I have just replaced the pressure gauge on my Semiautomatica (it was unable to go below 0.5 bar) and the Mater pressurestat.

I have two problems.

I cannot screw in the new pressure gauge so that it faces forward. It is therefore unreadable in action. I am a bit of a klutz when it comes to this sort of thing, but I really think it ought to be easy to get it to face the right way. The only two alternatives I have come up with are to slacken off by half a turn, but that results in a steam leak, or to apply enormous pressure to tighten it by half a turn - but even if I am strong enough, I am worried that I might damage something.

The other problem is that the new pressurestat cuts in at less than one bar. The water, when measured in the cup, is only 80 deg C, which is much too low. I can turn up the pressurestat, but I do not want to do so until I can have a reasonable degree of reliance on the gauge.

So, any advice on how to get the gauge properly screwed in would be very much appreciated.

Wrap a little teflon tape, more or less, around the thread which will give you a bit of leeway on how to position the gauge. You can do it neatly so it doesn't show. What was wrong with the old gauge anyway? It may have just needed the pointer taken off and put back resting on the peg. If you get a little negative pressure whilst cooling down the needle can get pushed against the peg and turned forward a bit. The bezel is just a press fit.

My Semi runs happily at about .9 and I recommend no more than 1 bar.

Edit; Make sure you wind the tape onto the thread in the opposite direction of the thread so you don't drag it off when screwing the gauge in.

Thanks, that seems to have done the trick.

I changed the gauge because it is a safety feature, and I could never trust it again, not knowing if the needle was wrong or if the gauge itself was faulty. In general I prefer to replace faulty safety devices rather than repairing them.

The maximum pressure showing at the moment is 1.1 bar, never getting into the green zone. The coffee which comes out is lukewarm - I could knock it back in one swallow. So I will gradually increase the pressure until it stays within the green zone.

1.1bar should be delivering the hot stuff.