Changing bottom gasket on Strietman CT2

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Tetra
Posts: 41
Joined: 4 years ago

#1: Post by Tetra »

Does anyone have hints on how to remove the bottom gasket on a Strietman CT2? It is the gasket that the portafilter and basket press up against. It seems dead simple. Just grab it and pull it out. Except that I fail. It seems like one possibility is to slip a small flat head screw driver up beside it and pry it out. But that has not led to any forward progress and I fear I might mess something up. Thoughts? Hints?

mikel
Posts: 149
Joined: 5 years ago

#2: Post by mikel »

Hi Mark,
I've found a straight or bent awl will do the trick on mine.

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Tetra (original poster)
Posts: 41
Joined: 4 years ago

#3: Post by Tetra (original poster) replying to mikel »

Thanks - I will look for one of those. I had to google it to see what it was. In my mind, an awl was a "pointy thing". And that turns out to be correct at some level. But I see some of them that have pretty thin looking pointy bits. The bent awl looks to be what I want.

erik82
Posts: 2146
Joined: 12 years ago

#4: Post by erik82 »

If you have a small flat screwdriver just push it in in an angle and pull it out straight down to get some leverage. Works perfectly if you're throwing the gasket away afterwards. You could also push the screwdriver in at the edge of the gasket and try to pull it out that way if you're planning to use it again.

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Tetra (original poster)
Posts: 41
Joined: 4 years ago

#5: Post by Tetra (original poster) replying to erik82 »

Thanks Erik! The "small" was the key for me. I was able to get it removed (and replaced it with a new one). I had been trying a small screwdriver in terms of head size originally, but the problem was that it was still too long and I could not get the correct leverage. I found a 3.25" (8.25 cm) screwdriver in length with a "normal" size head and that allowed me to get it in there and pry gently without bumping into the base. I laid the machine on its side on a towel on the table to allow me to see better and apply force as I needed. Then it was pretty simple.

So I am back in business! Wow. I really love this machine. I have had it for two years now and enjoy it now just as much as the first day. It is so simple (even for non-mechanically inclined idiots like myself) and makes fantastically amazing espresso.