Izzo Alex Leva

[338]

Tom if you are stretching the baskets I want your personal trainer! If not the grouphead seal, are you sure the basket is properly seated in the portafilter?

Or as EA said, try it empty of coffee to be sure you aren't overfilling the basket

[EspressoAdventurer]

yep good point 338...basket therefore maybe not seated onto the handle fully.

Ive also had a silicon seal( not installed here) 'creep' when installing and therefore cause a 'bulge' at the final point of seating / installation. Causing it to sit proud and you could feel when trying to lock the handle in it wasnt 'right'.

So I know its not an aftermarket silicon seal here ....but OEM rubber encased seals can also be substantially tight and sit proud if not checked

[tompoland]

Hi 338 thanks for the suggest. That would make sense but the basket is properly seated in the portafilter for sure. 100%. I've tried both baskets, same result. The portafilter, including the basket, slip into the group head fine with no coffee in the basket but when I put coffee in, and tamp, they are a battle to get into the group head.

[tompoland]

Also, I was probably not clear enough before but I have tried it empty of coffee and the portafilter, including basket, slips into the group head as per normal.

As to over dosing, the Izzo basket is huge and I'm weighing a maximum of 20 grams so I don't think I'm overdosing. Open to feedback though.

[tompoland]

caffienator thanks for the suggestion (over dosing). I don't think so. I was using an 18 gram dose but got too much channelling so increased the dose to 20 grams and that has worked well in terms of lowing the number of shots that are uneven. I get the same issue though of struggling to get the portafilter into the group head, whether it's 18grams or 20 grams. And the Izzo basket is big! I'm certainly not trying to pack as much as possible into the basket and I'm also not adding more after tamping.

[EspressoAdventurer]

only way I ever know is do the 5cent test.
i have a dzn or more baskets and each one i tested before first using it.
i never rely on suggested basket weight.
once done record it and never need to do again.
i also set my tampers up so the top of the shoulder when flush with the basket rim equates to my shower screen depth plus and extra 1.5mm.
right there is my shot by shot setup qual check.

[338]

Tom I will use some logic here, bear with me if it seems simple. The portafilter and basket fit into the grouphead empty ok. If that is the case I would reach your fingers into the grouphead and check the circlip is retaining the showerscreen in its normal spot. It looks to be from your pic (and can't see it working any other way).

That leaves the coffee. New blend? Accidentally changed the grind to coarser?

[tompoland]

Thanks 338 I like your systematic approach. The circlip seems to be in the right place and is not loose or misaligned that I can see.

[tompoland]

Update - the following all using the supplied Izzo basket and portafilter.

I tried an 18gram dose, tamped with the Izzo tamp and the portafilter slid in the group head just fine.

I tried a 20 gram dose, tamped with the Izzo tamp and ditto.

Then a 20 gram dose, tamped with the larger tamp and the portafilter clunked and clanked getting it into the group head.

That's not enough testing to jump to any firm conclusions so I'll do more tamping and testing later this week and I'll post back here.

[338]

Good luck!

[AndyGr]

Hey Tom, I believe you are overfilling the basket and your grind is too coarse. Tampering should not be an issue causing the portafilter to clank. The original Izzo tamper is a bit too loose for the basket, but uneven tampering makes almost no difference except the flow from the left (right) spouts may not start simultaneously.

Also, the dose weight is not the only factor to overfill the basket - you can easily overdose if the grind is too coarse. I usually do 21.5 - 22g doses, but sometimes go up to 22.7 - 23g for fine grinds. Never had any problems like you described. I will upload a pic how the 21.7g level in the basket looks like tomorrow, when making our morning coffee. Good luck!

[Javaphile]

On the ones that are hard to lock in have you then removed the portafilter and looked at the puck for signs of disturbance? As others have said everything you're saying is pointing at an over-filled basket.

Have you done the 5 cent test to determine your optimum basket fill level? If not, do so. Then you'll know how high you can fill your basket. Then fill to that same level every time, adjusting the grind to get the extraction time and taste you want, never filling above the level determined by the 5 cent test.


Java "Simple physics" phile

[tompoland]

Good point. I'll have a crack at that later this week. Thanks.

[338]

Tom some thought on this tamper issue. If this is the custom tamper it is a very tight fit, with probably 10mm of straight vertical side at the base dimension. This demands to be tamped absolutely vertically, with not even a degree off vertical. You may remember my post about getting a second tamper to make it easier for my wife. From your description above my suggestion is you may not be tamping vertically. This would be easy to do without realising it, the pressure of the binding making you think you have fully tamped the coffee when it may only be partially tamped. Try using the IMS basket which is larger, or try inserting the tamper absolutely vertical - maybe not even holding it in a tamping manner.

Of course this may all just be some ploy to explain to your wife why you need a new machine. If so I will give you $1k now for Miss Valexia in her fancy new clothes and you can go back to playing with your tablet coffee machine.

[tompoland]

That would make sense. My tamping technique needs work. It was OK in the early days but I bought a PuqPress which is brilliant for producing consistent tamping but it's for my 58mm Decent. So when the Izzo arrived I started manually tamping again and my technique needs work.

When I get more time towards the end of this week, I'll switch baskets and see I can't get my tamping more vertical.

Very kind of you to take Miss Val off my hands for a whopping 1k. Let me think about that and come back to you.

[tompoland]

Thought about it! Think it's gonna be a no, sorry 338 :-)

[AndyGr]

Tom, see the picture below - the grounds level for 20.8g. As I mentioned, going up to 22.7 - 23g should not cause any issues unless the grind is too coarse.

[tompoland]

Thanks Andy, I appreciate the photo. A picture speaks a thousand words as so on.

In terms of head space between puck and top, mine looks similar. I'll have a play with this hopefully Friday afternoon and let every one know how I get on.

In the meantime, it's clear that something is changing post tamp because an empty basket/portafilter slides into the group head just fine but a tamped basket is clanking and clashing when I try to put the portafilter into the group head.

More testing ....

[>Casa Espresso]

Hi Tom,

We have just have some IMS 16-18gr and 18-20gr baskets come in to stock, along with some IMS shower screens for the Izzo. Not sure which one you might have?

They aren't up on the website yet but are available if you want to contact us direct.

Cheers

Antony
www.casaespresso.com.au

[tompoland]

Tx Antony I will email.

[EspressoAdventurer]

Tom my further best advice is that the tamper is dislodging the basket from being fully seated on the face of the PortaHandle post tamp.
The pic above shows a very low puck in comparison to the top lip of the basket.
Try checking that upon removing the tamper its not disturbing the basket - and being lifted up - as you remove the tamper.
GL

[tompoland]

Thanks, worth checking. I think that part is OK but will observe closely. Once life stops being such a whirlwind (Monday maybe?) I'll take a video or photos of what's happening. A picture speaks a thousand words and so on.

[tompoland]

The fact that a pre-tamped basket slides into the group head 100% fine every time, and the post-tamped basket does not, leads me to conclude that there is something about the tamping process (too much coffee, incorrect tamping technique, diameter of tamper too large etc) is the culprit. I will narrow it down by a process of elimination and report back.

[Magic_Matt]

Hey all, a couple of installation questions for the brains trust... I'm ready to install the Flojet (thanks for the quick shipping CoffeeParts!); the supplied fittings don't appear to include anything that will mesh with the machine's input hose. Is there a standard kit or part that makes this straightforward?

Also, the machine includes an output electrical line that's presumably meant to connect to an external pump, terminated in three standard electrical connection clips, which isn't very useful without an electrician as the pump uses an adapter with a standard AC plug. I'm not too comfortable leaving live 240V connectors dangling together in close proximity to a pump and 15 litres of H20 with the potential for leaks or spills above... do folk just wrap these connections in electrical tape or shrink-tube and bundle them up or something?

[level3ninja]

Your concern is warranted. This should have been checked with you prior to dispatch and removed entirely if you weren't going to connect an external pump.

[Magic_Matt]

G'day level3ninja, I am running a Flowjet pump, and would quite like to run it inline with the machine (so the pump is also controlled by the smart switch, to eliminate 'vampire' power use and just in case it has some kind of failure while I'm away from home).

I'd assumed the pump itself might have corresponding power connectors, but of course it only has a DC input. I guess I could buy a junction box and connectors to wire up to an outlet, but that seems like a less-than-elegant solution...

[338]

Matt I wrapped my spare connectors in self healing tape to make a waterproofish unit. Double wall shrink wrap as yopu suggested would also work but a big change in size between cable and connector. Hardware store or plumbing supply should get you going with joining the two.

[Magic_Matt]

Matt I wrapped my spare connectors in self healing tape to make a waterproofish unit. Double wall shrink wrap as yopu suggested would also work but a big change in size between cable and connector. Hardware store or plumbing supply should get you going with joining the two.

I suppose removing the connectors would allow a tighter fit for a couple of layers of heatshrink - but by then, may as well just pop the covers and remove the wire altogether. I find it a little surprising that the wire is finished with those spade connectors as I've only ever seen them used in low-voltage DC applications, but it must conform to the relevant specification I guess... But live & exposed 240V AC connectors of any kind on a domestic appliance is the very opposite end of the spectrum from okay in any case.

[tompoland]

I had initial success with the Izzo but for the last month or so almost every shot is channelling.

In order to fix that I have so far:

1. Replaced the Izzo basket with an IMS basket
2. Replaced the Izzo screen with an IMS screen
3. Increased my dose from 18 grams to 20 grams
4. Done the 5 sent test which tells me 21 grams should be perfect but that 20 grams is probably OK too

I think my puck prep is pretty good because I virtually never get channelling on the Decent. Granted, they are very different machines and what I might get away with on the Decent I may not get away with on a lever machine.

I use a naked portafilter on both machines along with a shot mirror so it's really easy to see an even pour versus one where they are light and dark patches or gaps on the bottom of the basket.

I'm now wondering if my pre infusion is too strong. I noticed this little lever on the rear of the machine. The Izzo manual is almost completely useless and makes no reference to this lever whatsoever. This part is not even identified in the picture at the front of the manual that numbers and labels each of the parts on the machine.

Does anyone know if this lever effects pre-fusion and if so are there any suggestions as to what I can try to perhaps lower the pressure and volume of the pre-infusion blast?

Thanks!

[Caffeinator]

Yep- good long preinfusion is a thing. The idea of a slowly decreasing pressure profile is however shot to pieces on these machines and a Scace device proves it. Flat 12Bar until the very end of the shot (if you run to full length) after which it's straight down to nothing.

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

Caffeinator I'd be interested to hear more about this - never used the Scace or any other pressure reading device on the grouphead but from the videos I have seen the pressure does decline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB-6DgldRnM

In the attached it's 9bar (not 12, my bad) and declines to about 6 during the shot.

[Caffeinator]

WhatEverBeansNecessary Not on my Izzo. We rigged a Scace and it's a flat 12Bar the whole way. Perhaps with a 9Bar spring, but not on the 12Bar LSM.

[tompoland]

WhatEverBeansNecessary thanks for that. I'm guessing that you meant to type "can't really adjust the pre infusion pressure". From what I've read elsewhere since I posted, adjustments of that lever don't produce a noticeable difference.

That makes sense re the Decent vs Leva preinfusion pressure too. That's certainly been my observation.

Regarding preinfusion, I've typically been allowing 30 seconds. I've tried 10 seconds too. But both have produced channelling.

Update: after a call from Antony as CasaEspresso, I've gone back to the original basket to see if that helps.

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

30 seconds does seem like a lot!

Yeah I did a bit of browsing and it appears you can adjust the lever a little without much effect on the pre-infusion.

For what it is worth I use a smaller dose of 16g - but thats mainly so I can sneak in a 3rd coffee from time to time and still sleep at night. I do occasionally get some channeling - maybe 1 in 10 shots?

[338]

Tom as I understand the rod controls the timing of when the valve opens to allow pre-infusion, not the pressure of pre-infusion. As WBN says you can lower the temp to lower pre-infusion. When my Leva was new I used it without the portafilter in place to find exactly when preinfusion starts, then used to gently tip the lever in to that point for gentle pre-infusion. I don't bother with that now. I have also never bothered to adjust the rod. In theory I expect if there is enough adjustment on the rod you could adjust the rod to only just open the valve, pressure would be the same but a smaller orifice to run through.

I don’t think this is your issue, but will defer to the wiser heads with more technical knowledge. I think there have been a few too many voices on some of your threads and it can get confusing.