Astoria gets new gaskets

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Oskuk
Posts: 241
Joined: 13 years ago

#1: Post by Oskuk »

After seeing this quite nice video on lever-gaskets I got myself on job.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7hMYzGevNE

First we checked the left arms gaskets:

and yes, there is some wear!

Nex was the inner sleeve. Boss's look is not promising:

And as opposite, the videos "gently tap" is not enough at all, so we need this:

like that:

and got the filthy bad boy out:

and trying some simmering:

and O-rings out too:

ad some dirt-softening there too:

-after some midnight elbow?

that is no good but my steam got low:

and wife's little helper is spreading the toys:

bambu-sticks are quite good in this phase:

One group got oldie-style black stuff, and another got these nowadays easy to put silicone ones:

..but where is the difference?

Oskuk (original poster)
Posts: 241
Joined: 13 years ago

#2: Post by Oskuk (original poster) »

Seems that now I have a bird's nest in there. Other gruppo is singing low volume very high pitch chirping. So there has to be a small leak. No dripping thou.

Nick111
Posts: 172
Joined: 6 years ago

#3: Post by Nick111 »

A great story in pictures.Very entertaining and informative.Thanks.

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bcrdukes
Posts: 238
Joined: 13 years ago

#4: Post by bcrdukes »

Thanks for sharing!

Nice to see an Astoria machine. They appear to be far and few of these over here in North America Have never seen one before!
LMWDP #685

donn
Posts: 271
Joined: 16 years ago

#5: Post by donn »

The lever group is common enough, though, isn't it? My Pavoni has the same, though not so new and nice looking. I see my local supplier also now has these silicon gaskets. May try them next time I order, if I have a choice - there appears to be another group out there with similar but not interchangeable gaskets, so it can be disappointing to order them online.

I see you apparently left the group body attached to the boiler. On my La Pavoni, that connection requires the most frequent maintenance, when the seal fails. It's a little O-ring that I get at the local hardware store, and under the constant heat it gets brittle and dissolves into black ink. The supplier offers a gasket that's clearly intended for some other machine with an Astoria group; my boiler and group flanges have matching circular grooves that look like they call for an O-ring, though to be sure it's a bit awkward to install with the flange facing forward.

Oskuk (original poster)
Posts: 241
Joined: 13 years ago

#6: Post by Oskuk (original poster) »

Have owned this Astoria Gloria from 2013, got it second hand as it was an bicycle-cafe, as it has the gas-option.
Never had any leaks, or other problems. Even this gasket change idea came from youtube, and yes, one gaskets was cut, but still got good espresso every day. Last time I did the change abt 2 years ago. The chirping-sound got now was the back valve on the neck of the group -with a steel ball, it had loose locking bolt (after this cleaning). I was thinking about taking these outs as a whole, as was a bit interested of the dipper tubes, but let them be. These groups have not identical angles of filling the group, or identical flow rate on flush, but I shall do anything on that, just saying -it is interesting as subject still. I haven't noted the differences earlier as one tends to play with one group and the other seems to let alone. But now I use exactly all the time the one not used to use mainly as it has the new-style gaskets. And that is kind of stupid. I should have change the groups gaskets to silicone ones, which I was used to use, the I 'd have some info. Not all I have is "there is difference" ;-)