Broken E61 grouphead mushroom!

Equipment doesn't work? Troubleshooting? If you're handy, members can help.
richard.o.shaw
Posts: 4
Joined: 7 years ago

#1: Post by richard.o.shaw »

I have a Rocket Appartamento which I have owned since December last year.
I love the machine but I was getting slightly metallic tasting shots so I decided to clean the E-61 grouphead mushroom.
I undid the two nuts on the top of the brewhead and tried to remove the mushroom but couldn't. Also when I removed the second larger nut, part of the ceramic part of the mushroom cracked and broke off. I have attached a couple of pictures below.

I now can't get the mushroom out, it seems to be stuck. I have watched a number of videos on how to remove the mushroom but I can't seem to get it out.
Shouldn't it be attached to the large nut and come out with that? Not sure why the large nut came off separately.
Anyway along with the stuck mushroom, I now have an issue that when I turn on my machine, the grouphead does not heat up. Even if I leave the machine on for over an hour, the grouphead doesn't get hot. It's like the hot water isn't getting into the grouphead. It only heats up when I lift the brew lever and then it makes a "pshhh" sound, like releasing pressure. Then it suddenly heats up and everything seems to work fine. I wonder, is the stuck mushroom somehow preventing the water from getting to the brewhead?

Can anyone advice me? Do I need to replace the whole mushroom?



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erics
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#2: Post by erics »

Shouldn't it be attached to the large nut and come out with that?
Yes, BUT the lower part of the mushroom is sealed to the chamber with an o-ring. Your particular mushroom looks a little strange in that I see some threading in the stuck part. I'm just guessing but it looks like 1/8"-BSPP threads. Get a 1/8" nipple about 10 cm in length and see if it will thread into the stuck part.

You will need a new mushroom and new lower o-ring but first you will need to descale the area where the o-ring seats.
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

richard.o.shaw (original poster)
Posts: 4
Joined: 7 years ago

#3: Post by richard.o.shaw (original poster) »

Thank you for the response.
So I think I just need one of these, which includes the o-ring:
https://shop.rocket-espresso.com/produc ... 4075226689
And I'll use 1/8" threaded tool to remove the stuck mushroom.

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erics
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#4: Post by erics »

Well, I understand the benefits of that ceramic mushroom but it obviously has some drawbacks.

I would stick with the "standard" plated brass mushroom. Scale on the mushroom itself is indicative of scale elsewhere but, by itself, is not harmful unless it starts to flake off. These standard mushrooms have been around for 50+ years.
Skål,

Eric S.
http://users.rcn.com/erics/
E-mail: erics at rcn dot com

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kolu
Posts: 396
Joined: 11 years ago

#5: Post by kolu »

After using them a while, Rocket Espresso actually stopped using the ceramic bottom of mushroom in E61.
They almost always broke off after 1+ year of use when a bit of scale accumulated around the bottom O-ring...

sprin001
Posts: 153
Joined: 8 years ago

#6: Post by sprin001 »

I'm in the same boat. I already ordered a replacement of the metal variety. I am going to contact Rocket Monday as machine remains under warranty, but it's frustrating nonetheless.