Lelit Bianca User Experience - Page 189

Need help with equipment usage or want to share your latest discovery?
JohnM
Posts: 22
Joined: 17 years ago

#1881: Post by JohnM »

If the RCD is not defective, it would be better to unplug it and wait for repair instructions.

methyltheobromine
Posts: 7
Joined: 14 years ago

#1882: Post by methyltheobromine »

We all know that the hot water & steam valves can be damaged if they are over-tightened (closed), right? Right?

And everyone who uses the machine (spouse, roommates, guests, etc) knows that too, right?

And everyone always remembers not to over-tighten the valves, even before having had their coffee, right?

Well, here's my solution to preventing this damage:

I removed the steam & hot water knobs (pop off the decorative cap, unscrew the knob) and placed an o-ring on the threaded shaft, against the body of the machine.

This acts like a buffer, preventing the knob from being physically tightened all the way, while still allowing the valve to close enough to stop the water or steam. As a side effect, it adds a little physical resistance to the knob, which makes them feel "heavier" and slightly easier to control fine changes in water or steam volume.

A very quick hack (it probably took longer to write up this description than to do the work).

boren
Posts: 1116
Joined: 14 years ago

#1883: Post by boren »

JRising wrote:No lower(drain) valve or spring. What would normally be the preinfusion valve is on a much harder spring functioning as drain valve.
In other words, the lever has no middle position that can hold pressure while the pump is idle, unlike a "true" E61 grouphead.

JRising
Team HB
Posts: 3720
Joined: 5 years ago

#1884: Post by JRising replying to boren »

No, it does have the middle position, but it's not about holding pressure, the puck is porous, pressure and water escaping through it is the trick. The middle position of the E61 allows the valves, particularly the brew valve, to be delicately feathered so that more controllable pre-infusion can be done using line pressure prior to the cam turning the pump on. Constant line pressure being applied due to the partly open brew valve is what keeps the pressure constant, the water is replenished as it escapes.

The "pre-infusion valve" of 3 valved E61s is different, allowing leakage from the brew circuit into the "pre-infusion chamber" of the brew head so that the pressure ramps up slowly to the brew chamber when the pump comes on the the brew valve is opened. They too benefit from the possibility to preinfuse at line pressure when plumbed in.

The Bianca, of course, also has its pre-infusion setting which will run the pump then pause for a moment despite the control lever being up, This is counter-productive to what the machine can do when plumbed in, but many Bianca are used with their reservoirs.

hangry_barista
Posts: 21
Joined: 3 years ago

#1885: Post by hangry_barista »

I had this same loose screw (pun not intended). Checked everything, couldn't find anything missing a screw. When I had the machine over at 1st Line, I asked Jim about it, and he attributed it to a tech having slippery fingers on the assembly line :)

Edit: I suck at posting. This is meant as a reply to vRallye6's question

hangry_barista
Posts: 21
Joined: 3 years ago

#1886: Post by hangry_barista »

ckboon wrote:The blue Cafelat E61 8.5mm Silicon Gasket is a 'direct' replacement for the original black rubber gasket.
image

And I'm trying out the IMS E61 shower screen.
image
Which IMS shower screen fits the Bianca? Seeing diff sizes

ckboon
Posts: 36
Joined: 2 years ago

#1887: Post by ckboon replying to hangry_barista »

IMS E61 Precision Group Shower Screen
Part number: E61 200 IM_SML
https://www.amazon.sg/gp/product/B00MC7YDFM

Pesado E61 Competition Shower Screen (made by IMS)
https://pesado.com.au/collections/showe ... screen-e61

Kinukcafe
Posts: 77
Joined: 2 years ago

#1888: Post by Kinukcafe »

Hi, may I check how is the built quality of Bianca? Does it feel solid? maybe due to its size, from pic, it looks like it is not as solid built as other machines eg ecm or lmlm?

boren
Posts: 1116
Joined: 14 years ago

#1889: Post by boren »

I upgraded to a Bianca V3 (and a Flair 58) from an Elektra Microcasa Leva and a QuickMill Alexia Evo, and the Bianca is just as solidly built, if not better, as my previous machines. There's absolutely zero build-quality aspects I would change. That's not to say it doesn't have some downsides, but build quality isn't one of them.

hangry_barista
Posts: 21
Joined: 3 years ago

#1890: Post by hangry_barista »

When lubricating the Bianca, does the downward facing spout absolutely have to be removed as per the Lelit Insider video?

If so, anyone know the size of the adjustable wrench needed? Mine is just a couple mm smaller than the size of the spout, and I can't get the jaws around it

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