another_jim wrote:I flush two to five seconds (depending on blend) past the point the boiling stops. The boil on mine stops at around 4 to 5 seconds. I think there may be some thermal memory, or at at least a walk up effect, since the second shot is generally better than the first. I now flush till the end of the boil while I'm grinding, and the extra few seconds as I put in the PF. However, I'm not entirely sure that this tweak makes for a big improvement.

Hey, Welcome back!

Did my misquote force you out of hibernation? Great to see you posting again.

Jim,

I second Fullsack's welcome back to your guide - great to hear more from you on the Elektra Semiautomatica. I have had mine now for about 1 1/2 years. I do not regret buying it. However, I did have to replace my pstat. The new pstat has been working for about 10 months - but I still eye that pressure gauge with fear, waiting for the new stat to stick permanently. A few times it looked like it would get stuck, but than settled back down again.

I descale the machine (with citric acid), every 3-4 months or so. I'm not happy that all the chrome has dissolved off up to the water line in the reservoir - revealing the copper base metal. I have not descaled the boiler, however, because I have been only using distilled water to fill it for my steamed drinks.

I look at the machine and wonder why the company does not make a model with a deeper base - so they could put in a more robust and reliable pressurestat. (That would also allow for a bigger drip tray.)

That being said, I like the single espressos and cappas the machine makes quite a lot.

Howard

another_jim wrote:I'm not sure if Dan ever did a shootout between the A3 and the Semi; if he did, I'd be interested to hear the result.

That sounds like a good get together opportunity. Dan drives up and you drive down to my place and bring the Semi's along. I can make room on the espresso bench and have a day of over caffeination comparing the A3 and Semi. Maybe even toss the VBM in as a control.

FYI, I have had 0 issues with the A3. Set it up and run it for all it is worth.

cannonfodder wrote:That sounds like a good get together opportunity.

Thanks for the offer, but Bob Barraza bought the evaluation A3 and he lives 15 minutes from my house. We talked about doing an A3 / Semiautomatica shootout, just a matter of finding the time to do it.

But then I won't get to visit with you and Jim and I won't get to play with the Semi again.

I had to replace the Mater pressurestat in my Elektra Semiautomatica. It was the second one that had gotten hopelessly stuck. This last Mater stat. had worked for about 13 months before it was unusable. So, several weeks ago I installed a Jaeger stat. (purchased from Chris coffee) instead of another Mater stat. It cost almost twice as much as the Mater ... I hope it lasts twice as long.

Howard

My Ceme (#2) went bad as well. I'm trying the Jaeger too. Mounting these pstat in the water, rather than the steam, definitely shortens their life.

I think the problem is galvanic corrosion (similar to Gaggia boilers) doing in the aluminum membrane. Unfortunately, I don't have a proper fix yet. It may just shape up to be a nearly annual thing.

Well, if it does not matter which pstat is installed in the Semiautomatica - if all brands poop-out in it after a year - I will probably go back to installing another Mater next time - because the Mater's are less expensive.

Anyway, since we like the SemiAutomatica so much, perhaps it's just one of those costs we will have to bear.
Mine still steams milk like a champ.

Howard

The problem with the semiauto and leva is the way the tubing of the pstat is position
it will collect any scale build up

Can you suggest a fix? Bending? A trap attached between the pstat and the tube?