Think I've done everything that can reasonably work & fit, and done it all very inexpensively. My total investment remains somewhere under $160, for a machine with PID and flow control and deck lights and fancy unpressurized portafilters etc.

So here's the final item. The unit...

Hello all,

I have a new to me Pasquini Livia 90 auto that I bought second hand off Goodwill.com. I knew it was a risk, but it was cheap enough and I've tinkered with lower end espresso machines (totally tricked out an Estro Profi with a PID and doserless/stepless grinder before...

Hello,
The other day I forgot to shut off my Gaggia Classic and it was on all day. When I realized that, it was night and the unit was very, very hot. Since that day it's working weird. I bougth it in 2010 and it's being working perfectly, until now.
I recently installed a...

My machine turns on and warms up nominally, all lights turning on, but the moment I try to pour a shot of espresso, it trips the GFCI breaker. Every time I press the 1 or 2 cup button, the breaker trips.

So I opened the machine up and found no source for heavy leak, but did...

Hi all, new guy here. I have owned the ECM for about 5 years now, great machine, built like a tank, in the past few months i have been starting to get issues with it. The main issue is the following: on a cold startup it will sometimes try to get up to temp but not get there,...

Cleaned our Giotto and the pressure gauge reads .4 bar when machine is off and cold.

Pulled the gauge out and currently have stem soaking in descale bath.

Not sure if this will work.

Any other suggestions on getting the gauge back to normal.

This machine is 10+ yrs old...

All of a sudden, the water is just trickling out of the shower screen, and the machine is making a mild grinding noise. It won't pump enough water to make a shot. What is causing this, and how can I fix it.
Thanks, it's hard to miss my daily cappuccino. :cry:

I was at my supplier last week and decided to grab a shot of the heating element wall. Sorry it's not better, but that's the best I could do given the lighting and skinny aisles. Looked like a lot to me, but he was complaining it's really low because of continuing supply...

Hello HB
Have been lurking this forum a lot while searching to get my first espresso machine. Now I have finally got the Faema Eurostar Ambassador, I am making my first post to share and document my journey to rebuild and most likely mod the machine (most likely PID, pressure...

So I'm about to embark on the full strip down of my Mac Digit single group from 1997. It has sat for many years and it shows! It came out of an Italian restaurant where they didnt seem to know what maintenance was. Let's just say it's pretty rough. However, I did get it for...