DanoM wrote:IMAWriter, how clean is your group screen? I've "cleaned" mine once since I got everything setup after nearly 3 months of use and it was spotless. I do most of my flushing and cleaning using the group though, so that might make a difference. Since I learned alot on my Oscar and it doesn't have a hot water tap I got used to using the group as my rinse flush. I think it keeps my Strega group clean too, but perhaps it's just a really clean machine...

Dan, I remove my screen about every 10 days. It is usually very clean, as I also flush at the end of my session.
I work hard at keeping the area around the gasket clean. I also use a cu-tip for that. Also, by limiting my shots to under 18 grams in the HQ basket, I have a clean result.

I'm stumped...

I assume you are purging steam before you use the wand? Say an overkill of 10 seconds just to be sure, does that make a difference?
Maybe a video would help? Then again it's hard to show steam on a video.

Any idea on how I could lower the water level to try to have dryer steam?

The Strega is fitted with two probes because one acts as a safety device to not allow power to the heating element until the probe is covered or to (obviously) cut power to the heating element should the water level fall below the tip.



In the pic above, Item 1 is the safety probe. There is no reason to disturb this . . . actually a little touch of scale is OK. Item 2 is the normal water level probe. Any scale, however minor, will have the tendency to increase the boiler's water level by "X" amount. This tends to increase the "carryover" of water with the steam.

Remove this probe and clean the tip area with 220 grit paper or equal. Normal, typical, probe position is with the wire connection insulator about 1/16" above the Teflon protection tube.

Hi, the #2 probe is clean, and tried to purge the steam even longer, but there's always quite a bit of water coming out with the steam...

It has been like that since I got the machine, so I dont think scale buildup was the problem, and in any case now it's more than clean.

Bison,
There WILL be a bit of water along with steam when you purge the wand. I get maybe a 1/2 teaspoon or more.
If you pull your shot, and steam whilst the lever rises, you should have no problem.
That said, I use 2% milk, sometimes whole milk, never fat free.

Okay, let's rule out your steam wand first off:
(Keep your hands clear of the steam.)
Remove the steam wand from the tip valve.
With the boiler up to pressure tip the valve down slowly.
You can expect a bit of condensation coming out of the valve on the first blow.
On my Strega I get water droplets and steam misted on the front of the machine when it's wet.
Immediately wipe down the front of the machine and then give the valve a few more full power tips. You should see a fine mist from the steam that begins to dissipate quickly. No or few water droplets for a momentary tip.

Also, looking at the difference in the steam from the wet flush of the steam valve to the drier steam that follows I can see a difference.

If the steam comes out of the valve relatively dry then the issue is the steam wand. If it's still coming out wet then at least the steam wand isn't a concern.

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the help. I had to leave for a job in the field, and my internet connection is not too good. That, and my strega is at home

I'll continue to investigate when I come back in 3 weeks, but I'm pretty sure I have more than 1/2 a teaspoon, and even after purging the wand still produces some water.

Thanks again, and I'll keep you posted when I come back. Cheers!