Hi all,

I have an issue with the portafilter. To get it to seal against the gasket the handle needs to be way over to the right at about 5pm. Since I have the steam wand there this is a bit uncomfortable. I checked the gasket and it's fine. What could be the cause of this?

Thanks a lot for any hints and best regards

Marko

Since it's a bit of a strange issue to be that far off, forgive me if I ask some questions that may seem obvious

Do you have a basket in place?

Did this shift happen gradually over time, or suddenly (or is the machine new to you)?

Is the PF handle stock? If not, does it happen with all PF handles you have?

considered changing the gasket just to see if that helps? What type of gasket are you using?

The gasket may "look" fine but it could have aged. You can check it with a durometer to see if it meet specs or not but the durometer will cost you hundreds of dollars. . The quick and dirty way is to add paper shim/shims and you can get it from espressoparts.com for less than a dollar or source it locally from where you live. It works quite well despite being made out of paper.

Gaskets come in various thicknesses -- if yours is too thin you can get a thicker one. They also compress over time and become thinner. I would call the folks at Chris Coffee or another vendor and perhaps get a normal, and a slightly thicker gasket. On my machine the portafilter is always a little to the left of center, as the gasket ages this becomes less. If it bothered me I'd get a slightly thinner gasket

paper shim? B L E C C H H ! !

Gaskets typically have the height embossed on them.

Gaskets come in 0.5mm increments.

Remove the old gasket and see what size it is. If the size cannot be located on the gasket, measure as close as possible. Order+ 0.5mm

Personally, the CafeLat gaskets are the great.

Cafelat Gaskets @ site sponsor EspressoCare
Note the Cafelat gaskets come in both diameter and thickness variations.

Change a new gasket won't help, it is wrong perception that we should change it ever once a while, it does't do the same sealed function like those smaller o-rings inside of pipes do, group gasket provides friction and that's it, what happens to your case, all you have to do is to buy a 1.5mm thickness PTFE gasket with similar size in diameter like your gasket to add a bit of thickness to it, then you will have the portafilter at the center.

PTFE ones are heat resistance up to 200c, it is more than good enough for the group head, and it is inexpensive as well. I installed those on my Breville Barista pro and Delonghi ECO310s.

Paper works fine - according to the book, up to 451F . If you want your paper nicely die-cut and 0.5mm thick, Stefano charges $0.95 ... https://www.espressocare.com/products/i ... pacer-shim

checkwhatsleft wrote:it is wrong perception that we should change it ever once a while

Rubber ones dry out and crack. The CafeLat silicone seem to last forever. AND come out and go in with a fraction of the force needed with ossified rubber... assuming one cleans the group more than once a decade

checkwhatsleft wrote:it does't do the same sealed function like those smaller o-rings inside of pipes do, group gasket provides friction

If that were the case, coffee would flow outside the portafilter. The top of the gasket seals against the group and the basket rim, forcing water through the coffee.

Of course paper works, but would you reuse a paper drip filter? Paper is porous, prone to coming apart when wet. and sticking like .... to a blanket when baked on.

Do it once and do it right!