Portafilter sneeze - Page 2

#11: Post by **Seacoffee** » December 7th, 2016, 7:43 pm

I am not familiar with every EP model, I have has about 4 of the early models, but portafilter sneeze can be alleviated by making sure the rod length is correct so the piston is as close as possible to the bottom of the cylinder.

December 8th, 2016, 9:46 am

One of the best resources to learn about LPE models http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/lapavoni_ep_eng.htm
Franceso also sells parts and has D.I.Y. repair explanations and answers related questions via email.

#13: Post by **drgary** » December 8th, 2016, 1:43 pm

Another method of avoiding the PF sneeze along with the good ones already mentioned is this: gently turn the portafilter until it just starts to release any remaining pressure. It is still mostly locked in at this point. Hold it in place while releasing that pressure to avoid the sneeze.

December 8th, 2016, 1:45 pm

Plus one on that, additionally refraining from grinding too fine and waiting a bit helps to prevent the biggest mess that impatience can cause

#15: Post by **Seacoffee** » December 8th, 2016, 10:01 pm

I think you will find all these other techniques do not fix the real problem which is too much water still left in the piston cylinder chamber. Lengthen the rod so the piston just touches the screen and you will eliminate the problem.

#16: Post by **drgary** » December 8th, 2016, 10:22 pm

That won't solve it if the coffee cake is resisting pressure. Think about the amount of water held in any gap between the piston face and the shower screen versus the amount of slurry in the brew chamber, which is much greater. Absolute statements like that don't hold up.

December 8th, 2016, 11:01 pm

homeburrero wrote:Thought some more about this while making a coffee, and think I have a better understanding of how this could happen. If the puck has saturated and swelled tightly against the basket below, and against the shower screen above, the pressure in the puck may not dissipate up through the shower screen any faster than it does down through the bottom of the basket, so that even when the lever is raised, the pressure in the PF will take some time to drop. Only solution in that case is waiting, and being very slow and cautious about unlocking the PF.

If you have spongyness in the pull, causing the lever to want to lift back up at the pull finish, and if all that spongyness goes away while the lever is held down, then it makes sense that the air went out through the puck which would indicate there is probably no longer much pressure in there to cause a sneeze.

Yes, there is some spongyness throughout the pull. It used to be worse, before I started bleeding off the false pressure from the steat tap (5-6 seconds) and running some watee in the group to warm it up. When the lever goes all the way down, at first it "wants" to bounce a bit but after a few seconds it stays put.

December 8th, 2016, 11:08 pm

Seacoffee wrote:I am not familiar with every EP model, I have has about 4 of the early models, but portafilter sneeze can be alleviated by making sure the rod length is correct so the piston is as close as possible to the bottom of the cylinder.

How can the rod length be adjusted?
I do admit that it is possible that the nut and washer at the end of the rod are not set correctly. I hand tightended them, assumying the rod length is set by the lever pin. It is worth a check.

drgary wrote:Another method of avoiding the PF sneeze along with the good ones already mentioned is this: gently turn the portafilter until it just starts to release any remaining pressure. It is still mostly locked in at this point. Hold it in place while releasing that pressure to avoid the sneeze.

I tried that a few times but it was hard to nove it just to the point of hissing. The seal is brand new and the portafilter is pretty tight inside.

Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions.
Erez

#19: Post by **Seacoffee** » December 8th, 2016, 11:30 pm

drgary wrote:That won't solve it if the coffee cake is resisting pressure. Think about the amount of water held in any gap between the piston face and the shower screen versus the amount of slurry in the brew chamber, which is much greater. Absolute statements like that don't hold up.

Well I have done this many times and absolutely always works. If the puck is so tight and holding back pressure then you have choked the machine.

Also make sure the screen is clear and not partially blocked.

December 9th, 2016, 5:05 am

Adjusting the rod was right on the mark. I had it about 5mm above the screen and as mentioned above, the puck was releasing pressure both up and down.
Once I adjusted it properly, pulling the lever up and slowly releasing the portafilter resulted in a gentle hiss, not an explosive sneeze.

Thank you all for helping me out!

Erez