How often do you guys remove the gaskets? I've found them to be very fragile & haven't gotten over 6 months out of one before they break while removing the screen. I'm using them with E61 screens which I do remove regularly for cleaning (every 4-5 days).

Kees was big on these when they first came out & I believe he was sending them out in all his new machines. Recently I was told that they had stopped using & selling them as they had received too many complaints from their customers about the silicone gaskets breaking.

I have a friend using a one (red) with her e61 Rocket. The machine is left on 24/7 and the gasket is about 15months old, She pulls the screen weekly to clean everything. No issues yet.

I was going to say perhaps it's the e61 type as it also holds the screen in (which I prefer over the LM/screw type), but perhaps not? Or perhaps Paul has updated the composition since launch?

The easiest way to clean the mating surface between the top of the basket and the gasket is during backflushing. Just loosen the portafilter gradually when the pump is up to pressure to allow the detergent & water to "leak" out. You can rotate the portafilter back and forth a bit to agitate. Repeat towards the end of the backflush cycle with rinse water to make sure all the detergent is rinsed.

I do this often with the Breville DB since it has a silicone gasket.

shawndo wrote:maybe 3 or 4 times in the last month, my portafilter popped out of the machine while pulling a shot.

The Breville does this once in a while; I think silicone gaskets are just less grippy than rubber gaskets. Detergent cleaning usually restores friction.

I have one of these brushes but never use it. It would probably help extend the life. I just use the pallo brush on the screen and the gasket

With the E61 screen the only way to get the inside of the screen clean is to drop it. A detergent backflush regimen helps but doesn't get everything. If your screen & gasket drop right out you shouldn't have any issues. It's when the gasket hangs up in there on one side or the other that you might have to gently work it out. Last one that broke all I did was slip my finger under the part that was hanging down & it snapped before I even started to work it out.

I've heard from several other users that they are going back to a standard rubber gasket simply because the silicone gaskets or at least the 8mm/8.5mm E61 versions are so damn fragile. What I don't understand is why the silicone piston gaskets that I get from Bosco can be stretched & pulled into position with no issues but the Cafelat E61 group gaskets tend to break easily?

I didn't record when I installed a Cafelat silicone gasket on my GS/3, but I'm pretty sure it's been over a year and it's still in great shape -- soft, no leaks, no discoloration. There's no sign of breakage. But I never remove the gasket -- just swipe it with a Pallo brush after every shot. When I do a detergent backflush, I remove the screen and swipe the entire area with the Pallo brush dipped in a detergent/water solution.

thats strange. It completely doesn't comport with my experience with the LM one. I was yanking on it with a pick tool to remove it and it's kept its shape perfectly. No hint of a tear.
Maybe they changed the silicone recipe at some point when they realized no one needed to buy more than one, ever

Silicone gaskets tend to be somewhat slippery, I was having portifilter creep with mine also,So I etched some lines on the underneath side of the portifilter ears to gain some friction, It worked great ,Might be worth a try. Jim

hey shawn, wondering what you use and how you remove the gaskets without tearing them.

i havent tried removing a silicone gasket yet, but whenever i removed old hard rubber gaskets, they tear up and break.

i just read post 17...guess nothing special.

hmm...