My Faema rebuild is officially completed. Now I am setting up the plumbing.

On my Isomac, I had a ¼ supply line passing through an inline filter in the basement. I am still using the same ¼ line and filter assembly. I have turned up the pressure regulator to 40psi.

When I was running the machine from a static tank of water my brew pressure gauge would smoothly move to 9.5 bar and hold there during the extraction. With the ¼ inch line I am getting a lot of pulsing on the gauge. I would suspect that my supply line is insufficient.

My questions, would putting an accumulator after the filter resolve the problem or should I just run a ½ inch supply line. What is the best pressure regulator setting, is 40psi too high/low? Any other words of wisdom as to the plumbing setup will be appreciated.

I would think that your faema is "volume" starved... not "pressure starved". I don't know what the specs are on the faema... the 40psi may be adequate if you've got the volume. A 3/8'' line may be adaquate... the 1/2" line more than adequate. Just from your pics... it looks like the larger lines on your machine are 3/8".

Danny

The Elektra A3 also complained about 1/4" lines; switching to 3/8" cured the "sucking on a straw" problem. Currently my test bench has this setup:

mains (100 PSI) -> household pressure regulator (60 PSI) -> water softener -> filter -> pressure regulator (20 PSI) -> espresso machine

The filters introduce "drag" and so does the pressure regulator. Several recent threads discussing the merits of an accumulator (e.g., How Much Horsepower Needed for Rotary Pump?) have convinced me to get one:

mains (100 PSI) -> household pressure regulator (60 PSI) -> water softener -> filter -> pressure regulator (20 PSI) -> accumulator -> espresso machine

(The pressure regulator steps down from 60 PSI to ~20 PSI). It's probably overkill since pressure drops are not a serious problem, but occassionally I take equipment on the road and use a FloJet. In that case, it's really necessary, and may as well use it to smooth out the pressure regulator's output -- it's a small one and tends to "flutter" when the differential is large.

As for recommended pressure, I'll defer to Barry's advice. None of the manufacturer installation instructions I've read have said the same thing (quoted ranges are from 1.5 to 4 bar).

Sounds like I will be going to the hardware store. My kitchen sink line is only 9 feet away. I will unsolder the elbow, put in a T and run a line. My little filter will probably be insufficient.

No sense in going large on the machine and skimping on the water supply. That is like purchasing a 3K machine and not wanting to spend more than $150 on a grinder.

Visited the hardware store. I am going to tap the water line that feeds my kitchen sink. For my Isomac, I used a saddle valve on that same line. I am going to cut the pipe at the puncture point of the saddle valve and solder in a T. Then run a new ½ inch line to a ball valve, a large filter, pressure regulator and then the machine.

I have to run a hardness test to see if I need a softener in line as well but I have never had a problem with lime scale. The ½ inch line should be more than adequate for this, or any other machine I ever own.

I'm sure this has been covered at some time, but I was not able to find anything...

...is it possible to connect a flojet with a filter and softener and have it pour into a reservoir machine(as opposed to a direct connect)? Can the flojet handle pushing (or pulling) the water through the filters?

cannonfodder wrote:I used a saddle valve on that same line.

For the record, I'd recommend against the use of saddle valves, ever. They have very high resistance, and they tend to leak. It's a bit more trouble to plumb in a real tee fitting, but in my opinion it's worth the trouble.

Best,
David

Have you seen these adaptors that eliminate piercing the plumbing or soldering a new branch?

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/plumbingfittings/maxadaptor

VS_DoubleShot wrote:...is it possible to connect a flojet with a filter and softener and have it pour into a reservoir machine(as opposed to a direct connect)?

I don't see why not. That's a standard "toilet tank" installation

VS_DoubleShot wrote:Can the flojet handle pushing (or pulling) the water through the filters?

They can generate 40 PSI max. That should be enough for an (unclogged) water filter.

DavidMLewis wrote:For the record, I'd recommend against the use of saddle valves, ever. They have very high resistance, and they tend to leak. It's a bit more trouble to plumb in a real tee fitting, but in my opinion it's worth the trouble.

Best,
David

I replaced that long ago. I ran a dedicated half inch line, filter, regulator up to the espresso bar. Then it splits to two lines, each with another regulator with one feeding my Elektra A3 and the other a Bunn plumbed coffee pot with a spare for visiting machines.