Rocket R58 lacks steaming power

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Shelboff
Posts: 2
Joined: 9 years ago

#1: Post by Shelboff »

Hello all, my son is a member here and recommended you folks as people who might be able to help a fellow solve an issue with my espresso machine. Sorry for introducing myself to the forum with a problem.

Here's the rundown:

-I bought the Rocket R58 Version-1 a number of years back (4-5?) to replace my Rocket Cellini and noticed right out of the box that it seemed to lack steaming capacity. (I had upgraded from the Cellini specifically so I would be able to pull a shot and steam simultaneously.)
-I don't have it plumbed in and use the water tank (Water is quite hard and I use a Rocket water softener bag in the tank)
-I maximized the pressure using the PID and it still seemed as though the pressure was dropping unusually fast.
-I sent the machine back to the retailer and they replaced it with a new R58 Version-1.
-It didn't seem to be much better so I pretty much decided to just live with it by steaming after pulling a shot.
-At "idle" the steam pressure gauge sits right around 1.3 bars (green bar max is 1.5).
-When the pressure drops, it doesn't kick in right away to recover so now i open the steamer first to drop pressure, then wait until the gauge begins to move up and then when it's almost at 1.3, I steam my milk while it is still recovering. Sometimes after dropping the pressure initially, I have to wait for 4 - 5 seconds for it to kick in to recover. Is there an adjustment that will make it kick in quicker?
-This morning I decided to try again steaming while pulling a shot and with two successive tries the gauge just plummeted before even warming the milk. If there are two separate boilers, I'm wondering why I can't do both at the same time.

I hope this hasn't been too long winded and I do appreciate any assistance that you may offer.

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Compass Coffee
Posts: 2844
Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by Compass Coffee »

Increase maximum steam pressure to 1.5 bar

Electric heaters ALWAYS have a lag from the time given power to producing heat. There is no adjustment to make an electric heater heat faster. Hence it's always best practice on these smaller steam boilers (compared to commercial) to purge steam wand first to force heater on and wait for pressure to start climbing back up. Start steaming while heater still on to maintain best pressure during steaming. How fast the steam pressure drops is a relation between steam tip size and available steam. You may benefit from a more restricted steam tip.

Believe you are in Canada so don't know if this applies. On this class machine running 15A 110v while dual boiler heater priority goes to brew boiler then to steam boiler.
Mike McGinness

Evilsports
Posts: 56
Joined: 10 years ago

#3: Post by Evilsports replying to Compass Coffee »


I'm 99% sure (my dad can correct me if not) that his steam temp is already maxed out at 1.3 bars.

Shelboff (original poster)
Posts: 2
Joined: 9 years ago

#4: Post by Shelboff (original poster) »

Thanks very much for the reply. I did set the steam up to its maximum power using the PID when I first got the machine. I have been purging the steam wand before frothing and start the process while the gauge is still climbing and almost at the max. I can live with that since it usually gives me enough steam for two lattes. I figured though, that I'd be able to do that (or even start the process) while pulling the espresso without losing steam so quickly. It almost acts like I'm using one boiler and not two. In fact my previous machine, Rocket Cellini, didn't drop as quickly when I used both functions at the same time. The other issue is when the steam boiler kicks in not so much how quickly it recovers. If I purge and the gauge drops, I sometimes wait for 5 seconds for it to start heating, while other times it kicks right in. Perhaps that relates to how hot the element is when I purge?

I wonder if I'm expecting too much from a home machine, but I made the upgrade to the R58 for precisely this function. I'll try to get a wand with a more restricted tip and contact the dealer about the electrical issue mentioned.

Thanks again!