Hi everyone, this is my first post here.
I have been using a used pre-millenium La Pavoni Europiccola since last summer and while I am still learning to use it properly, something tells me that things are not quite right. I have never quite been satisfied with it - for one thing, it never really makes hot espresso. It does make espresso but it's always kind of lukewarm and from time to time the crema is not all that great either. The only way to really get hot espresso is to let it warm up for ~30 minutes or so, a good 15 minutes after the steam release starts whistling.
Anyway, the person I bought the machine from said they had done a complete gasket replacement but I am wondering if perhaps that is not the case, and I need to do an overhaul. Any thoughts or ideas for me? I wrote to Orphan Espresso but never received a reply...
Also, I have posted a couple of videos on youtube to show the machine in use. The first is when I would usually run it through the portafilter to pre-heat it and a cup:
And the second is pulling a shot, which again was lukewarm and quite possibly overextracted (slightly bitter though still not really too bad)
Thanks again for any assistance you might be able to offer!
Regards,
Byron

Are you sure that's a pre-millennium? The shape of the grouphead in your videos sure looks millennium to me.

You should disassemble and inspect and clean your safety valve. It could be that it's letting off steam at low pressure and preventing the machine from coming up to pressure.

Does it have the single switch or the two-position switch? If it has the single (red switch, green light) it has a pressurestat and normally should not be hissing at all.

Your flow with the lever up looks a bit feeble, but I think is close to par for a millennium group and should not be causing your problem. If it gets worse you may have the classic plastic-piston-coming-unscrewed problem.

If it is coming up to proper pressure/temp in the boiler, then you should easily get everything plenty hot (probably too hot) by putting in the portafilter and empty basket, then raising the lever three or four times, each time letting a half ounce or so of water into the cup and waiting maybe 10 mississippi between each flush. Then dry the cup and basket, immediately dose and pull.

Thanks for the information. I was sure the previous owner said pre-millenium but yes, I could easily be mistaken - I guess I should disassemble the group head and determine that.
anyway, it does have two switches, a red power switch and white setting I & II. (I use I for brewing)
I have taken the pressure release valve off before and it always seemed clean and nothing seemed out of place.
one things I have noticed for sure is that shots are definitely better the second time, so I suppose the group head and portafilter are just not getting hot enough the first time around - I will try your suggestion, thanks!
Regards,
Byron

I just bought some parts from these folks: http://www.espressoparts.com/LaPavoniEu ... alDiagram1 The excellent diagrams they post may help you figure out what you need.

My safety release valve (Part# MP-40) is sticking open occasionally, despite the absence of scale or anything else I can discover. When it sticks open, the machine is kitchen counter art. Completely useless for espresso since it won't heat up.

Until my new part shows up, I have a 16mm socket to unscrew/retighten to resolve the problem. So far that's been working as the nearest credible espresso is about 45 miles one way from my place, which is not a happy thought first thing in the morning.

mantisory wrote:I was sure the previous owner said pre-millenium but yes, I could easily be mistaken - I guess I should disassemble the group head and determine that.
anyway, it does have two switches, a red power switch and white setting I & II. (I use I for brewing)

The dual element (I & II switch) models were certainly all pre-millenium. It's remotely possible that my eyes aren't fooling me and that someone put a millennium grouphead on your older machine. You don't have to pop the shower screen to tell. If you have a caliper, a pre-M measures 50mm in diameter at the top of the group and the millennium measures 60mm. http://espressocare.com/PavoniGroupsCompare.html
(If you don't have a caliper you can use a 7" piece of string. It will go around the top part of a pre-M but be over 1/2" too short to go around a millennium group.)

If you buy a new safety valve spring and mushroom, be sure you buy the one that is sold for the pre-millennium machines without the pStat. The other one, for the Pro and later models with a pStat is a stronger spring, opens at a higher pressure than you want.

The really old Pavonis have a group that looks like the Millennium. It would be helpful to see photos if the entire machine.

I agree, photos would help. It's clear that he doesn't have the really old sleeved group because at points in the video you can see that it's a 2-bolt group. You can also see a bayonet style steam wand, and I think I see a plastic sightglass cover.

Sharp eye. But a high/low switch? Very puzzling. Photos will be interesting.

homeburrero wrote: If you buy a new safety valve spring and mushroom, be sure you buy the one that is sold for the pre-millennium machines without the pStat. The other one, for the Pro and later models with a pStat is a stronger spring, opens at a higher pressure than you want.

Yes - I'm staying out of the "what model is it??" question.

But after listening to the sound of your machine in your video, it sounds to me like the pressure valve is stuck open like mine is doing occasionally. Once my LP hits operating temp, the pressure valve is properly closed, and the boiler is off, the machine is exceedingly quiet, almost silent. Yours is sounding like there is a continuous loss of steam.

jwCrema wrote: it sounds to me like the pressure valve is stuck open like mine is doing occasionally. Once my LP hits operating temp, the pressure valve is properly closed, and the boiler is off, the machine is exceedingly quiet, almost silent. Yours is sounding like there is a continuous loss of steam.

Jack - correct me if I'm wrong but you have a Pro, right? A Pro is not supposed to hiss when up to pressure - it has a pStat. If it's a late model Pro it will also have a vacuum breaker inside the safety valve assembly. The vacuum breaker will sometimes stick open. (Give it a little rap when that happens and it will close.)

But the Europiccolas with the hi-low switch don't have a pStat, and they are supposed to continue to hiss loudly on the II setting and more softly on the I setting. That's how they maintain their proper pressure.