Water dance applicable to Single Boiler

#1: Post by **RyanJE** » October 5th, 2015, 10:46 pm

So I don't have a good way to measure brew water out of my single boiler. Been reading about the water dance on HX machines (I find myself researching new machines even though I just started this whole thing recently!)

Can this information learned from HX apply to single boiler? I have a PID but no idea how that relates to brew water vs boiler water.

If I get flash boil and water dance out of my unit, could I count down 5 seconds after it stopped the water dance and assume I'm close to 200-202?

Have been using a setting of 205 per FCRNs method of temp stabilizing the CC1 but now realize that it creates "water dance".. Never understood potentially why till now!

Or should I just get an HX and forget about my 6 month old CC1!?

#2: Post by **estib** » October 6th, 2015, 1:04 am

If its flash boiling means temperature is set too high. Just adjust the temperature setting on your PID.

October 6th, 2015, 12:41 pm

I certainly understand that's too hot. I am trying to understand if I can infer the actual brew water temp based on this and the count down, that is used for HX flushing.

I would think if so, a lot of people could use this info rather than inaccurate styrofoam cup method or expensive scace.

#4: Post by **yakster** » October 6th, 2015, 12:58 pm

With the HX, you use the cooling flush to get the temperature down prior to pulling the shot. With a single boiler, you'd want to adjust the PID to lower the temp as the single boiler is designed to have a consistent temperature from the start, you should just lower the temperature if you're seeing flash boiling and adjust for best taste.

#5: Post by **Nick Name** » October 6th, 2015, 3:30 pm

RyanJE wrote:Been reading about the water dance on HX machines (I find myself researching new machines even though I just started this whole thing recently!)

Can this information learned from HX apply to single boiler?

Not really. An HX brews with water coming from the reservoir (or from water connection) and a single boiler uses the water from the boiler.

HX's brew water is heated in a tube that goes thru the steam boiler. Water dance is a result of brew water standing too long in that tube (a heat exchanger that is) which is quite hot since it is inside the steam boiler.

If you were to use your idea, you would be flushing with water from the boiler. Not such a good idea, especially if you wanted to pull another shot or steam some milk afterwards.