pcrussell50 wrote:IOW, you can set your PP to whatever you like (and you can further fine tune it with your needle btw), but you decide when to transition to the main extraction. If you set your PD to 0, then press and hold the manual button it will go straight into pre infusion and stay there for as long as you hold the button. When you release it, the pump will go to max/normal.

Yep, that's a trick I actually just discovered myself recently. For what it's worth, you don't need to set the PD to zero to do this. Simply holding down the manual button puts it into manual pre-infusion regardless of what the PD timer is set at.

And yes, that's definitely my next move. I just bought a Brewista Smart Scale II also so that I can time my extractions from first drips. I figured with the lengthened nature of slayer PI, measuring the time from first drips would be better for helping determine when my shot was in the "zone."

I've been thinking i need to replace the pump on my bdb but thought I should check with you guys first. The first shot of the day makes a different noise than usual and no water comes out for 5-10 seconds. After that it's usually fine until after its been turned off for a while. Does that sound like I need a new pump?

What if you run 60ml or so of hot water into your cup to warm it before pulling the shot? Would the shot then turn out more or less normal?

As for pump output, the Ulka E5 family should put out 6ml/s wide open, with no pre infusion, and no portafilter. Run for for 30s into a vessel on a scale. It should be somewhere between 180g-210g corresponding to 180 or 210ml, after 30s if it is flowing 6-7ml/s.

If you have a blind basket, it should be able to run all the way up against the OPV and begin the pulsating bypass back into the water tank. Look at the sight glass upwards towards the water surface. You should be able to see the ripples from water bypassing the OPV and returning to the tank.

-Peter

That's been my routine since it started happening - running an empty shot until it actually starts pumping water.

I've just measured a shot at 220g in 30 seconds.

It's not that much of a hassle to use as is I just figure it's going stop altogether at some point and I'd rather have the part on hand so I don't go without it for too long I've had it for 4.5 years so have become quite attached to it!

Dear BES920 brains trust, I'm having trouble with the brew (I assume it's brew not steam) pump intermittently turning on and not stopping until the machine is turned off and cooled down. When cool, starts up and fills as normal. Machine is approx 5-6 years old and I'm the new second owner. Have recently replaced pump with EX5 and brass OPV, and replaced solenoid as brew pressure was low. Pressure fine now, but pump turns on as it normally would to refill boiler but doesn't turn off. Brews fine with pump stuck on. Intermittent fault start coincides with me putting a new filter into the water tank, but could just be coincidence. Live in Melb, Australia with very soft water (https://secureapp.southeastwater.com.au ... rsion.aspx). Is there a sensor that I should be looking at first, or connection that might be temperature dependant? Happy to dig around with a multimeter if needed.

Sounds like you are well situated to troubleshoot.

The description of your symptoms still sounds like a run-on steam fill pump. First of all, the brew boiler never needs filling, unless the check valve in the pump neck allows for drain back. The brew boiler is filled by default just in pulling a shot.

First of all good on you for doing the brass pump and solenoid. What you should have done if you haven't already, is... Don't put the screws back in the top cover. It is heavy and stays put on its own. So the cool kids put the screws aside somewhere safe for use in case you need to ship the machine somewhere, That way, you can pull the top off any time you please, with no hassle.

Getting back to your situation, with the top off, feel around and see if I am right that it is the steam filler pump that continues running and not the brew pump. Two things I have identified so far can cause excess running of the steam pump, but only one will apply to you unless you have a leak in the brew path. The other only applies to me and a handful of others who have converted to rotary pump.

When I had a run-on steam filler pump, the fix was to pull the three water level sensors out of the steam boiler. There was a ring of soft mineral buildup right at water level on them. By soft mineral, I mean, not limescale, which is not possible with the water I use. Anyway, wiping off the deposits and re-installing the sensors re established their proper conductivity and restored proper function. No more run-on steam pump.

'Ave a look about on the sensor rods, look for small mineral rings and wipe them off and see what you get out of it. Report back.

-Peter

Good news - my new ball valve got to me from Australia yesterday and is all installed. I've seen a jump in my steam pressure and send m everything seems to be running well. Thanks again for all the help.

Have a question regarding some strange behavior on my BDB. It seems like I need to backflush each time in order to get the pressure to reach 9 bar. If I don't flush it will hit 7 bar and stay there. Machine has the descale notification up, but due to the warnings about doing that, I've held off. Is this a potential scale issue?

Could be. Besides hot boiler elements, Scale affects small passages more than larger ones. And some of the small passages are associated with the solenoid. So you might try a new on first. Also, while I don't want to take any responsibility for or it, (I have never descaled myself, but I also use only scale free water), over on the Aussie coffeesnobs.com forum is some guidance on how NOT to melt out your thermal fuse in a descale. But if you have scale in small passages... Solenoid swap would be my go-to first step.

-Peter

Thanks for the information. I know it's absolutely not recommended but would it be crazy to try to do the standard descaling if I have a replacement warranty from BB&B? Not having to mess around with taking apart the machine for repairs was one of the main reasons I purchased from there. Worst case if it does break I can get it swapped out easily.