Hi All -- Sorry, I know this is a complete newbie question and post. I have a brand new Rocket Appartamento, and is the pressure gauge supposed to only go this far? It does not ever get to a solid 1. The shots look OK so far, but the gauge reading is making me paranoid. Thank you!

The Appartamento is a heat exchanger, right? That pressure gauge depicts the pressure in the steam boiler, not the brew pressure. I would increase the pressure to 1.2 or 1.5 so you get full steaming performance. If you're maxing out at .9, then your pressure is probably dropping to .5 or below when steaming, which isn't ideal. I don't think the gauge is going to impact the result in your cup with espresso (I could be wrong since I don't know much about heat exchangers), but for steaming, that number is low, especially for this level of machine.

Thank you! You're right about it being a heat exchanger-- I totally missed that. I'm going to open it up and adjust the pressure screw in a bit and try that.

On a heat exchanger machine, raising the steam pressure is going to increase the brew temperature and therefore affect the result in the cup. To reduce this effect, you flush some more water from the group before pulling the shot. The best steam pressure is a trade-off between steam power and getting the right brew temperature profile to your taste without having to flush excessive amounts of water. Have a look at this:

Managing the Brew Temperature of HX Espresso Machines

I have a friend who just got a new Appartamento. The pressure gauge reads 1 bar, but I can tell you that the steam pressure is so high, and the cooling flush so long that it's probably at more like 1.3 or even higher. My double boiler Bianca is set to 1.75, and doesn't seem way higher.

I've heard reports from WLL repair techs that a lot of the Rocket stuff is a bit "sketchy" so I wonder if these pressure gauges just aren't very accurate.

I agree with above advice. The HX model requires a little more of a balancing act than a dual boiler does, but is easily managed once you get the hang of it. If you're pulling mostly shots, since you're machine lacks a PID (right?) I would set it so your pressure is on the lower end, btw 1.1-1.3 and use a shorter flush. If you're doing a lot of milk drinks, I would keep it set higher and use a longer cooling flush, as you will continue to lose pressure while steaming, and so a higher starting pressure will give you more time... this is most relevant if your doing a big latte, for a cap, less important.

My machine has a PID so it's a little easier to adjust, but I have learned that instead of using a thermometer for temperature, a standardized flush (8 fl oz, every time), allows me to directly adjust the temperature with a resulting change in the cup, or to say it another way, I'm not "flying blind" on temperature. This is possible because temperature isn't as critical a factor as, say, dose/tamp/grind quality, etc, and I have a palate capable of diagnosing the flaw, so I don't have to know the exact temperature to pull a great shot. But without the PID, your adjustment is a little more cumbersome, and so you may want to consider how you use the machine most often and set it for that, and then learn the different flush routines for temperature control.

Does that make sense?

Not normal, it should be at a minimum 1 bar, not a maximum of 1 bar.

Unless the gauge isn't showing an accurate reading.

Yes possible, but his unit is brand new.

The unit should be tuned before leaving the factory and i believe they used the same gauge.