'Flush and go' technique suitable for smaller HX machines? - Page 2

[HB]

My question: does anyone know where I can get detailed instructions on how to attach a temperature sensor to my PF or my grouphead?

Dave's No More Guesswork! Naked Truth of E61 Temperature Revealed and Strug's Real Time E61 HX Brew Temp Mod aka FrE61nkenstein Part 2 offer instructions on mounting a sensor to an E61 grouphead. Bob Yellin posted a picture of his Schomer-style PF basket (below); the same thread discusses the merits of the various brew temperature measurement techniques, especially the thermocouple wire "over the lip" versus the thermofilter.


From the Scace Thermofilter Temperature Device review

[barry]

fwiw, electrical or silicone tape works just fine to lash a tc wire to the pf handle, and it won't cut up fingers or abrade the wiring like hose clamps can.

[Quoddy]

After ten days of trial and error, and many very poor shots with my new Andreja using a flush-and-wait and a sort of flush-and-go, I decided to switch to an immediate flush-and-go. I take the hot PF and tamp the freshly ground double. I flush using the other PF and when the temperature gets to 204.0 or 203.5 on Eric's grouphead thermometer, I remove that PF, insert the full one, and pull the shot. After so many failures it's great to now have near perfect shots, pull after pull. Being so new to this, it may not be the suggested way to do it, but it's certainly working for me.

[Beezer]

Interesting. Why do you put an empty portafilter in the group while flushing? I leave my PF in the group when I flush, but that's because I want to keep the PF hot until I'm ready to pull the shot. In your case, you're switching to a different PF to pull the shot, so why bother putting an empty PF in the group for the flush? Just curious. I'm not saying your technique is wrong, just different.

[Quoddy]

Interesting. Why do you put an empty portafilter in the group while flushing? I leave my PF in the group when I flush, but that's because I want to keep the PF hot until I'm ready to pull the shot. In your case, you're switching to a different PF to pull the shot, so why bother putting an empty PF in the group for the flush? Just curious. I'm not saying your technique is wrong, just different.

Excellent point. There is no particular need to have the PF in, but I'm still in the process of watching the water dance for this unit and how it relates to the indicated grouphead temperature.

[Beezer]

I've found that it's actually easier to see when the water dance ends when the PF is not in place. Before I got the thermometer adaptor from Eric (which highly recommend by the way), I used to flush with the PF out of the group to see the water dance. The only problem with that approach is that your PF will get cooler than if you leave it locked it. So now I take the basket out to grind, distribute and tamp, but leave the PF in the group. Then I pull the flush with the PF in place, remove the PF and drop the basket in, wait 20 seconds or so, then pull the shot. This seems to work pretty well for me, though I wouldn't presume to say that it's the best or only acceptable approach.

[cannonfodder]

If you want to leave the portafilter in the group during the flush, leave the one you are going to use in the group. Do not put a cold portafilter in the group. That cold, under temperature portafilter will act like a giant heat sink on the group and suck all the heat out. It happens fast, I can see the group temperature change in a matter of seconds when a cold portafilter is locked into the group.

Take the retention spring out of your portafilter and remove the basket to prepare your shot, and leave the hot portafilter in the group. Prep your basket, do your flush, remove the portafilter and drop in the prepared basket, then pull your shot. That would be my recommendation if you insist on having a portafilter in the group while flushing.