Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it IS about espresso machines (in general). I am very new to dual boiler machines which takes 20-25 minutes to fully heat up before use. With my old Gaggia & single boiler Victoria--took about 10 minutes, sometimes less to heat up. Add the maybe 10 minutes to making espresso & steamed milk--does that cause the elements to break down quicker than a single boiler? Thanks!

Elements generally last a very long time, are easy to source, and easy to replace if they ever go bad. I wouldn't worry about element life. The extra required power over the machine life is probably much more expensive, especially if you live in a hot climate and have air conditioning.

chanty 77 wrote:Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it IS about espresso machines (in general). I am very new to dual boiler machines which takes 20-25 minutes to fully heat up before use. With my old Gaggia & single boiler Victoria--took about 10 minutes, sometimes less to heat up. Add the maybe 10 minutes to making espresso & steamed milk--does that cause the elements to break down quicker than a single boiler? Thanks!

My answer may not be as simple as you may be hoping for.

Resistance loads, such as heaters experience an inrush current when energized, due to cold heaters having less resistance than hot ones. As they heat up, the resistance increases and the current drops. The difference between hot and cold current is not great, but each time a device is switched on, it does imperceptibly increase the chance of a failure. Over time, the probability adds up. You may have experienced this with lightbulbs. They often burn out after a few years of cycling on and off, while others, sometimes left on and forgotten in an attic have been known to last for many years.

Another consideration is the exposure of other internals to heat. Heat is the enemy of electronics. Over time, insulations harden and crack, plastic components discolour and become brittle, and so on.

So, the bottom line is...it's a crapshoot. If you leave the machine on full-time, statistically the heater should last somewhat longer. But the other bits and pieces may fail sooner. Then there's the cost of electricity to add.

Many H-B members have added timers, smart outlets or smart plugs to their set-ups, so that the machine will switch on at a given time, ready to use somewhat later. You can set them to switch off automatically too.

Here's a related topic from last month Espresso Machine On All Day? that comes up regularly. One of the earliest threads Leave it on, or turn it off? is in the FAQ and summarizes what members have argued are the advantages/disadvantages.

I am the only coffee drinker in the household, plus I can only drink one drink per day or my heart goes wacky. So, one cappuccino with 4 shots of espresso in it. So I would never want to leave my machine on indefinitely anyway. Hopefully, my Elizabeth will last a goodly amount of time before something goes cuz when it does, we only have one place in our area that works on home espresso machines....the thought of having to send it back to the vendor for repairs is well......not something I want to think about.

I have my machine on a heavy duty timer. Since I only drink espresso generally in the morning, the timer is on 5a-11a. If machine is off and I want an espresso I turn it on and let it warm up for 45 minutes before use

My goes on at 6:30 or 7 am and goes off at 3 or 4 pm, after the last cappuccino is made. I can't imagine it's better for the machine to turn it on and off -- certainly less convenient. The luxury of having a machine is that coffee is available.

chanty 77 wrote:I am the only coffee drinker in the household, plus I can only drink one drink per day or my heart goes wacky. So, one cappuccino with 4 shots of espresso in it. So I would never want to leave my machine on indefinitely anyway. Hopefully, my Elizabeth will last a goodly amount of time before something goes cuz when it does, we only have one place in our area that works on home espresso machines....the thought of having to send it back to the vendor for repairs is well......not something I want to think about.

Hi Chanty.
You have mentioned your preferred coffee before and it sounds like an unusual variation on a cap to me.
I'm not knocking that but is that a really large capacity cup/mug and does it not go cold long before you can drink it?
Are your 4 shots, 2 doubles (2x20g basket) or 4 doubles (4x18g basket)?
If you like a strong flavoured drink perhaps you could try a double shot using a darker roast of something like a Brazilian bean with strong cocoa/caramel flavours.
WRT your caffeine intake maybe try a mix of 50/50 decaffeinated beans with your preferred bean.
One coffee a day must be a bummer.

It's not a bummer as I don't feel a need to have more than the one. It's probably like an 8 oz. glass mug, but between the two doubles (equaling 4 shots) & approximately 4-5 oz. steamed/frothed milk it ends up being about 6oz. in the glass mug. I don't know what size basket I"m using. Only can tell you it is considered the double basket, don't use the smaller (single) dose basket. It comes with the Elizabeth espresso maker--same double basket size I used with my Gaggia Classic. I pour boiling water in the cup until I'm ready to add my espresso & milk into the cup--then of course I dump the boiling water out. Everything stays hot almost to the end of the drink. My body, again my heart cannot take more than one caffeine drink per day. I have PVC (benign, but noticeable after too much caffeine). I'm happy & look forward to the one drink per day. It's strong, flavorful & the milk makes it creamy & not overly strong. Put it this way--if they told me I would never be able to add steamed milk to my espressos/coffee, have to drink it black-- I wouldn't be able to drink it anymore. That's just me though. I think cappuccinos are different 'likings', 'variations' for a lot of people. Some like them all milk just about, some like less milk and the flavor of the espresso punching through. It's so much simpler having my cappa at home, relaxing instead of explaining how I want it at a cafe. lol Plus I prefer quality medium to some medium-dark roasts. Hate all dark, too bitter, smoky and off-tasting to me.