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I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.....

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  • #31
    Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

    Hi Greg,

    Dont give up. Silvia is a great machine and capable of producing great coffee consistently, and Rocky is a very good grinder for the price.
    I had some problems coming to terms with my Silvia but nothing compared to what you appear to be experiencing.
    I realized fairly quickly that I needed help, so I did a Barista course on professional machines aimed at training Baristas for jobs in the industry.
    During that course I was producing coffee the equal of anything I had previously been served and better than most.
    When I went home to Silvia, I had no trouble translating what I had learned into producing great coffee and textured milk from Silvia.
    It just took a little longer as Silvia doesnt have the power of a professional machine, but that really isnt an issue at home.
    So spend the money and get some professional training.
    It will be well worth it, and you will marvel at the results.
    Also buy your roasted beans from a commercial roaster who marks the roast date on them. Freshly roasted beans are very important.
    I dont have this problem as I roast my own, but thats another story again.
    You dont need this complication at the moment. Just make sure you know when the beans were roasted.
    Oh, and my wife wont touch Silvia but she loves what she produces.
    Im sure I could train her to produce excellent coffee, but she would rather just sit back and have it served up to her.
    All the best with it.
    Alan

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    • #32
      Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

      I was making my coffee today and thinking of your problem. As I was proceeding I was struck with a thought.

      Just for kicks, prior to placing the portafilter, bleed the boiler. I used to make my milk first and then when I put my portafilter into place and started pulling my shot, the excessive steam in the boiler wreaked havoc. Took a little bit for me to put two and two together.

      All that pressure can cause some severe channeling and make the puck break all apart.

      The water coming out the shower head on my Silvia comes out in 4 steady streams and very little steam when its ready to brew.

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      • #33
        Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

        Hi again all,

        Thanks to everyone for the continued support. Im trying to organise some training but it seems the Melbourne SE suburbs is not the coffee heartland I really want to do the training at home so that I can be sure once and for all that the problem is not with silvia. Ive always had in the back of my mind this feeling that the pressure may be too high, now this is almost certainly not the case but I wont relax until I know for sure.

        Mal, I live in McKinnon, around 15km SE of the CBD. I agree that the grind setting is VERY fine, especially given what I have read from other users with the Rocky. Given that it is so fine and Im stil pulling a shot through in around 10 - 15 seconds something is definitely not working well!

        I played around again last night, allowing silvia to warm up for 60 minutes and Im still having the same problem, words can not describe the utter frustration I am feeling at the moment. I made various changes to the dose, up to the point that I couldnt even get the PF to engage so Im quite sure its not a lack of coffee. Everything is certainly pointing to my filling and tamping but I am astounded that I have NEVER ot even one decent shot.

        Kelrizzo I know exactly what you are talking about as I have certainly experienced the excess steam issue in the past, unfortunately its not the problem at the moment. Ill send out a few more PMs to sponsors today and hopefully one of them works in my area. As I mentioned previously if I cant get this resolved soon Im going to pull the pin, if I could even occasionally get a decent result that would be heartening but at the moment its just thoroughly depressing.

        Thank you all for the continued support, if it wasnt for you guys I would have thrown the damn machine out by now, seriously!

        Cheers,

        Greg.

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        • #34
          Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

          Originally posted by gjws link=1218326035/20#32 date=1218501370
          Hi again all,

          Thanks to everyone for the continued support. Im trying to organise some training but it seems the Melbourne SE suburbs is not the coffee heartland I really want to do the training at home so that I can be sure once and for all that the problem is not with silvia. Ive always had in the back of my mind this feeling that the pressure may be too high, now this is almost certainly not the case but I wont relax until I know for sure.

          Mal, I live in McKinnon, around 15km SE of the CBD. I agree that the grind setting is VERY fine, especially given what I have read from other users with the Rocky. Given that it is so fine and Im stil pulling a shot through in around 10 - 15 seconds something is definitely not working well!

          I played around again last night, allowing silvia to warm up for 60 minutes and Im still having the same problem, words can not describe the utter frustration I am feeling at the moment. I made various changes to the dose, up to the point that I couldnt even get the PF to engage so Im quite sure its not a lack of coffee. Everything is certainly pointing to my filling and tamping but I am astounded that I have NEVER ot even one decent shot.

          Kelrizzo I know exactly what you are talking about as I have certainly experienced the excess steam issue in the past, unfortunately its not the problem at the moment. Ill send out a few more PMs to sponsors today and hopefully one of them works in my area. As I mentioned previously if I cant get this resolved soon Im going to pull the pin, if I could even occasionally get a decent result that would be heartening but at the moment its just thoroughly depressing.

          Thank you all for the continued support, if it wasnt for you guys I would have thrown the damn machine out by now, seriously!

          Cheers,

          Greg.
          I can train you greg- either at your place or you can bring your kit to me...

          Chris

          Comment


          • #35
            Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

            Please go to my website and read the "How To #12" ( HOME BARISTAS GUIDE TO MAKING QUALITY ESPRESSO ). It will assist in diagnosing and curing any dosing and distribution problems you may have.

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            • #36
              Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

              Randy - Ive really found your how to useful and its made a real difference to my coffees. Thanks

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              • #37
                Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                Thanks Randy, Ill have a read as soon as I get home.

                Well, Im booked in for some training in Friday, so if I still suck after that then I am definitely selling the pair of machines

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                • #38
                  Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                  Keep us posted. Im definitely curious on whether theres a problem with the machine itself. I cant imagine what it would be, but it sure looks like you are doing everything right.

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                    Originally posted by gjws link=1218326035/20#36 date=1218521456
                    Thanks Randy, Ill have a read as soon as I get home.
                    it is difficult to understand, but the single-boiler home machines are some of the most difficult to use to produce good espresso, even a machine such as the Silvia. Their biggest drawback is the wide temperature range at which they brew because of the inexpensive button thermostats which can exhibit a 15-20*F swing through their operating range.

                    It takes practice, time, and patience to become consistent, but once you get their you will be able to make good espresso on just about any machine you walk up to.

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                    • #40
                      Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                      Aint that the truth Randy ;D

                      I sent a few emails to Randy when I was the proud owner of Miss Silvia and he knows this machine like the back of his hand.

                      Its not for everyone, a friend of mine took his back after one morning. But if you can be taught by someone, this machine is capable of shots to die for.

                      And for sure other machines are a dream to drive after this one

                      CB

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                      • #41
                        Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                        I will definitely keep everyone posted.

                        Randy, I read through your article last night, thank you for making such fantastic information available to everyone, it is a great site. I tried a number of the suggestions after reading and unfortunately Im still not seeing much of a difference. I tried working from less coffee right through to too much coffee and a shot still comes through in around 10 seconds, turning to a yellow colour the consistency of water after about 6 seconds. Something is not right, clearly

                        I was particularly interested where you explain there should be a gap between the top of the tamped coffee and the shower head, is that the case for the silvia as well?

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                          The first cuppla days after I got my Silvia I had a bit of a learning curve and got a few gushing watery shots.

                          I swapped that HUGE Sydney harbour bridge bolt that holds the shower screen for a lower profile domed head bolt.
                          The huge bolt was fracturing my pucks and I reckon it was this that was contributing to my watery shots coz ever since I changed the bolt Ive not had one watery gusher.

                          I get the Guinness effect 9 out of 10 shots with both the single and double baskets. And consistent 20 - 30 second pours.

                          Give the bolt swap a try. It cant hurt

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                          • #43
                            Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                            Hi Gronk,

                            Youre quite right, it sure cant hurt! Ill grab a replacement from bunnings this morning. The bolt certainly does leave an impressions in the puck every time without fail.

                            Thanks for the idea.

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                            • #44
                              Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                              And don’t forget the grind
                              As a starting point grind your beans to the equivalent as table salt
                              Then adjust fine or course to suit your machine for further tuning

                              KK

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                              • #45
                                Re: I give up, Rancilio Silvia and Rocky for sale.

                                Originally posted by gjws link=1218326035/40#42 date=1218658979
                                Hi Gronk,

                                Youre quite right, it sure cant hurt! Ill grab a replacement from bunnings this morning. The bolt certainly does leave an impressions in the puck every time without fail.

                                Thanks for the idea.
                                Im not sure bunnings will have a stainless steel bolt that size. I know my local Mitre 10 style hardware store doesnt carry anything but galvanised or zinc plated bolts.
                                I had to get mine from a welding and hardware supplies shop that carries a good stock of various kinds of bolts and other fasteners.

                                It was only a dollar, and has been the best dollar Ive spent so far ;D

                                Stick at it matey, Im sure once you get it all sorted youll be thankful you didnt sell Silvia and Rocky.

                                Good luck

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