La Pavoni Europiccolas--making great espresso in little time! - Page 3

#21: Post by **DarrenAddy** » July 20th, 2016, 4:55 pm

rpavlis wrote:The valve operates by pressing a cone shaped piece of plastic or a steel ball into a seat using a spring. When the pressure from the gases inside the boiler match the force on the spring, gases are released; once the machine is free of air the gas is water vapour. In La Pavoni machines with this system the spring tension is set so that steam is released when the internal pressure is about 0.8 to 1.0 bar.

I think a pressure gauge to be almost mandatory. It can be a permanent one attached to the sight gauge, or it can be one that can be attached to check that the system is working properly. Attached ones are normally put on the steam wand, though I made one from a piece of brass bar stock that screws into the top of the boiler in place of a normal cap. If yours have a ball there is a tendency for these to leak and give erratic pressure. You can purchase the plastic cone from supply places inexpensively. It is an example of something where the plastic item is far superior.

If you frequently take your machine to other sites, I would recommend a temporary gauge because the gauge can bump into things and cause needless damage. If it always be at one location, I would recommend a permanent gauge.

Measuring the surface temperature of the boiler can give you pressure information too, and can be a substitute measurement.

Thanks for your input rpavlis. I read a great post of yours the other day (Found in my googling Europiccola info) and wanted to ask you a follow-up question about it, but I will have to find it again to remind myself! (I'm sure it is still open in one of the 34 Chrome windows I currently have open.)

#22: Post by **wsfarrell** » July 20th, 2016, 5:41 pm

drgary wrote:Francesco Ceccarelli likes the machine cruising at about 0.8 bar for brew pressure...........

Indeed he does. I got a beautifully restored 1988 Pro from him with the pressurestat set at .8. I thought I might bump it up a little and discovered that he had fastened the bottom cover using a torx security screw. I have security bits, but this really highlights how serious he is about the advice he gives.

#23: Post by **drgary** » July 20th, 2016, 9:14 pm

@ Darren: Voltage regulator can work, but I find key with these home levers is controlling group temp more than controlling boiler temp. A number of methods work, such as cooling the group with water or a wet towel, etc. I described a method in the Zen Zone thread.