I hope that this post isn't rehashing an already covered idea. I have been gleaning lots of helpful tips from this site and wanted to try to give back a little. Hopefully, this post will help someone.

I know that overheating the grouphead on a La Pavoni has been discussed at length and a lot of ideas have been discussed. I've also seen a video, or two, with a heatsink on the grouphead of the La Pavoni. I decided to try to see if I could make a useable heatsink for my Europiccola.

If anyone is interested, I think I found an inexpensive, effective heatsink. (I don't know what I'm allowed to post, or not post, regarding prices or places purchased.) I found a heatsink on eBay for less than $20 (for two). They were labeled as an LED Light Heatsink Cooling Fin. The dimensions are listed as: 115mm OD, 50mm ID and 30mm Height.

I used a hacksaw to cut off, I think, nine of the tines and used a metal file to smooth all the sharp edges. It seems to work great and definitely cools the grouphead down. The only problem I have is that the heatsink covers my thermometer strip and I don't know a good place to move it.

If anyone is interested (and it's allowed), I'd be happy to list the specific seller that I purchased them from. I can assure you that I've never met them and receive no recompense for any sales.

I think your allowed to link the seller. If you have any pictures of the process or final product that would be great.

Okay.
The eBay seller is: digitalzone02. It came from Hong Kong and took about two weeks to arrive. At the cost of around $7 per heatsink, I thought it was worth a shot.

Looks good! If I come to need a heatsink, I'll keep this in mind. Currently, I don't think I pull more than 3 shots in one session.

mrtwobits.
I want to try that! Please post the ebay link. I only found the 115mm 50mm 40mm. How did you attach it?
Gene

mrtwobits wrote:I hope that this post isn't rehashing an already covered idea. ....

If anyone is interested, I think I found an inexpensive, effective heatsink.... I found a heatsink on eBay for less than $20 (for two). They were labeled as an LED Light Heatsink Cooling Fin. The dimensions are listed as: 115mm OD, 50mm ID and 30mm Height.

I used a hacksaw to cut off, I think, nine of the tines and used a metal file to smooth all the sharp edges. It seems to work great and definitely cools the grouphead down. The only problem I have is that the heatsink covers my thermometer strip and I don't know a good place to move it.

Yes, that's been done before. Your version looks like a nice inexpensive way to add a heatsink. Here's the similar version that was posted a few years back on this thread: La Pavoni cooling fin



And here's [anonymized]'s version of a temperature probe inside the fin.

You can look at this thread for adding a thermometer instead of a temperature strip. These aren't as slick as what [anonymized] has done: Adding Thermometry to a La Pavoni Europiccola

And this one, that's very recent: Piston Rod Temperature Probe

GeneBean wrote:mrtwobits.
I want to try that! Please post the ebay link. I only found the 115mm 50mm 40mm. How did you attach it?
Gene

Yes, only seeing the 40mm.

The extra 10mm height probably wouldn't be a dealbreaker, it would just mean more cutting to do.

I had tried to get in contact with the maker of the heatsink in the post that drgary linked, but nothing ever came of it, so this may be exactly what I'm looking for. I plan on using a silicone covering to convert it to a water block and therefore liquid cool my Pavoni group with a PID controller, like I did on this project that I put on hold: Alternative Philosophy for Lever PIDs

It will be fun to pick it back up again, and to turn on my Pavoni after the first time in a few months.

The 1974-2000 group Europiccolas are designed to keep the group heated by having the space above the piston filled with live steam. In their normal state this results in about 0.4 to 0.5 mL of water condensing in this roughly 45 mL space each minute. (Thus an hour and half or more is required before it is filled with liquid water.) When one pulls a shot, the water that has gotten into this space is forced back into the boiler and the process starts again. Once the space is filled with liquid water this steam condensation, the major heat transfer, stops.

Placing a heat sink around the upper portion of the group will hasten the amount of time required before the space becomes completely filled with liquid water so that the heat transfer to the group stops.

This calls for an experiment. After pulling a shot (to empty the space above the piston). Wait a known amount of time, perhaps 5 minutes. Cool the boiler rapidly by dumping steam through the steamer valve into a container of water. Remove the group from the boiler, being careful not to tip it, and then turn it upside down over a graduated measuring device or into a tared one that you can weigh.

This certainly will not help for using the machine for one after another shots because each shot empties the space above the piston.

There is a 115mm 50mm 20mm version here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321704442587?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I may get this one to see how it works

Gene

ps. I'm thinking about what rpavlis posted too