Consistently getting sediment in flushes of my La Pavoni Pro

#1: Post by **mtbizzle** » October 17th, 2020, 8:04 pm

I consistently get sediment like this from my LP professional brass/bronze 1996.

Any thoughts on the problem/solution?

This is with portafilter off. Have flushed many times, descale & bicarb wash, took apart & cleaned GH. Boiler looks very clean to me:

#2: Post by **Nunas** » October 18th, 2020, 11:07 am

Dippers, like the La Pav tend to ingest a few fine coffee grinds via backflow. This is certainly the case with my Riviera, which is similar in construction. You need to remove the portafilter as soon as you can (careful not to take it off too soon and get sneezed on

). Certainly don't leave it in place with coffee grounds in it. Once you're done, put the pf and empty basket back on and do a short flush to clear any grinds that might have found their way into the dip tube. I don't know of any perfect solution to the problem, but with a little management, it can be minimized.

#3: Post by **guijan12** » October 19th, 2020, 4:19 am

Like Nunas wrote and to add to that, I clean the shower screen with a towel every time.
That was a tip from a fellow forum member and really helps to keep it clean.

So after the pf has been removed, I do a first flush.
Then clean the shower screen and then a second flush.
All without pf installed btw.

#4: Post by **jtrops** » October 19th, 2020, 10:13 am

If you clean your shower screen, and the end of the piston every couple of weeks you shouldn't have this problem. Awhile back I started having problems like this, along with the boiler water taking on a brownish tint. It ended up being a crack in the plastic sleeve.

I clean my shower screen/piston every 2 weeks along with lubing my piston seals. It only takes 3 minutes (literally), and the piston seals last years.

#5: Post by **Nunas** » October 19th, 2020, 10:59 am

So after the pf has been removed, I do a first flush. Then clean the shower screen and then a second flush. All without pf installed btw.

Yes, you can certainly do this with a bare group head. I only mentioned putting the PF and a basket back on for the flush because it eliminates any mess from flash boil when the super-heated boiler water exits the bare shower screen.

#6: Post by **forbeskm** » October 19th, 2020, 6:03 pm

I just use a aero press filter on top of my puck, sacrilege to the purists no doubt but limits my cleaning immensely. I get no performance or taste difference.

October 21st, 2020, 2:39 am

Nunas wrote:Dippers, like the La Pav tend to ingest a few fine coffee grinds via backflow... Certainly don't leave it in place with coffee grounds in it. Once you're done, put the pf and empty basket back on and do a short flush to clear any grinds that might have found their way into the dip tube.

Thank you all for the replies.

I don't think what I'm getting / what you see in the pics is coffee.

I have not pulled any shots on my LP. I've only done probably a dozen water flushes, some descaling, stuff like that. Because of the consistent sediment, I haven't made any coffee with it. I have cleaned the group head and shower screen, just a scrub down.

(Note, this image is BEFORE descale, the mineralization you see on the piping is gone.)

I figure it has to be one of the components, either the boiler, the group head pipes, the group head, piston, gaskets, or shower screen. All seem to look pretty clean though? I'm kind of bummed because I've had this for months now but have not figured out a way around this sediment stuff!

#8: Post by **Nunas** » October 21st, 2020, 10:56 am

Do you have a tube that runs from the bottom of the boiler to the pressurestat? When I rebuilt my Riviera that tube was full of crud that looked exactly like that in your photos. I also had a tube for filling/draining, which I think the LaPav does not have. It too was full of crud (I sealed it off).

#9: Post by **guijan12** » October 21st, 2020, 11:37 am

Two minds, one thought after re-reading the OP's initial post.
The 1996 LP has a tube to the pressurestat, that may still contain crud.

No filling/draining tube, though.

#10: Post by **ojt** » October 21st, 2020, 12:03 pm

Two things, one of which was already mentioned, one might help and one does help.

1) Extra filter or screen on top of the puck. This will limit the coffee grounds getting in touch with the shower screen. An additional plus is that it removes a lot of channeling issues, such as the one caused by the inlet hole squirting a high pressure stream towards the puck. I use the metallic screen from BPlus now:

https://www.bplus.biz/products/lower-sh ... uck-screen

2) This I'm not so sure about but I'm in the habit of locking the PF in only when I have the lever up to the water exit point. That is, I lift the lever until I hear the water starting to come out, then lock in and lift the rest of the way. Usually I also let some water on top of the puck to prewet it.