E61 User Experience

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mipe
Posts: 21
Joined: 1 year ago

#1: Post by mipe »

As an owner of older e61 hx machine I have following questions:
1. Do you need to do a flush before each shot (temperature surfing) or it is not necessary for a PID controller dual boiler machine?
2. I'm used to do backflush with detergent once a week (after 20-30 shots). But this leads to degreasing of the e61 lever, and I hate when the movement is not smooth, so I usually lubricate at least once month. How is it with Bianca?

JRising
Team HB
Posts: 3667
Joined: 5 years ago

#2: Post by JRising replying to mipe »

Hi Mike, I have split this into a new topic because the Bianca thread is huge and these questions might be found here by other E61 users.

1: No, one of things that makes a dual-boiler machine better than an HX is that the brew boiler is PID controlled so it's always idling at the exact temperature you've chosen. It doesn't get forced to rise above desired temperature because it isn't suspended within a hotter boiler.

2: You may be detergent backflushing. Others will have other habits/schedules, but I usually suggest backflushing with just water one or two flushed every time you shut the machine down, so basically once a day if it's off at night. Then, doing the detergent backflush once every 3 weeks, but not panicking if it slips to 4 weeks. This schedule worked for years on Rocket Giottos and ECM Giottos, 15 or 16 espressos a week, for me.. Usually the first flush of the detergent flush is about as dark as a chocolate milkshake and by the third raise-lower of the lever, the flush is getting fairly light. If your flushed are very dark and not lightening up by the 4th or 5th flush, maybe my schedule isn't quite enough for your machine with your coffee oils.. Lubricating once a month seems a bit much. If your cam is getting squeaky that often, I would jump to the conclusion that your detergent mix is overly strong.

In my opinion, Biancas and other E61s are all very similar in the E61 heads. What's good for one should be good for all. (I don't treat Bianca cleaning differently than any other domestic E61). I hope that answers your questions well enough.

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mipe (original poster)
Posts: 21
Joined: 1 year ago

#3: Post by mipe (original poster) »

Thanks for your answers.

Add 1. Is there any offset between the boiler temperature and the real brew temperature? Eg. for brew temperature 92C the boiler temperature must be 98C ?

JRising
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Posts: 3667
Joined: 5 years ago

#4: Post by JRising »

Yes, though I'll have to leave it to someone with Scace to tell you how much offset there is, the manual doesn't talk about it.

Pressino
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Joined: 3 years ago

#5: Post by Pressino »

One thing that might help is to use a puck screen, which does a great job of keeping fine coffee grit from getting up into the shower screen, while still allowing a very little bit of coffee "oils" to get up there...so you could flush without detergent most of the time. You might need (very infrequently) to use some (not much) detergent.

I won't get into a discussion of whether or not coffee "oils" are in any way essential to the e61 mechanism. Mayber they are or maybe they are not. :(

boren
Posts: 1114
Joined: 14 years ago

#6: Post by boren »

I'm using puck screens from day 1 with my Bianca and 5 months later I haven't backflushed with detergent. I do backflush occasionally with just water. The machine works the same way it did when I bought it, nothing squeaks or needs lubricating.

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Ursego
Posts: 279
Joined: 6 years ago

#7: Post by Ursego »

mipe wrote:Is there any offset between the boiler temperature and the real brew temperature? Eg. for brew temperature 92C the boiler temperature must be 98C ?
The PID shows the temperature expected in the group head, not the actual temperature in the boiler. I think, in my ECM Puristika the offset is something like 10 C, that's why I see 9-11 in the morning (I am in Canada, but it's not SO cold in my home! :lol: ).