Thread: Faema Carisma S1 pressure guage.

Possibly not the gauge itself, I'd check the vacuum relief before replacing the gauge.

If the vacuum relief doesn't seat properly it can result in a minor but steady steam leak which can condense in the gauge. One clue is if the machine refills fairly frequently when left at idle: this can be because it is making up for the water lost to the steam leak.

If you do need to replace the gauge you only need to check the dial size, max pressure and the tube fitting. Internally they are all basically the same.

It sits idle quite well with no pump noise. I do however seem to get excessive pressure on the guage when turned on and heating up. If I operate the grope head valve the pressure drops and stays steady and it does not seem to get condensation in the guage. If I do not release the pressure (sometimes at 16 bar) it causes condensation in the guage.
Is it over pressurising? And why.

Originally Posted by Airfireman1

It sits idle quite well with no pump noise. I do however seem to get excessive pressure on the guage when turned on and heating up. If I operate the grope head valve the pressure drops and stays steady and it does not seem to get condensation in the guage. If I do not release the pressure (sometimes at 16 bar) it causes condensation in the guage.
Is it over pressurising? And why.

I'm guessing you mean 1.6 bar, which from memory is where it is set from the factory (1.5 bar). That pressure is good if you are making lots of coffee back to back but I generally set it at 0.9-1.1 bar. The lower pressure reduces your cooling flush.

Hello Airfireman1, i,d agree with the above. I have the same Carisma s1. I think 1.6 bar is a high pressure to be running generally - and scorching your coffee - unless you're pumping out the espresso's with a fast work flow to run that kind of pressure and even then. Faema have a very well engineered home machine. I set the PID at 117° C (0.8 bar) steam is still ok but excellent espresso water temp -no need for cooling flushes. Try that and as Lyrebird suggested the vacuum release valve working correctly; might just solve you're problem. Let us know how you went. Lazio.