Hi everyone.

My little microcasa a leva is driving me nuts in the past few weeks.

After adjusting the pressurestat a little to lower the max pressure to around .9 bar it seems like the heating now starts only at as little as .1-.2 bar.
That means it always cools down all the way before heating again. Pretty annoying.

Any idea if I can up the min pressure somehow?

Chris.


P.s. it's an old 1983 machine and there is no plastic in the pressostat etc

If you reset the pressure to where it used to be would it work normal?
Maybe it is time to replace the pstat given the machine is 40 years old?

No.


I think it would be time then...

But somehow I don't want to replace the old one with that new plastic box like thing

First step would be to remove the old pressurestat from the pipe and make sure the pipe and the inside of the pressurestat are not scale clogged. If clogged you can use a wire to mechanically clean it, then put it back together and do a boiler descale and flush. Descaling the pipe is something you'll need to do anyway if/when you replace the pressurestat.

Chwecgn wrote:But somehow I don't want to replace the old one with that new plastic box like thing

I sympathize, but eventually they need to go. I recently replaced a 40+ year old pressurestat in an old LP of mine that now belongs to a friend. New one has a lot of plastic, but I expect that the plastic will outlast the metal contacts.


They don't make them like that ↑ anymore.

Mater xp110 pressurestat. The inexpensive (~$30usd), "plastic" stat is a simple to replace, functional, and relatively durable unit. Most of the time. I've replaced the MCal's 3 times over couple decades of use. One was sort of a dud. Lasted maybe 3 years. Seems to be a relatively commonly used stat in machines from the 90's into at least the early part of this millennium. Same stat used on my long gone E61/HX vibe pumper and two lever PV.

MCal2003 wrote:Mater xp110 pressurestat.

Yes. Be sure to get the right one - the XP110 is available in many forms with different fittings, different pressure ranges, and different amperage ratings. Easiest is to buy it from a reputable espresso parts dealer who lists it as being compatible with your MCAL.

Stefano's Espressocare.com comes to mind - he is an Elekra dealer.