sorry abouyt the delay: I checked my o-rings and I have one that is almost perfect: outer diameter 10mm- the inner is perhaps 7mm- so I am not sure if it will be a bit too fat for you. PM me you address if you want me to send a couple.

Thanks so much for the offer; I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I don't think that size will work, due to the limited material available on the head of the screw. I'm also not sure I want to install an O-ring on there or not, after thinking about it. I think the plastic drip tray will largely do its job and keep liquid out of this area. However, the next time I order from McMaster.com, I admit it: I am going to include the O-ring that might fit that area

Thanks again for following up and offering to send the O-ring; the gesture speaks highly of you.

Ray

While not in concert with the quality of the workmanship on this project, a tiny dab of plumbers putty on the underside of that custom screw should provide an adequate seal. It certainly works on sinks.

yes- or a few threads of teflon tape. Water does get to that screw- in my experience. There is often rust around there. But that may be a problem for the more sloppy owner. If you maintain your machine like you modified it perhaps you will be fine. I would love to take your machine for a spin.

I didn't read all your text- I assume that as you change the temperature you also change the pressure? What range do you work within pressure wise?

I keep the La Pavoni spotless If even a drop or two of water get under the drip tray (while it's out for a second, etc.) then I wipe it up right away. The only reason I would need the O-ring is to help protect the electrons due to some sort of mishap or accident, which might result in water coming out of the group head or something and getting into the tray or something. I'm going to place an order with McMaster.com shortly here, because I need some M4 x .70 stainless nuts (to hold the heatsink on and also in order to install two dummy screws to help stabilize how the base sits on the counter); I'll toss a couple of O-rings on that order I think.

With regard to the temperature and pressure: yes, they are directly correlated. Right now I'm running the machine at about 233.5 and that roughly equates to 10 psi in the boiler. 228 is about 7.5 psi, as I recall. I was actually thinking about producing a chart for La Pavoni owners, showing the exact correlation between temperature and pressure. I think that would be a handy resource when it comes to temperature surfing the machine (especially since it's a lot easier to install a pressure gauge than something to regulate the temperature).

Ray

that's interesting: 10 PSI equals around 6.8 Bars. From memory a Pavoni generally runs hotter than that- more like 1 Bar? My Ponte Vecchio Lusso runs at 1.2 Bar...

do you crank up the heat when it is time to froth milk? Or is there enough pressure at 6.8 Bar?

On machines I have seen water gets into contact with that screw when the steam arm (or the pressure release tube) drips a little and drips land right at the edge of the drip tray... On a few I have bent the steam arm slightly so that drip fall into the drip tray instead...

1 bar = 14.7 PSI, so at 10 PSI I'm actually running the machine at around 0.68 BAR. I think you have the right idea there, but maybe just have the decimal place off a bit

I believe you are correct also on the factory settings; I think the La Pavoni generally runs at around 0.8 to 1.0 BAR of pressure for pulling shots (in its unmodified configuration).

As far as steaming milk, I have the high setting of the "I/II" switch configured to bypass the PID controller and provide full power to the 1000W heating element (this quickly brings the temperature up to about 250+ degrees F, which is where I start steaming milk).

On my steam wand, I have it bent out slightly to the right (away from the boiler), so that it's a little easier to edge the lip of the frothing pitcher out from under the it (without spilling any foam or milk). As a result, if water drips from the tip of the steam wand, it usually doesn't end up going into the drip tray (or under it), but rather on lands on the base or rolls down the right hand side.

Ray

I'm coming to this thread really late, but congratulations. That is one heck of a project, and you've done an amazing job. Nice work!

Thanks very much!

Yeah, it was a big project, but it was a lot of fun. I just have a couple of minor things left to complete (need to replace a missing rubber foot, etc.) and then the La Pavoni is all done. I also need to descale the boiler (citric acid is on order).

The La Pavoni makes great espresso now and looks amazing on the counter. I really love using it each morning

I was thinking about getting a Rocket Cellini Evoluzione or maybe a dual group Izzo Pompei next. However, frankly, the La Pavoni is working so well, I'm not really sure there is much to be gained.

Ray

RayJohns wrote:I was thinking about getting a Rocket Cellini Evoluzione or maybe a dual group Izzo Pompei next. However, frankly, the La Pavoni is working so well, I'm not really sure there is much to be gained.

No more toys? You can only play with what you've got?