Dear coffee lovers,

I recently bought an espresso lever machine at a second hand store for 25 €. The guy obviously didn't know what he had since it was a Riviera espresso machine. Everything seems to work well only the handle of the lever is broken. I glued it for the time being. But could anybody tell me where i could get new or secondhand parts? And my second question would be if somebody could tell me the exact name and model of this machine. On the bottom it says riviera espresso 800 watt 220 volt Hz 50. It has no further markings.

Any other tips and tricks for the machine would be welcome since i'm still new with the lever system.

Greetings

Koen




Moderator Note: merged duplicate thread here and deleted copied post.

From what i've gathered, the most important thing with a Riviera is this
NEVER, EVER, LET THE HEATING ELEMENT BURN OUT!
When you follow that rule, you can look at Orphanespresso's site for the rest.

That's a Riviera Eagle. Zacconi currently manufactures a very similar machine with little or no parts interchange. The new ones cost well over $1000 usd so yours is well worth the price you paid. I have the same model with brass accents. I rarely see those machines with the eagle still on them. I assume people take the eagle off to fit the machine under a counter or something and then it's never seen again. Anyway, a nice touch, still having the eagle. The heating element can easily go south on you and there are no replacements. Just don't let the machine run dry. You'll end up with a paperweight if you do that. When not in use I unplugged my machine (something I do with all my machines). Orphan Espresso does have seals for these as well as fast and friendly service. I just received my first package from them today and was quite pleased. All in all, a decent machine.

Brett Schultz

Great! tnx for the information. I just ordered a manual on the internet but if you could answer my question it would be great, I heard from my local coffee shop that the perfect pressure is about 1-1,5 bar my machine is always against the 1.5 and a little over. any suggestions how i can get the pressure down? and do i need to?

greetings,

Koen van Leeuwen

Koen,

Mine had/has faulty seals in its group. I never could get the pressure stable enough. I've been working on other machines of mine before I get into the Riviera. Personally, I don't think 1.5 at the boiler is too high but I'm sure opinions differ on that issue. The Riveria has been discussed her quite a bit. One member even posted pics of a refurb of his. If you do a search you might come up with some answers. Sorry I can't help you any further.

Brett

Hey there. On the question of the pressure, you can adjust the pressurestat to reduce the pressure at which the boiler will tick on. Remove the base plate and you'll see the pressurestat. If it is the original, it will be a cylindrical shape with a screw at one side. Turn the screw one way (not much at all) and you will increase the pressure that is required to trigger the bladder in the pressurestat, turn it the other way, you will decrease the pressure. The device is pretty intuitive but if you want some pix of how to do it email me and I'll post some.

The "right" temperature is something that varies with people. I like to keep the water a little cooler and pressure a little lower (they are directly proportional - the insert gas law, pv=nrt) so I set mine to about 1-1.2 bars (tick on at one bar, tick off at 1.2). Some set it higher for better pressure and temperature. I find temperature you need also depends somewhat on the tamp and grind you're using, and I suppose on the bean, but these things you can adjust for more easily than the pressurestat obviously.

Hope this helps, good luck.

I have no experience with your machine, but on the Elektra which is quite similar and the Pavoni, which isn;t that different 1 bar tops is where I'd put the stat and maybe a little lower. The group head will overheat quite quickly at 1.5 and you will find it easy to get bitter shots.

Cheers

Mike

Hey Koen:

I'm at work now (not working) and will try to get you some pix tonight. But here is the basic pic of the cylindical pressurestat which is the original to the riveria model I belive. Take a look and below I'll describe where the screw is to adjust the pressure.



So, the screw is on the left hand side of the round part, as you are looking at this -- the same side my . It is separating the steel bracket that holds the plastic case and wiring from the brass cynlinder. Inside the cylinder is the thin "bladder-like" mechanism that responds to the pressure. It is a tiny screw and I had to use a very small screwdriver bought specially for the purpose to manipulate it. If yours is not visible, it may be missing.

Also, if you find it, you don't need to move it much -- very little in fact, a quater or half turn to get the change you need in pressure. I'll take some close-ups tonight and post them for you.

tnx for the quick reply! i'll wait for the close ups.

Hey there:

Below is a close-up (done with my crappy iphone) of the pressurestat and the screw that adjusts the pressure. Screw is a bad word -- it is more like a nut -- the hexagonal nut head you see there below.

Does this help?



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