ECM flow control installation

#1: Post by **adcampo** » April 24th, 2021, 4:51 pm

Just got the kit for my sync.

Does the new spring go under the new twist valve or below in the solenoid housing? The instructions show below.

#2: Post by **Nunas** » April 24th, 2021, 6:52 pm

At the bottom of the group. It will also work if you don't change out the spring. If you change the spring, then the group will have no automatic preinfusion; it's all done manually with the control. If you leave the old spring, then the control does double duty. First, you'll have variable preinfusion, after which the control will give you manual control. Try it both ways and see which you like best. FWIW, I went back to the stock spring.

#3: Post by **PIXIllate** » April 24th, 2021, 7:39 pm

I would recommend leaving the original spring. The whole idea of the flow control is longer pre-infusion times so the gentler the onset of water on the puck the better.

#4: Post by **Prodigy** » April 24th, 2021, 8:04 pm

Where were you able to buy the kit? The main suppliers I'm aware of stopped selling just the kits by themselves and only offer them on the new machines. The ones I was able to find were from overseas.

#5: Post by **PIXIllate** » April 24th, 2021, 8:07 pm

Try iDrinkcoffee. I recommended them to someone just the other day in another thread. I bought my Profitec PRO600 from them and they are very trustworthy as a vendor.

#6: Post by **PIXIllate** » April 25th, 2021, 7:03 am

You can measure the flow at various positions of the knob and find out where it is the same as the stock mushroom. In the case of a rotary pump that probably aroune 8-9ml/sec.

Try opening the valve about 1-1/4 turns and the put a cup on a scale and run the group (without the portafilter) for 20 seconds. Take the amount of water and divide it by 20.Thats the flow rate per second. I use mine in the default position 99% of the time. It's the same as the stock mushroom as long as you don't replace the bottom spring.

April 25th, 2021, 7:39 am

This. One thing I might add is to ensure that wife and kids know the right grind setting for that particular flow to prevent wasted coffee. You might even set it up for them before you leave the station. I must admit, it's hard to track grind setting when I'm constantly playing with the flow rate. I suddenly get a shot in 15 seconds from first drip and it's usually because the grind was originally setup for a different profile.

April 25th, 2021, 8:39 am

I just got the kit yesterday. And checked the flow rate. Seems like very little difference between closed and open. I expect it's because I didn't put the new spring in.

#9: Post by **JRising** » April 25th, 2021, 8:53 am

If you can't see the different flow rate between closed and open, then closed isn't closed. I don't know if maybe the "closing with fingertips" part of assembly may have not closed it far enough before you installed the cap and knob, but it sounds to me like yours is bottoming out on the cap rather than closing at the needle valve.
So long as it goes from nearly closed (or even further) to too fast, it will have all the right restrictions somewhere in range.

#10: Post by **PIXIllate** » April 25th, 2021, 10:42 am

Use the above procedure to measure flow rate at each quarter turn from totally closed to open. Closed should give you little to no flow.