My Giotto (Premium Plus) runs a boiler pressure (according to gauge) of 1.3 bar. Recovery time to 198F after a long flush is about five minutes. Between shots (provided I don't flush) is a bit over two minutes so successful shots work out okay. Steam pressure is strong and plentiful. I probably don't need to touch anything but I wouldn't mind to be able to drop the boiler pressure AND increase the recovery time.

My question is how do you work out an optimal height for your boiler level sensor? I understand is that if it's too high there's a risk of water in the steam and dropping the boiler pressure will affect milk steaming, but the rest I'm not so sure about...

Thanks

The people who designed and built your machine got all the bits pieces right; but somehow have no clue how high to fill the boiler. On the other hand, someone who answers this question will.

More technically: There is almost no way of telling how high to fill the boiler unless you are privy to the way the HX is designed. Some are designed to be completely immersed, others are designed to be partially immersed and partially in the steam. For instance, complexly engineered HXs will have large storage volumes in the steam to provide very stable operation; any change in the boiler level will spectacularly screw up their operation. If you have a thermosyphon, things may go even beyond spectacularly screwed up.

If you want to experiment, you would need to a protocol similar to the one used by the WBC, of measuring shots at staggered intervals. This is the only way to see what happnes when you play with boiler levels. Just remember to make a precise record of how the probe was placed when you first got the machine.

More practically, if the machine is used, and you suspect the level is messed up; you should check with an authorized service place, the factory, or an owner of **exactly** the same model, of how it should be placed.

Thanks Jim, you more or less confirmed my fear that it's more of a can of worms than one might assume.

I had a few problems with the heating element a couple of years ago, resulting in a replacement. Along the way the sensor probe has been up and down a few times to the point that I don't know where it originally sat, or whether it's ever been set at some kind of optimal level.

If someone else reading this - with a Giotto PP - could kindly post a pic of their sensor maybe that might help. Otherwise, I'm not really sure how to gauge it...

Herb

The best option would be measuring the amount protruding from the boiler, then remove the entire probe from its sleeve and measure it. That would confirm the probes were of equal length so the portion out of boiler will give you the same boiler water level.