greetings to all!
I bought a used coffee machine on ebay. The condition was terrible. But great photo
For the first I bulkhead and cleaned it.
I decided to assemble it with the old gaskets. because new gaskets long wait
Now I want to understand the correct cycle of the coffee machine:
1. The first heating. The machine is warming up and did not turn on (about 4-5 minutes). at this moment I am happy
2. Then, when releasing "false" steam, coffee machine switched on-off every 20-30 seconds for 2 seconds heating
I heard that this indicates a leak. I tried to check with a mirror all fittings, but did not find the leak. I do not have a pressure gauge to check the pressure loss. Espresso is obtained normal
Help to understand the correct operation cycles of the heat at intact machine
Machine 1997

Welcome to H-B Alex. Nice find and nice clean up job.
As to your statement "Then, when releasing "false" steam, coffee machine switched on-off every 20-30 seconds for 2 seconds heating"
Your 97 LPE has a pressurestat that cycles the heating element on/off based on a set boiler pressure value.
I belief that P.Stat is adjustable via a screw on the P.Stat. The factory setting should be fine but if it's cutting out to early or at to high, either adjust or replace P.Stat.
You can add a pressure gauge to these to help you dial in ideal P.Stat settings and confirm boiler pressure.

B.T.W. - Have a look here : LMWDP Rollcall

Thank you!
Yes, im tried to adjust p stat....but the time of cycle didnt change. P stat is adjustable, i tested it in diffrent positoin of screw
Helps a little bit only diffirent level of wather, when low level the cycle comes shortly (20 sec), height level - cycle longer (30-40 sec)

It seems that your concern is that you are losing pressure. Once the boiler is pressurized it's quite easy to see a leak unless the issue is from the bottom heating element to boiler. You can add a paper towel below machine and inspect for leaks (remove rubber base of tray first) You can also inspect that area once it cools off. If leaks found you may just have to tightened the element further to boiler since it appears that you already replaced all gaskets.

I have had a similar machine for about seven years. They are capable of extraordinary espresso, but one must develop the proper technique.

From the time the machine is connected to the power and turned on until it gets up to pressure should require about five minutes. After that you need to bleed the air that is trapped inside the boiler, and also that which is trapped above the piston in the group. Place some sort of container under the steam tip and open the steam valve. Put a small bowl under the group and slowly raise the handle all the way for just an instant, as soon as water emerges, quickly lower the handle enough to stop the water. Sometimes it is a good idea to lower the handle all the way, and repeat this. After this it should require between one and two minutes to get heated up all the way. You can grind and tamp the coffee whilst it is heating! You should grind about 14 grams of coffee. Once the coffee is loaded into the portafilter, and it is warmed up you can attach the portafilter. I prefer, however, to have the handle almost all the way, near to the point of releasing water before I attach the portafilter. Otherwise the air being drawn through the espresso can crack the espresso puck. It should require about the same force as would be exerted by putting about 12 to 15 kilograms on the end of the handle whilst making the shot.

If you have any leaks you should be able to hear hissing. Be sure to check the length of the two bolts that hold the group onto the boiler, they should be 14 or 16mm long, not 12mm. Also check the threaded rod holding the handle on the portafilter. If it still be steel, it is best to replace the threaded rod with one made of brass or stainless steel. For this model it probably requires threaded rod M12x1.75.

I like to work on the one I have. If you have metal working equipment you can make all sorts of improvement.

Alex -
Sounds to me like your machine is operating correctly regarding the p-stat after the machine heats
up initially and after you have released the false pressure. When the power to the heating element
is off 20-30 sec's, the boiler cools slightly and so the pressure drops a bit until the p-stat turns
the power back on briefly to bring the pressure/temp back up to the correct level. If it only takes
a couple seconds then that is good, since it means your p-stat is keeping pressure/temp in a fairly
tight range which is what you want. If it was a longer period in between cycles, and the power was
on for a longer time, then that would be less desirable. If you have no leaks then I believe all
is good. Enjoy your new machine - looks like you did a very nice job restoring it!

I concur with Rich (AZRich) that your pStat cycling is fine.

Normally before adjusting the pStat you would use a gauge to help tell you where you set it. You can rig yourself a gauge from inexpensive hardware store parts - get a low pressure (0-30 psig range) gauge, add an adapter with a barb fitting, and a 1/4" ID hose, maybe a couple hose clamps and you have a gauge that you can slip onto the steam wand when checking or adjusting the pressurestat. Or you can permanently mount one at the top of the sight glass. You can buy adapters for that (an M11x1 male to 1/8" NPT female adapter, for example: https://www.espressocare.com/products/i ... ter-type-2). With that you can use any gauge with a 1/8" NPT fitting, or use a genuine LaPavoni gauge (which is 1/8" BSP) with a bit of teflon tape.

Your machine is a relatively late generation 2 model which appears to incorporate an anti-vac function in the safety valve*. So you probably will hear it hiss a little when if first warms up. In theory that takes care of most of the air in the boiler (relieves the so-called "false pressure") but in practice, it's still best to follow rpavlis' advice about bleeding air from the boiler and group after it first warms up.

Nice job on the disassembly and cleanup, BTW.


* I think that's what I see in your picture. It looks like this:



If you have a simple white teflon mushroom on the end of that spring then you have an earlier model without the anti-vac valve.

I've dealt with this individual (name unknown) when I added a pressure gauge, adapter and single hole steam tip to my LPE. Good product and great value.
I purchased a bullet tip and subsequently drilled some acorn nuts. (Not recommended)
http://www.wilycafe.com/page7/page7.html

AZRich wrote:Alex -
Sounds to me like your machine is operating correctly regarding the p-stat after the machine heats
up initially and after you have released the false pressure. When the power to the heating element
is off 20-30 sec's, the boiler cools slightly and so the pressure drops a bit until the p-stat turns
the power back on briefly to bring the pressure/temp back up to the correct level. If it only takes
a couple seconds then that is good, since it means your p-stat is keeping pressure/temp in a fairly
tight range which is what you want. If it was a longer period in between cycles, and the power was
on for a longer time, then that would be less desirable. If you have no leaks then I believe all
is good. Enjoy your new machine - looks like you did a very nice job restoring it!

Thank you so much! You encouraged me!
Yes, there is no atni-vac gauge
I ordered the adapter (3120104) and the original gauge. Now I measured the upper thread and it is M11. Will it fit to my piccola?
If the pressure decreases sharply, then I will continue to look for leaks

smollsan wrote:I ordered the adapter (3120104) and the original gauge. Now I measured the upper thread and it is M11. Will it fit to my piccola?

I don't think that part (3120104) will work for you. That part is for the Pro, which is M12x1. Your model Europiccola has M11x1 threads on that fitting. See http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/La_Pa ... ep_eng.htm for a more detailed explanation.

The adapters mentioned in the links above (Richard Penney and Wily Cafe) are available in M11x1. They have NPT rather than BSP threading for the gauge, but some people have used them with BSP gauges using teflon tape or thread sealer to make up for the imperfect fit. (1/8" NPT is slightly larger, and is 27 threads per inch, whereas BPT is 28 tpi.) Or better yet - get the M11x1 adapter from Francesco Cecccarelli if he still has some.