DDTTAA wrote:Thanks Mark and Nicholas for the great answers again. I may just go with the key as I'm unsure about the shorting business and for £5 if I'm buying a number of items it may just be worth it.

Stefano pointed out to me that different era machines have different keys... he of course got me the right one.

DDTTAA wrote:For the tray, my brother in law to be is actually a welder so he said he would be able to make it if I gave him a diagram to go by. But I don't know how it fits into the machine. Does it simply rest on the electrics cover? Does it taper to the right to allow for the water flow? Does the drip tray grid sit on top of the drip tray itself or fit in around it?

It fits over the edges and I wish it sloped down to the top of the drip tray... the area at the drip tray is recessed a bit to at least give it a low point.

There are two different tops that I know about, the older one, a slotted fitted piece of stainless (harder to clean), the newer one a wire grid. Easier to go with the grid with some spacers on the bottom to allow water to flow under it. Stainless of course.

DDTTAA wrote:Yes 9L is really big! I'm still getting my head around it. I might start it off with half power and start it on a very generous timer, however ill work on this over the next week or so, I'll try some DIY forums.

DDTTAA wrote:Is this is because it's not that good or you simply wouldn't use one at all? Are the test strips the best method for testing water hardness? I can try and do this tomorrow and then take it from there.

I used water test strips, I could probably just asked the city as they send us detailed water info at least once a year.

DDTTAA wrote:I took the cover off of the pressure gauge and couldn't see anything clearly wrong with it other than it reads what it does. The needle can be moved by moving the internal connections in both directions. I will probably replace it, even if only for aesthetics and a PF pressure gauge for accuracy.

I'd just pop the needle off and re-adjust it, but then again I'm thrifty (or cheap).

DDTTAA wrote:Some inline filters and the pressure stat also then. I am looking into Eric's thermometer adaptor. However I'm still getting my head round how to use it and the options available. Would getting this by-pass the need for the pressure stat or is it completely different (tomorrow is the day I'm going to read through all the posts on this). Would this be suitable for this machine?

He may have a mod for the Elktra, but trust me, it's easy to tell when the flash boiling is over...

DDTTAA wrote:I'll try the polishing on the inside of the case and see how that goes. Are all the front plates, including the plates where the electrical sit, stainless or are some of them just chrome plated?

I think it's all heavy stainless steel.

DDTTAA wrote:How do you separate the steam want from the tip? And how do you disassemble the components of the hot water tip, because I don't see how I'm able to get a grip on it to unscrew it.

The tip should unscrew if you can grip it with a rubber glove.

DDTTAA wrote:Are the two gaskets in the group head simply supposed to pop out? The ones in mine seem almost glued in. I didn't want to go digging around there with a knife to pry them out - always looks simpler on the schematics!

Thanks

Damien.

Imagine baking some rubber with oil and heat until it vulcanizes. After you dig these old gaskets out (piece by piece) you'll order an extra set and mark it on your calender when to replace them since you won't want to do this job twice. There are already articles on the site on how to dig these out....

Mark

Mark's beat me to the punch, but here's some further answers with overlap...

But I don't know how it fits into the machine. Does it simply rest on the electrics cover? Does it taper to the right to allow for the water flow? Does the drip tray grid sit on top of the drip tray itself or fit in around it?

The tray has an upside-down u-shaped lip along the sides and front that holds it up by the top of the rim of the frame where the tray goes. I can take pics when I get home tomorrow if you need help figuring that out. The grid will go inside the tray



Re: DVA Softener: Is this is because it's not that good or you simply wouldn't use one at all? Are the test strips the best method for testing water hardness? I can try and do this tomorrow and then take it from there.

The softener is much better than feeding very hard water, but if you want the best espresso you will want some calcium in your water. The ion exchange softener will replace almost all of it with salt, which is less optimal, but better for your boiler than super-hard water and better for your coffee than pure RO/distilled water.

I am looking into Eric's thermometer adaptor. However I'm still getting my head round how to use it and the options available. Would getting this by-pass the need for the pressure stat or is it completely different (tomorrow is the day I'm going to read through all the posts on this). Would this be suitable for this machine?

Eric's adapter is incompatible with the Elektra group, but you can get the Beswick fitting that I mention in this post: My PID installation + grouphead thermometer installation. The grouphead thermometer is for reading out your brew temperature only, and frankly the spot where I installed it was too influenced by the group's thermal memory to be consistent. You can read about my revelation here. If you want to get rid of your pressurestat, you need a PID, a solid state relay, a thermocouple, and an adapter that will mount the TC into the boiler. You can get the adapter from Swagelok, and I can get you part numbers, etc. if you want.

I'll try the polishing on the inside of the case and see how that goes. Are all the front plates, including the plates where the electrical sit, stainless or are some of them just chrome plated?

Pretty much everything shiny on the exterior is SS except for the grouphead, group bell, and steam/water taps.

How do you separate the steam wand from the tip? And how do you disassemble the components of the hot water tip, because I don't see how I'm able to get a grip on it to unscrew it.

the steam tip comes off the arm with some brute force. Grip it with a wrench at the little slits on either side of it, which are designed for installing and removing it. It's a standard threading (other than it's like an extra-coarse M10). The tap assemblies are much, much more complicated. The nut that holds the lever is reverse threaded, and has a nut behind it that is torqued against it to hold it just in place. You need to turn that one counter-clockwise while you turn the front one clockwise. To get the thing apart, I recommend some grippy silicon pads, preferably some thin ones. This will help you use your hands. If you use a wrench, use extreme care... I'm always terrified of damaging the chrome, either scratching it or (much worse) chipping the plating off.

Are the two gaskets in the group head simply supposed to pop out? The ones in mine seem almost glued in. I didn't want to go digging around there with a knife to pry them out - always looks simpler on the schematics!

If they are replaced on a proper schedule, they come out pretty easily. If left on too long, they turn into rock and often have to be (carefully) scraped out. You can search the forums for how to remove baked-on gaskets. I was able to get mine off with a hobby knife and a few picks.

Thanks again for the quick answers.

looking at the promo material for the machine i see how the tray sits on now. ill look into the 2 covers.

shadowfax wrote:The grid will go inside the tray

does it sit on a lip or on feet? the pictures may be helpful just so im clear in my head. also to send up to my brother IL who has to build it.

mhoy wrote:I used water test strips, I could probably just asked the city as they send us detailed water info at least once a year.

i didnt think they would have this information, but a quick search (:oops: feeling stupid) and i found this

mhoy wrote:I'd just pop the needle off and re-adjust it, but then again I'm thrifty (or cheap).

does this work? as i say there is still movement in either direction internally.

I'll read your information on the Baswick fitting and get back to you Nicholas. thanks for the offer for the part numbers.

mhoy wrote:I think it's all heavy stainless steel.

i was a little unsure about this at first as the panel which holds the contrals felt a little light. perhaps i keep thinking of it compared to the weight of the case!

ive got the taps apart interms of the main body (the cw/acw connections) its just separating the tips, i suppose just give it another go with a bit of WD-40 .As you say i'm just trying to avoid taking off all the plating.

I'll look up the melted gaskets, make sure i dont damage anything in removing them.

Once again, much appreciated gentlemen

Damien

Okay. I'd just like to check a couple of thing before I put in the big order. I'm at a loss of how to disassemble the main body of the steam/water taps (the large chromed part). I'm not able to get a good enough grip on the one end while I turn the screw inside. Is it necessary to disassemble this or will the cleaning solution penetrate down into it?

On removing the taps, they each have a ball attached to the handles, and each was covered in, for want of a better word, junk. Is this some type of grease I should be replacing or is it build up of dirt?



After the descale the boiler still has some black residue inside as indeed do most of the pieces of pipe on the outside. After removal for the solution I washed the boiler in clean running water for around 15 mins. Will the residue encourage the build up of scale quicker or is it nothing to worry about?



Thanks

Damien (almost there!)

DDTTAA wrote:Okay. I'd just like to check a couple of thing before I put in the big order. I'm at a loss of how to disassemble the main body of the steam/water taps (the large chromed part). I'm not able to get a good enough grip on the one end while I turn the screw inside. Is it necessary to disassemble this or will the cleaning solution penetrate down into it?

I doubt the cleaning solution will get to everywhere you want it to go. I seem to remember one of the rubber washers being in poor shape inside the steam (or water) assembly on mine. I used a wooden jawed vice to grab the ball while I undid the other end. Getting it back together was also tricky as it was now shinny clean with fresh grease.

Here are some pix that may help out.

DDTTAA wrote:On removing the taps, they each have a ball attached to the handles, and each was covered in, for want of a better word, junk. Is this some type of grease I should be replacing or is it build up of dirt?

It's just hi-temp grease that has seen better days, use up some Dow 111.

DDTTAA wrote:After the descale the boiler still has some black residue inside as indeed do most of the pieces of pipe on the outside. After removal for the solution I washed the boiler in clean running water for around 15 mins. Will the residue encourage the build up of scale quicker or is it nothing to worry about?

I don't know, but certainly wouldn't worry about it. After all this work, I'm sure you'll be using a water softener in your system.

Mark