Pointless post here but I'm just so excited I had to post something. I found this baby scouring craiglist and found it posted for an amazing $15. Pretty crazy so I told the lady I'd give her $50 if she held it for me and I am now the proud owner of a working tip-top top post-2000 EPC-8. I just ordered a new base for my Reg Barber.


I ordered a gasket replacement kit and a new sightglass protector because the old one was gunked up. Anyone have any advice on how to get started? I haven't even started searching the site for resource information yet and I am sure there is quite a bit of info on these machines.

No wonder you're excited. That is a superb machine for $500 let alone $50.

However, from look of the group head and sight-glass it isn't the millenium europiccola, but the older pre-millenium model with the 49mm vis a vis 51mm group. Since Pavoni may have kept making the 49mm models after the year 2000 then maybe your machine was built post 2000, but in all probability it predates the turn of the millenium.

Correct. It is one those rarish hybrid Europiccola models - old style group head but with the 'millenium' pressurestat. That should mean a brass piston head. Believe me you are not losing anything here versus the full millenium machines. A great purchase generally and for the price you paid for it undoubtedly the bargain of the year!

That is amazing. Good on you for offering a bit more, too. Wow.

I'd wait till you get the sight glass cover to use it. It would be way too easy to break that early on and then have to do a fairly complicated repair.

When you get the cover open up the boiler and see if it needs to be descaled. Clean the group head/screen as well as you can. After that turn it on and fire away. There are a *lot* of threads here on getting started with the machine. There might even be a suggested thread at the bottom of this thread. Good luck, have fun!

Correct. It is one those rarish hybrid Europiccola models

Well, that sucks... I was almost sure it was a millenium model because of the removable steam wand. I ordered a 51 mm tamper and a rebuild kit already too. So, can someone explain to me with the hybrids what is what? So do I use millenium gaskets and a 49 mm tamper?

*second question

The basket falls out of the portafilter, is that normal? Because I really want to order a new basket because of that.

zod27 wrote:I ordered a 51 mm tamper and a rebuild kit already too.

Bit of a bugger that unfortunately. You are going to need a 49mm tamper and the 'old group' rebuild kit. This is what you have (a 1999 model it would appear)
http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/La_Pa..._03_EL.htm

This is what the Millenium model actually is (ignore the gold colour - just notice the fatter group) http://www.francescoceccarelli.eu/La_Pa..._09_ER.htm

The basket filter will fall out. That is normal for these machines of this era - there is no internal wire/clip built into pf to hold the baskets. You might find some baskets (remember - you will need the old 49mm baskets if you order!) that have like a protruding kink that help keep the baskets in check, but I have not seen any. The newer millenium PF's do have an internal groove and wireclip.

In any case, you will get to used to having the baskets slip out. Its no big deal, and if anything it makes tamping easier by allowing you to simply place your basket+coffee on a flat surface before elegantly sliding it back into the PF without puck disturbance.

La Pavoni rebuild Videos from Orphan Espresso:

Vintage La Pavoni Electrical Guide I - The Vintage Europiccola Wiring Guide Spiel, Part 1
here
Vintage La Pavoni Electrical Guide II - The Vintage Europiccola Wiring Guide Spiel, Part 2
here
La Pavoni Europiccola, The Rebuild, Part 1 - 5 Minute Breakdown
here
La Pavoni Europiccola, The Rebuild, Part 2 - Rising From the Ashes
here
Descaling:
here
Cheers and have fun!
-Richard

Thanks everyone, and Gino I think you are spot on with the photo link you sent me. It looks exactly like my machine. I am just amazed at how you guys can tell the difference in the group by looking at that photo.

Now I just have to wait for my stuff I ordered to show up so I can send it back.

UPDATE:

I got my 51mm Reg Barber base and sure enough it doesn't fit. So, everyone was right and based on that I sent an email to Orphan and they said that the millenium gasket kit is the same with 1 extra and I will need to order the pre-2000 portafilter gasket. So I am just going to order the portafilter gasket and find a new 49mm tamper.

Thanks