Espresso Cart - Goodbye Plumbed In - Page 3

#21: Post by **homeburrero** » March 4th, 2021, 10:53 am

drH wrote:I wonder if it could be worth investing in a small water distiller..using that and a pre-made mix in a setup like you describe might be the most hassle free process.

HB member OldNuc (R.I.P.) sometimes recommended countertop distillers, especially if you can find them used at a reasonable price.
(Water - softener vs bottled water )

#22: Post by **chuckclaunch** » March 19th, 2021, 10:39 pm

Looking to copy cat this setup, just trying to figure out the waste tank. Is that your drain from your machine?

March 19th, 2021, 11:11 pm

Yes my drip tray has a drain. Since my machine is not by a sink I use that easy carry tank. In a prior location the machine drained into a sink "Y"

#24: Post by **chuckclaunch** » March 19th, 2021, 11:45 pm

Just curious, would a plain old 5 gallon jug with one line from the pump running into be ok?

March 19th, 2021, 11:47 pm

As a drain? Please clarify.

#26: Post by **chuckclaunch** » March 20th, 2021, 12:17 am

No I mean in place of the Tamco tank.

March 20th, 2021, 8:43 am

Yes with the following considerations.

I never found a top for a 5gal water bottle that had a John Guest fitting, but never looked too hard. I decided to go another direction with the Tamco.
I wanted the wide mouth lid so that it was easy to fill and didn't have to be moved. In fact I have a friend with the same Tamco and a spigot and he refills his non plumbed machine out of that with a pitcher. If you go with 5 gallon standard bottles and find a top with John Guest (made from brewery supply) then please post it here.

Note that if you are going to make your own water you have to consider how you will add the water stock and mix it to the 5 gallon jug. It can be done, but another thing I don't worry about with the Tamco as I add 2 gallons distilled then the stock then 2 more gallons and it does plenty of mixing naturally that way. It turns out this Tamco needs refilling by 5 gallons but I have come to do it at 4. There are larger Tamco's too but the shipping goes way up.

March 22nd, 2021, 1:42 pm

Saw this for a 5 gallon tank - pick up tube at Caffewerks. Not sure how it seals the top of the tank.

#29: Post by **chuckclaunch** » March 24th, 2021, 7:47 pm

Awesome, thanks! I just got all my gear in and currently waiting on my new (to me) machine to heat up! I have a few tweaks to the list you posted but will wait until I get some time with it under my belt before posting. I ran with a 3 gallon jug, which is perfect for me because it just fits under my RO water spigot. So when it's empty I can just take it over to the sink and fill it up and done. Very much appreciate this thread and hopefully I can contribute some to it after a while.

#30: Post by **spressomon** » March 25th, 2021, 9:24 am

The problem with a 'swap the water container' format, instead of a water container that gets refilled, is each time you you break the water connection you will need to go through the priming process again. Its time consuming and a bit of a PITA.

Whereas with a fixed water container that gets refilled, assuming you refill before the water level drops below the outlet, there is zero interruption to the water flow/priming of the system.