Ok so my routine so far has been pretty lax...I just flush hot water through the group and wipe around it with a paper towel (a proper brush is on my shopping list to really get in at the gasket to clean it better) And I've descaled a couple of times which doesn't seem too hard either.

But I see people with fancy pants machines doing frequent backflushing (which I can't do on the La Pavoni) and popping out the shower screen to clean inside the group as often as every week.

So I'm wondering....is there an easier way to get behind the shower screen on the La Pavoni than disassembling the entire group head? I've only seen people take everything apart to do gasket changes and restorations....and the shower screen is never first.

Is it necessary if I'm not changing the gaskets? what are peoples cleaning routines for the La Pavoni?

So far with my Gaggia Factory (~ = La Pavoni Pro) I have just been using a Pallo coffeetool brush, a wash bottle, and a microfiber cloth to clean the group and dispersion screen. That and the portafilter wiggle to dislodge any stuck grounds.

I haven't pulled the screen yet, but feel that I should soon, so I'm also interested to hear responses on this thread.

entropyembrace wrote:So I'm wondering....is there an easier way to get behind the shower screen on the La Pavoni than disassembling the entire group head? I've only seen people take everything apart to do gasket changes and restorations....and the shower screen is never first.

Is it necessary if I'm not changing the gaskets? what are peoples cleaning routines for the La Pavoni?

Tera,

Unlike pump-driven machines, this does not to be performed more than about once a month. flushing water through the group each time you bring it up from a cold start will help to keep the screen somewhat clean, and you have to do this to get the group to temp anyway.

Yes, there is a very easy way to drop the screen. Simple easy steps to follow once cold (written from memory as I no longer have a La Pavoni here to double check my step). Trust me when i say it is very easy to do.

- Remove the top cap of the piston rod.
- Unscrew the nut below the top cap until it becomes flush with the top of the rod.
- Remove the retaining clip on one side for the pin that runs through the piston rod.
- Push the pin out to free up the piston rod for full movement by hand.
- Push on the top of the piston rod, which will make the piston come into contact with the screen. The screen and portafilter gasket will drop out the bottom, but the piston will still be in the sleeve (that's why you leave the nut on versus removing).
- Soak the screen in a proper detergent until clean-(Joe Glow, Cafiza)
- Rinse and re-install both the screen and portafilter gasket, paying attention to the gasket. One side is beveled to fit along the top edge of the screen while the other is a little flatter and should face down to make contact with the portafilter when installed.
- Seat the screen into place by removing the basket and inserting the portafilter. Follow this up with the same procedure, this time with the basket installed.
- reinstall the pin and retaining clip
- tighten the nut and install the top cap.
ENJOY!

Hope this helps

Backflushing isn't really required on a lever machine.

On my La Pavoni, I strip down the group head about once a month. It's very simple to pull off the dispersion screen and remove the piston. Just remove the nuts on top of the group head piston rod and take out the front cross pin. Then push down and the screen and piston will pop right out (at least on my older La Pavoni).

Then just wash the screen off and clean the piston. Lubricate the gaskets with a tiny bit of olive oil and re-assemble.

I also use citric acid to descale the machine. I just did it for the first time last night and it really did a great job cleaning the boiler and elements, etc. I plan to descale the machine maybe 4 times a year from now own. Maybe even once a month, not sure.

To descale, you just heat up the machine and pull about 8 oz of water out through the group head. Then add 1 TBSP of citric acid, dissolve and pour it back into the boiler. Let it sit for an hour or so and repeat a couple of times (if needed). Wash the machine out a few times and you are good.

I also pull a little bit of the solution (once I pour it back into the boiler) through the group head and steam wand. After rinsing the chemical out of the machine, I also run the boiler with the cap off (with the machine about half full of water) and let the water boil in there for a minute or two, in order to stir things up and loosen any bits of scale, etc.

Between cleaning, I flush water through the group head and also use a little brush to clean the coffee out from around the group head gasket.

Ray

RayJohns wrote:On my La Pavoni, I strip down the group head about once a month.

Ray,
If you move to Dow 111 from olive oil you will not have to do this once a month. I used olive oil out of necessity about two years ago when I was in Iraq because I did not have and could not find some Dow. After two weeks my machine started smelling a bit, which just so coincided with the arrival of a few small tubes of Dow, so I serviced the grouphead properly and have never had the smell since. Using the Dow will easily extend you to three months...and your machine won't smell. Besides, you can get a tube that will last a lifetime for about $10.

As for descaling, if you are doing it once a month you are either wasting time, using really poor water, or you just like to tinker with your machine. Nothing wrong with doing it that frequently, but it should not be required that often.

The steps you listed are spot-on, but to find out if you need to descale, just listen to your machine. It should be nearly whisper quiet when heating up. If you hear mild groaning, your machine could use a descale.

Hope this helps all of you attain many years of service.

Thank you Merle and Ray, that sounds fairly easy and painless I'll try it out soon

uscfroadie wrote:Ray,
If you move to Dow 111 from olive oil you will not have to do this once a month. I used olive oil out of necessity about two years ago when I was in Iraq because I did not have and could not find some Dow. After two weeks my machine started smelling a bit, which just so coincided with the arrival of a few small tubes of Dow, so I serviced the grouphead properly and have never had the smell since. Using the Dow will easily extend you to three months...and your machine won't smell. Besides, you can get a tube that will last a lifetime for about $10.

As for descaling, if you are doing it once a month you are either wasting time, using really poor water, or you just like to tinker with your machine. Nothing wrong with doing it that frequently, but it should not be required that often.

The steps you listed are spot-on, but to find out if you need to descale, just listen to your machine. It should be nearly whisper quiet when heating up. If you hear mild groaning, your machine could use a descale.

Hope this helps all of you attain many years of service.

Thanks for the info. On the olive oil, I use such a minute amount, I don't think it will make much difference either way. Sometimes I just use a drop of water also instead. Just anything to give the group head piston gaskets some lubrication.

On the descaling, that's something I just started. Like you say, once a month is probably over kill. Even twice a year is probably plenty. I was just excited by how clean the boiler is now and wanted to maintain that (and tinkering is a big part of it also)

Ray

I think Richard Penney uses a natural sponge inserted into the portafilter to do the lever version of a backflush. Unlike inserting a blind disk you get very little pressure backwash. I've been using it on my lever machines and will report back when I have occasion to remove a shower screen. Doug Garrott devised his own method using a brush to scrub the shower screen and two squirt bottles with bent nozzles where one is filled with JoeGlo cleaning solution and the other with water. That product is sold here. I have it too and use it when I want to really clean the brew group. It can be a little extra work to clean the cleaning fluid and water off the chrome when solution or water slightly misses the group. Here's a link to OE's cleaning supplies page: http://www.orphanespresso.com/Espresso-Housekeeping-Cleaning_c_292.html

RayJohns wrote:On the olive oil, I use such a minute amount, I don't think it will make much difference either way. Sometimes I just use a drop of water also instead. Just anything to give the group head piston gaskets some lubrication.

Ray,

Have you tried Dow 111? I just opened some for the first time to lube my Microcimbali and was surprised at how thick it is. I've been using olive oil on my Europiccola -- without smell, maybe I wasn't using enough -- but I'll change over to the Dow.

yakster wrote:So far with my Gaggia Factory (~ = La Pavoni Pro) I have just been using a Pallo coffeetool brush, a wash bottle, and a microfiber cloth to clean the group and dispersion screen. That and the portafilter wiggle to dislodge any stuck grounds.

I haven't pulled the screen yet, but feel that I should soon, so I'm also interested to hear responses on this thread.

Chris, I was gonna ask how you were doing with the Factory.
OO