Should I remove the no burn sheath in my steam wand? (ECM Synchronika) - Page 2

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Jeff
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#11: Post by Jeff »

For me, the biggest advantage of a "no-burn" wand was easier cleanup. With a "burn-me" wand, I always had to work to get the stuck-on milk off the wand as well, not just the tip.

Pressino
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#12: Post by Pressino »

baldheadracing wrote:An insulating sleeve (e.g., Teflon) increases the wetness (water in the stream that isn't steam) of the steam as the insulator does not heat up as quickly as the metal wand and so more steam becomes water droplets in the stream. Drier steam is generally thought to be better.
What you say would be true were it not for the fact that the steel wand while idle is quite a bit lower than steam temperature and when you open the valve it draws off a considerable amount of heat as the steam flows through it. Think about it and you'll realize what you wrote above is wrong...except for the part that dry steam is generally thought to be better...which is part of the point I was making earlier. :)

Bluenoser
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#13: Post by Bluenoser »

Jeff wrote:For me, the biggest advantage of a "no-burn" wand was easier cleanup. With a "burn-me" wand, I always had to work to get the stuck-on milk off the wand as well, not just the tip.
true... a damp rag doesn't work well.. I use a quite wet sponge and it works very well on the wand and tip .. I have no issues if I clean within a few seconds of finishing.. I don't clean the tube or tip any more often.. I clean the tube with the Steamy Wanda occasionally as someone mentioned.. It is very difficult to clean the teflon tube.. I almost notice no difference now from the hot vs cool wand (other than stronger steam) .. I will say that I measured the water content and it is about 20g or slightly below for 210g of milk.. which is reasonable dry..

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baldheadracing
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#14: Post by baldheadracing »

Pressino wrote:What you say would be true were it not for the fact that the steel wand while idle is quite a bit lower than steam temperature and when you open the valve it draws off a considerable amount of heat as the steam flows through it. Think about it and you'll realize what you wrote above is wrong...except for the part that dry steam is generally thought to be better...which is part of the point I was making earlier. :)
I tried it.
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dsc106 (original poster)
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#15: Post by dsc106 (original poster) »

baldheadracing wrote:As for black stuff inside the wand, a brush like a "Steamy Wanda" and regular soaking in an alkaline solution like "Rinza" are specifically made to address that. It can get pretty gross inside the wand and on the inside of the steam tip - at least in the used machines that I have bought that have never been properly maintained.
Tangent, how often should this be done? I have both Rinza and the Pallio Steamy Wand but haven't used them yet (12 months). Didn't think it was neccessary very frequently if daily care is taken? I steam the wand thoroughly before and after each use, have never had any milk stuck on or what not. But now I am wondering if I should be doing the steam wand cleaning every time I do detergent backflush, or?

bakafish
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#16: Post by bakafish »

dsc106 wrote:I assume it's a non reversible decision if I pulled it out?
No. It is just a teflon tube inside the steam wand. You can easily put it back.

I think the most improvement is you will get more and gentler steam after pulling it out because the steam wand inner diameter is much bigger. I was unable to get good milk foam using my Lelit Bianca to froth 120g milk until I removed the teflon tube, but it is no problem to froth more than 160g milk with the teflon tube. Yes, it is the problem of my skill. If you are satisfied with your machine, just leaving it.

Plinyyounger
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#17: Post by Plinyyounger »

Being that you have an ECM, removing the Teflon may or may not give you a better steam. In my opinion, you should be able to get as good steaming performance from this machine as with some that are even more expensive. ECM made their machine specifically to perform great at steaming, just look at all the reviews along with people on this site. Rarely does a HB member complain about ECM/Profitec steam.

That being said, experimenting is what we do here. So pull that thing out and let us know if it's a better and worth doing.

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baldheadracing
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#18: Post by baldheadracing »

dsc106 wrote:Tangent, how often should this be done? I have both Rinza and the Pallio Steamy Wand but haven't used them yet (12 months). Didn't think it was neccessary very frequently if daily care is taken? I steam the wand thoroughly before and after each use, have never had any milk stuck on or what not. But now I am wondering if I should be doing the steam wand cleaning every time I do detergent backflush, or?
Unscrew your tip and have a look inside the tip. If you see any brown/tan deposits or scraping the inside of the tip yields anything, then you might want to clean more often. (If you have brass tips then black on the brass that doesn't come off is probably oxide and a good thing.)

I unscrew the tips and clean them in ultrasound & Cafiza the same time as I clean shower screens. I just unscrewed my tips and on one machine I left cleaning too long :oops:. (ETA: I don't clean shower screens very often as I usually use a lever machine.)

For the wand, I personally don't use Rinza, just vinegar or a weak citric acid solution.
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Jeff
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#19: Post by Jeff »

Getting in the habit of immediately removing the tip from the milk and blowing it out with a good burst of steam should keep milk out of the tube and make cleaning the tube nearly a "never". Leaving the tip in the milk or even letting the wand sit after can allow the cooling steam in the tube to contract and pull milk upwards.

I clean my unscrewed tip with my baskets and screens in Cafiza weekly, at a couple shots a day. I've been too lazy to dig out the ultrasonic cleaner for them more than occasionally, but that seems a reasonable additional/occasional step, if you've got one.

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