TxnBluDvl wrote:@nuketopia, thanks! That makes a lot more sense why the knob behaves the way it does.

For the wiggle in the steam knob, I made a quick video to show what I mean. Steam knob position-wise, this is right off of full tight close and before the steam wand activates. When it's fully closed (fully to CW), no play. Later in the video, I've turned it past the point of steam wand activation (machine is off), and there's no longer any play there either.

Anyone with a LMLM mind seeing if theirs does the same?

video

Yup, perfectly normal.

Randy G. wrote:I went from Silvia and ended up with the Vibiemme Domobar double. I plumbed it as well as having a plumbed drip tray. I cannot imagine dealing with a reservoir or dumping drip trays ever again.

Me neither. When we bought our first home 2 years ago I drilled the counter, ran a dedicated circuit, and did the plumbing work before we even move in, about 6 months after that I decided to run the drip try waste water as well, luckily it was really a no-brainer for me as the house has a 5ft wet bar and it's a dedicated espresso bar so there was no hassle with having water and sewage available.

Hi everyone! finally got my Linea Mini a couple of months ago after going thru pages and pages of Linea Mini user experience and research.
So far, this machine did not disappoint, I am getting consistent quality pulling back to back shots on this little beast!

However, I am running into some little annoyances (nothing major) on my LMLM and would appreciate some advice from the users here.
I noticed that occasionally at idle, the LM will drip a little from the shower screen (when the idle pressure starts increasing a little < less than 12bar). My Expansion valve is set to right below 12bar at rest.

I suspect that somewhere in the LM brew path is partially block such that water tends to escapes from the grouphead rather than the brew solenoid (the one beside the expansion valve). Reason why I say so is because usually after backflushing, given the same situation as above (when idle pressure in group head increases a little), water will escape from the brew solenoid nstead of the group head. But straight after a 1 or 2 shots, the same problem happens, water starts dripping from the grouphead.

is the above problem common among the users here? or is just unique to me? Are there any fixes? Backflushing after every shot is too tedious.

leeguoyao wrote:
However, I am running into some little annoyances (nothing major) on my LMLM and would appreciate some advice from the users here.
I noticed that occasionally at idle, the LM will drip a little from the shower screen
is the above problem common among the users here? or is just unique to me? Are there any fixes? Backflushing after every shot is too tedious.

Congrats.

They just do that. There is nothing stuck. The water path ofter the solenoid valve is rather long and convoluted, so there's a good bit of residual water above the shower screen. It's how "pre-infusion" on the LMLM works, and depends on that residual water being in the brew group to dribble on the puck when you hit the lever and it clunks, during that 1-second before the pump motor starts.

If you leave it idle a long time (like an hour or two) it will be completely dry. I usually give it a quick spritz till I see the water come out when making a shot on a long idled machine.

Thank you. Seems like it is a common thing. Maybe I was just not used to a dripping machine, further more an expensive one.

Anyway thanks again for your insights

This entry is for anyone sitting on the fence about installing the 0.6 mm gicleur. There are great instructions on this site but not many testaments about the shot improvement.

I am the original owner of an LMLM since Feb 2018. The machine has run without any problems under a regimen of weekly group head cleaning and using only treated water.

Two weeks ago I did the 0.6 mm gicleur mod and have found the difference to be night and day. I have not had a channeled shot since installing the lower flow restrictor.

Changing the gicleur is very simple following the instructions on this site with the right tools. I had to buy a longer Philips head screwdriver and a small 7mm wrench to remove the case since it was my first time. Removing the original gicleur takes patience but is nothing an owner shouldn't be able to handle. As a bonus you get to inspect the brew boiler for scale (zero in my case).

The smaller gicleur was literally a transformation for my espresso game.

I have been using a stock Mini for about a year. I don't think I've ever had any channeling. (And yes, I have a bottomless PF and look at it.) Mike, did the smaller gicleur make any difference in the TASTE? Maybe compared to your non-channeled shots from before the mod? Thanks.

This early on I would say there has been no improvement in taste in the non-channeled shots. What I have gained with the extra forgiveness is the confidence and ability to play with dose changes without falling off the cliff with my puck prep. As an added bonus, I can now copy recipes from commercial Lineas without worrying about the time translation (since flow differs between the LMLM and other LMs).

What always bothered me was how effortlessly baristas could prep their baskets for commercial Lineas and without the cheater tools many of us HBers rely on. Now I know the lower flow rate was at least part of their edge over me.

mfogliet wrote:What always bothered me was how effortlessly baristas could prep their baskets for commercial Lineas and without the cheater tools many of us HBers rely on. Now I know the lower flow rate was at least part of their edge over me.

Cheater tools?

Like scales? And distribution/grooming tools? Like all the best shops are using?

These things like pretty much all of the cutting edge of espresso, are originating at home, and then migrating to the shops. You've been around HB long enough to remember scales and weighing dose and extraction. And maybe the philosophical wars fought right here over them being called "cheater tools" and the "the shops don't use" them, arguments. Do you remember that?

By the way, I can dig your desire to try different flow rates. So much so that I installed a variable gicleur on my machine (needle valve). I change it on the fly during a shot. Starting with very low flow rate, advancing it in the middle, then retarding it again towards the end. Pretty much the Slayer profile, except with the additional ability to set flows anywhere in between.

-Peter

I've had my LM for almost 2 years. All is great until recently I hear the steam boiler kick on every minute and lasts 10 secs.
Any idea what i should replace?