nonlinear wrote:I read a couple of posts in this thread where Bianca owners mentioned that when the hot water knob is opened they get about an ounce of water and then it's steamy sputtering mess.

I notice the same on my Bianca which I've been using for about a month now. Just to confirm, this is normal?

Coming from a BBE, most things on this new machine are confusing to me.

That depends. Could be like mine where the outlet at the bottom of the boiler which feeds the water to the water spout becomes clogged. Mine cleared with running vinegar into the boiler but for some reason the refill function then stopped, burning out the heating element. The refill function then starting working again, why I have no idea nor does 1st-Line. I have a replacement heating element to install, very simple swap. I have been out of town and unable to complete the fix, however I anticipate everything will be back to normal once done. 1st-Line has been great to work with.

Lesson for me is that I will run 4 oz of water through the water spout daily to keep it clear.

slybarman wrote:I would almost welcome a machine with no wood or bad wood as an excuse to buy a burlwood set from this guy. His work is just jaw dropping. I couldn't otherwise justify taking the already decent wood off the Bianca though to get a set:

video

That would make a stunning one-of-a-kind machine.

I found this awesome dude on Insta who creates portafilter handles and other stuff out of recycled skateboards. I'm actually rocking one of them now.

This is his etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftedbyJL
Here's his insta: https://www.instagram.com/epiclyajustin/

jpschust wrote:I found this awesome dude on Insta who creates portafilter handles and other stuff out of recycled skateboards. I'm actually rocking one of them now.

This is his etsy store: video
Here's his insta: video

Pretty unique looking. Do you have a picture of it mounted on the machine?

Here you go- to be clear I don't have a Bianca- it's something I've been researching hence my presence in the thread, but this will give you a flavor of it on my Musica.

Did my first chemical bacflush today (had it 3 months). I do water backflush after every session, drop the shower screen and wipe the inner group and put screen in chemical batch more often, but don't want to chemically backflush too often.

The harder spring made it harder to reassemble the lever after I applied lube to the cam/pins, compared to the two more standard E61 machines I had before it. I had to loosen the outlet pipe to the driptray to loosen the tension of the spring.

Still way happy with the Bianca!

az wrote:Can I plumb bianca to osmotic filter? Is there pressure enough?

Assuming you are referring to a complete Osmosis filter "system" the answer could be yes or no. It all depends on the type of system you are referring to and what the water pressure is at the outlet of the RO. RO Systems come at all price points. As a general rule the simple/smaller on-demand self contained RO cartridge systems are relatively slow at generating an immediate quantity of water with very little water pressure and can take 10 to 20 seconds to fill a glass of water. So... with a pump driven machine like the Bianca it would not be able to keep up with the demand.

Larger under sink RO systems produce 8 to 10 gallons or more per day and store the RO water in a separate storage tank allowing you to draw off larger quantities of water when needed. These storage tanks typically have an internal air bladder that can be inflated to provide the desired water discharge pressure. Depending on your espresso machine (and who you ask)... some companies say the ideal line pressure to the machine should be 1.5 to 2.5 psi... others says 2 to 3 psi. Per a phone call to 1st-Line when I got my Bianca, I was told to shoot for an incoming line pressure of 35psi (2.5 bar)

NET: If the RO system you have, or are considering... has a storage tank with adjustable pressure and can provide a constant 2.5 bar then then "yes" there would be enough pressure to for plumbing it to the Bianca. CAVEAT: This would assume a relatively low volume environment. If pulling non-stop shot after shot (like in a commercial setting) its possible you you could draw off all the pressurized water in the storage tank faster than the RO process can refill it. Know that there are high and low capacity RO systems based on how many GPD "gallons of water per day" they can produce. Obviously the higher GPD systems equates to more GPH (gallons per hour) Anyway... for general reference purposes only: a typical 75 GPD under sink RO system with a pressurized 4 gallon storage tank will provide about 2 1/2 gallons of water with the water tap opened at full flow... after this storage capacity will have been depleted you'd need to wait about 1 hour for the RO process to refill it. The again... when the tap is not full open and you're only doing an occasional draw, like pulling a shot every minute or so... during this time a 75GPD system is still producing RO water at a rate of about 1 gallon per hour.

Eiern wrote:Did my first chemical bacflush today (had it 3 months). I do water backflush after every session, drop the shower screen and wipe the inner group and put screen in chemical batch more often, but don't want to chemically backflush too often.

The harder spring made it harder to reassemble the lever after I applied lube to the cam/pins, compared to the two more standard E61 machines I had before it. I had to loosen the outlet pipe to the driptray to loosen the tension of the spring.

I also do a backflush after every session but do not bother dropping the screen and wiping the inner group after every session. That's too much like work. Personally I'm satisfied with using a Espazzola Grouphead Cleaning Tool after every session just before I do the backflush. (I was doubtful when initially purchasing, its not cheap... but I can visibly see a difference in the even, overall disbursement of water from the shower screen immediately after using it).

I only do a chemical backflush every other month or so. Yep... during the chemical backflush process and the brew lever gets stiff to operate (dry / no lubrication) however... lifting the brew lever on two or three times immediately "after" the chemical backflush process and the lever operates smoothly again. I then pull a standard shot using coffee and discard it as to "season the group and PF. I do not disassemble and lubricate the lever assembly. Only when/if I start to detect friction in the brew lever do I bother to lubricate.

It was maybe unclear, I water bacflush after every session, but do not drop the screen every day or session lol. I'm way too lazy for that. I have thought about getting the Espazzola too.

I do believe it's good to add more lubricant than just the coffee oils one gets from using the machine especially after chemical bacflush.

Yeah... I guess I need to get a little more dedicated to the maintenance. I just reviewed a detailed article on Dave Corbeys Coffeetime Forum How to Lubricate Your E61 Group and he recommends lubricating the cam and shaft after every chemical flush! I've just been a little paranoid because the Bianca is less than a year old and I don't want to accidentally scratch the stainless... or damage any chrome bits like unfortunate fellow did in this video (pause video at 2:48).

Long time, lurker, first time poster! I have sifted through 120 pages on posts and learnt an insane amount about the Bianca. One thing that i am a bit confused about and has also been scratching my upgradeitis is baskets. I have been using the stock naked portafilter for quite some time but have read lots of different opinions on a better basket. I have a niche and always dose 18g. I was thinking about getting the VST 18g ridged. Will this fit the portafilter? Or should get the ridgeless, IMS or pullman ? Any help/opinions would be super appreciated!