Seattle Coffee Gear.

O.K. So how does this work? If you buy an LM consumer product from an out of town dealer, you don't get local warranty service?

SCG told ml they handle all warranty claims for their machines but in this case they're stepping aside to let me work with LM directly to taken care of the issue.

Part of me says replace the pstat and the other part dreads the logistics needed to actually do that given how big and heavy the machine is. At iver 70lbs I barely got it o to the counter and filled, it's well over 100lbs.

Plus any time a third party works on my stuff something always goes wrong. (A dent here, a scrape there)...

For Scott - Your best bet would be to request a USED pstat (gratis, of course) from LM-USA for either you or a tech to swap out. I would not put too much faith in proper operation of your existing one, even though it appears to now be "OK".

From what I could tell in the pics of the interior of the Mini, everything is well laid out with quite a bit of space, especially when compared to the cramped interiors of other prosumer machines. Usually, the pstat is located on a pipe on or near the steam boiler. You should be able to remove the top panel and access the pstat pretty easily, hopefully without even having to take the machine off the counter. Of course, if your cabinets are in the way, that might make working on the machine harder.

In theory, it's a pretty easy job. I did a couple of pstat replacements on my old Anita, it wasn't hard at all. Just unplug the machine, detach the wires, unscrew the old pstat, then screw in and plug in the wires on the new one. It's a good idea to mark the wires with tape before unplugging them so you don't get confused and plug them in wrong later, but otherwise it's pretty simple.

You can see the interior including pstat in the pictures on Mark Prince's First Look here:

https://www.coffeegeek.com/proreviews/f ... ni/details

The pstat is clearly visible in the last interior pic, on the far right hand side. Looks pretty accessible to me. You might even be able to remove a side panel to get at it more easily if necessary.

Here is a pic of my machine showing the location of the p-stat. You can see it right on the left edge of the photo in the center (with the red wire leading to it). Pretty accessible and should be pretty easy to swap out with the identical part. All you should need to do is unplug the machine, open the top, disconnect the wires, unthread the existing p-stat, install the new one, and test.



Good luck and give us an update when you get the problem resolved.

erics wrote:For Scott - Your best bet would be to request a USED pstat (gratis, of course) from LM-USA for either you or a tech to swap out. I would not put too much faith in proper operation of your existing one, even though it appears to now be "OK".

Thanks for the advice. I will follow whatever LM suggests, but what you said makes sense. I will ask them about it.

keno wrote:Here is a pic of my machine showing the location of the p-stat. You can see it right on the left edge of the photo in the center (with the red wire leading to it). Pretty accessible and should be pretty easy to swap out with the identical part. All you should need to do is unplug the machine, open the top, disconnect the wires, unthread the existing p-stat, install the new one, and test.

That's great! Seems easy 'nuff. Although... I'm not sure how most manufacturers, and LM in particular, feel about customers servicing their own machines and how it affects the warranty. But if they're okay, that would be my preference given I how insanely meticulous I am with most things I own.

LM doesn't mind you swapping it out, but if you are not comfortable doing it they'll send over a LM tech to do it for you. That's included in your warranty.

The process is super simple, and is just as keno described. The machine should be cold, not just unplugged. Also, the screw on top is how you adjust the pressure.

On a side note, you may want to order a spare. Mater's are not exactly reliable p-stats, but they are small and quiet. I've had two go out in just over a year on my Quickmills.

Thanks Merle. Good to know.