Hello, i have been using my new la pavoni pro millenium for a few weeks now and after pulling a shot today, i was flushing water from the grouphead as usual. Thats when i noticed the stream is coming out angled slightly to the left rather than vertically down like the previous times

Any idea how to fix this? I think i might have pushed down on the lever too hard during the shot

Is your shower installed properly? or have you clean your shower screen recently?

Yeah, it was fine before. Nope, havent cleaned it cause I only got it 2 weeks ago. Im not sure whether it's because I grinded too fine and pulled too hard on th elever

I don't think that having done a hard pull would necessarily cause the problem, but perhaps if you are releasing the lever and letting it come back up at the end of hard pulls, that might contribute to coffee residues going back up through the screen. So I'll agree with CoffeeBar - first check that your shower screen is clean.

Checking and cleaning the screen is something you may need to do every month or two anyway. It may get dirty/clogged even in a week or two under some conditions. If you periodically remove the gasket and screen and see that it is dirty inside, clean it with a coffee detergent like JoeGlo (and clean the piston face while you are at it) and consider removing and cleaning it more frequently.

Some people rarely need to clean their screen because their routine keeps it clean. If you do a cleaning flush after every session it should stay cleaner. On a Pavoni, while the machine is still up to pressure you can empty and wipe out the PF, then re-insert it lightly and raise the lever with one hand and wiggle the portafilter with the other to help flush coffee residues from the screen and from around the gasket. Or you can give the screen and gasket a cleaning with a brush while the handle is raised and a little water is flowing out.

I only do a single pull with the portafilter loaded but I guess I should check the showerscreen anyway. I read the instructions on how to do it in another post but I heard there's a chance of damaging the gasket when it pops out. How true is that?

dreamercross wrote:I read the instructions on how to do it in another post but I heard there's a chance of damaging the gasket when it pops out. How true is that?

If it's old and brittle it may not come out in one piece. If really stuck you sometimes need to pry it out or screw in a thin wood screw at the gasket edge to get it out, and that may damage it. If you are able to remove it by removing the pin and pressing the piston rod down it should come out unscathed. If it's in pretty tight, remove the group from the boiler and then you can invert it with the piston rod on a hard benchtop and use all your weight pressing down with your hand on the bell side of the group. If in doubt, first order a spare group gasket in case you damage the old one. Some people use a mallet and rap on the piston rod. If you do that don't hit it hard. A dead-blow mallet, rapping on the piston rod with the group removed and the bell on the workbench would work best if you are trying to hammer it out.

Once you are regularly checking it, you can easily pop the screen by removing just the front pin and pressing down on the top of the piston rod with a wood block or something held in your hand.

Thank you very much for all that information
I'll order a spare group gasket first before trying it out

homeburrero wrote:Some people rarely need to clean their screen because their routine keeps it clean. If you do a cleaning flush after every session it should stay cleaner.

+1

After every shot, I flush the group, wipe the face of the screen with a paper towel, flush again, wipe, flush again. I never have to take the screen off between group servicing as a result.

Also, once the machine has cooled down I take a small brush and go around the screen gasket to brush off any coffee residue.