I've been wondering what a PM plan for my new-to-me Cremina should look like, and just stumbled across these helpful recommendations/reminders on the Orphan Espresso website:

http://www.orphanespresso.com/Olympia-C ... 622-1.html

I am still a curious what people are doing on a daily basis on machines like this that don't have a 3-way valve. I've just been blasting a bunch of hot water through the screen while scrubbing it with a group head cleaning brush before powering down after each session.

Any other recommended PM practices or tips?

I think grouphead buildup is much lower on a lever group since exhaust doesn't back-flow through the group but drains slowly out the basket. Buildup may increase if double pulls are used. I think the biggest offender is buildup around the edges of the screen where it is difficult to wipe. Being sure to get a brush or towel in there is important. Maybe instead of backflushing, a good routine (maybe once a month) would be to pull the screen and group gasket and make sure they are free from buildup. I like to grease the mating faces of the gasket with Dow 111 to aid in removal.

From my experience using 2 different Creminas I can say don't need anything except a quick blast of water from the piston after each shot and then a wipe down with a cloth. (Many here even give the blast a miss and just wipe the screen). No group brush or detergent needed. With my machines nothing tends to build up around the group seal, which is not the case with my Pavoni. So I don't need to get in there and get any crud out.

Then every 3 months or so (sometime longer) I get in there and lube the pistons and while I do I clean the shower screen, group seal and around the group seal area. You'd be amazed how clean these all are in the first place. It really is a clean, efficient machine.

Pretty much exactly what I do on my Creminas, only I lube everything - pins, rollers, piston seals/rod, steam seal.

As was stated up above, a small blast of hot water through the grouphead is all that is needed to keep the screen clean, unless you overdose and mash grinds into the screen upon locking in your portafilter. That will require a little scrubbing, but other than that, it's pretty much a flash of water and you're done machine.

Right on. Appreciate the veteran insights.

I'll back off on the brush in favor of a wipe and try that for a while. I'm not mashing anything up against the screen. Occasionally, I wipe around the gasket after cleaning the screen with a brush, but I haven't found any gunk up there.

Thanks.

Unless the lever is hard to lift up when cold there isn't really any need to open this thing. I'm pretty sure the machine will last longer if you keep maintenance to a minimum. Changing the lube every year or so should be totally fine - in fact, my dealer said 2 years...

The only difference between my regimen and OE is that I do a complete lube with Dow 111 (pins, cylinder, gasket) every 6 months, and I clean my screen and piston face weekly. Then again, I'm pulling 2-4 shots per day, and I use the same soaking solution for my Cremina screen, baskets, pf and Maxi screen/dispersion block.

Merle, I'll respectfully disagree with your assessment; my experience has been with the MCaL baskets, though, loading at anywhere from 13g-18g. No matter how much you blast, oils accumulate.

Sherman wrote:No matter how much you blast, oils accumulate.

Yes and no. Oils accumulate only if coffee is in contact with the dispersion screen. With the coffees I drink, moderate dosage, and always a single pull, there is no oil accumulation because coffee is never in contact with the screen.

Sherman wrote:The only difference between my regimen and OE is that I do a complete lube with Dow 111 (pins, cylinder, gasket) every 6 months, and I clean my screen and piston face weekly. Then again, I'm pulling 2-4 shots per day, and I use the same soaking solution for my Cremina screen, baskets, pf and Maxi screen/dispersion block.

That makes sense to me. I just pulled my first shot after soaking the Cremina dispersion screen and basket, cleaning the piston face and seasoning everything. Same beans, same grind and dose, same routine-much better results in the cup after cleaning. Night and day difference.

I thought the shots tasted fine before I cleaned the machine, but apparently I was missing out on the best flavors just because the screen and basket hadn't been soaked in a while. While there wasn't as much buildup on the Cremina piston face as on the HX showerhead, there was a meaningful amount of soiling (and I don't over fill my basket). These anecdotal results support David Schomer's emphasis on keeping things clean.