Lelit Mara - Thermosyphon restrictor and stalled.. - Page 3

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Bluenoser
Posts: 1433
Joined: 6 years ago

#21: Post by Bluenoser »

There are a whack of variables that affect the brew water in HX designs that employ a restrictor. So much so, that I find the table (similar to yours above) that came in the manual of my Profitec 500 to be pretty much useless. Their recommendation was a setting of 248F for the PID. I struggled for 2 days to get anything drinkable until I adjusted the PID upwards. My 'room temp' is 22C, not 25-26.. and I think these TS loops are very fickle and may be very sensitive to even a tiny bit of scale. I was hoping to get a workflow with zero flushes and brew water temps of 200F with ease.. However, it has proved pretty elusive. Some of the marketing 'hype' might be possible, but only after some extensive trial-and-error with PID settings, guided by a group thermometer to help the process.

My restrictor is right at the edge of the group and not accessible. I don't think I get many (any) stalls. At least not that I can tell.

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mohninme (original poster)
Posts: 275
Joined: 6 years ago

#22: Post by mohninme (original poster) »

More good stuff for the Mara owners. Below is the Lelit parts breakdown for the E61 group and the parts and service contact in Canada :D

Lelit parts and service contact in Canada is service@edika.com

Michael

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mohninme (original poster)
Posts: 275
Joined: 6 years ago

#23: Post by mohninme (original poster) »

So here is an update on how the machine has been working since I disassembled the group, cleaned and reassembled.

I raised the boiler temp to 253*F and for the last two days the unit has not missed a beat. Each time I have turned it on, it has come up to temp and no concerning TS stalling. Idle temp is now 200*F +/- 1* in 45-50 minutes. I think I have found the sweet spot for this machine at my elevation 2260 feet above sea level. I have had it hover at 197-198* but a short flush and it comes right up.

I do believe I have a slight brew valve weep and I definitely have a slight drain valve leak. Both are minimal and no drips whatsoever. I contacted the Mara parts distributor today and have placed an order for a set of all the soft parts and a set of valves and springs for the group so that I have stock when/if needed down the road. I will share my customer service experience and parts pricing later on.

Happy brewing and thanks to all those who contributed.

Michael
Michael

alexeyga
Posts: 133
Joined: 6 years ago

#24: Post by alexeyga »

Michael,
Don't make the mistake of overthinking it. If you're looking for stability with E61 machines - forget about it! These are only stable in the way how unstable they are.

I had a Mara TS since June, it was a bit of a rollercoaster up until getting the thermometer. The most boring espresso machine usage experience ever since...

Get her in the range - pull the shot - enjoy! Nothing more to it.

There's always the same pattern to how and why the temperature changes - just make the best of it.

Don't care about where she idles. My only worry - how long was she sitting hot - which only affects the duration of the initial head flush and at which point I need to stop it.

Also had some TS blockage issues as well, but solved it with a routine change. Basically every time I turn the machine on - I make some water flow through the head. Haven't given it a single thought ever since.

And yeah - get used to having to fill her often. :mrgreen:

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