Hey Y'all,

I'm in the process of getting this monster up and running in my home. It's in dire need of a fresh group gasket, among other things. I just don't understand how to get into a grouphead like this. It's connected semi-directly to the boiler, and I'm hoping I don't have to actually remove the entire group assembly to get at it. For a commercial machine that seems like quite the hassle for such a routine act of maintenance. Sure, it would probably be worthwhile to do a complete tear-down, descale, deep clean, replace a few electricals and then reassemble, but for now I just want to get it running and then see what's what. When I lock the PF on there it feels practically like metal on metal, there's just no give at all.

From below:



from above:



from the side:




exploded/parts



Thanks!

Have a look at the diagram here http://www.coffeeparts.com.au/conti/conti-spare-parts-1 . Remove the showerscreen, then the dispersion block. If necessary screw a couple of self tapping woodscrews into the old gasket and pull it out.

Spend an hour or two cleaning out the group before fitting the new gasket.

Alan

That was fast. Thanks!
My next move was actually to stand something up under the group so that the group itself could be soaked in a bowl of cafiza solution or something like that, as it's quite cruddy and that dang screw won't budge. It's hard to tell in that photo but I've already been wearing the screw-head down with my efforts. I say this in an effort to save face I guess, as perhaps the obvious gasket access process would've become evident once I got the shower head off. In fact that same diagram is in the link I posted to originally. Doh!

Thanks Alan, I'll work on that screw. You don't have a Conti Club, do you? It's not exactly the most popular machine and so it's been hard to sniff out a community of owners/refurbishers. I got this one for a price I couldn't refuse and so it seemed worth it to roll the dice despite the possible challenge in finding parts and advice.

You don't have a Conti Club, do you?

No, just years of experience. Using a flat head screwdriver and a hammer, chisel a dimple into the outer ring of the showerscreen, then angle the screwdriver and hammer in the anticlockwise (undo) direction. As soon as the screen starts to turn the screw should undo.

Alan

Just a little follow-up report...

Man -- forget that screw; the freakin' gasket was tough as nails. The clearance on the Conti Club was too tight for me to really get the leverage I needed to make a notch and drive it counterclockwise, so I did a caffiza soak anyway. After the soak I was able to get the screen going with your recommended notch method, and then the screw came loose. With the screen and dispersion block off, I gave the head a good scrub before even trying to get the gasket off. The below is a bowl of what started off as clear/cloudy caffiza solution, which I was dipping the group brush in. It was black as tar when I decided I was done, and it's still not 100% clean.



Then the gasket... At first I couldn't even get a wood screw into it. I had to drill little starter holes with a dremel, then drove in the screw and try to pry it out, but that only chipped stiff chunks off of it. I repeated the process until finally a a good amount of gasket bent downward and I got the pliers in there and tugged it out.



Now for another scrub, and then it'll be ready for the new gasket. Thanks again for the advice.