Ambrogina Caffe

[Brad74]

Hello,

I have recently got hold of a Ambrogina Caffe, from what I can tell its works on a similar principal to an Atomic style. From a bit of googling I assume at some point it may have had an Electric Heat source however I don’t and instructions (which were still with it) say Gas on Low heat so not sure if some were electric and others just stove but should be OK. It’s in decent condition except it had water inside for several years so needs a monumental descaling, it would appear to aluminium throughout.


I searched the site but there is little on these machine, hoping somebody has or has owned to answer a few questions

1) I assume that any Atomic Descaling method should suffice as I assume some of the older ones may have similar scale build up. I am thinking I should descale the Reservoir as much as possible then when I am happy it’s clean run descale though the whole machine inc steam wand

The Shower screen has no direct screws so assume I may have to remove top and bottom screws to get to shower and Seal. This would I assume open up the entire top so before I do I would like to know if I need to be careful of anything

Apart from a Descale and Clean of Shower Screen is there any other maintenance I can/should do?

For steam only (which I would use) it mentions to remove filter and add a disk, I am thinking this is some sort of Blind Filter that I don’t have. If somebody has one can you link a picture?

Any tips on using? I’ve checked out a few Atomic/Otto videos and it mentions the amount of water is important so I guess I just need to play around.


Sorry I tried to attach pictures but couldn't figure it out


Thanks

Brad

[LFM60]

Sorry, I can't help you Brad.

Maybe someone else has the answer you need

[Brad74]

Probably not a lot of owners.

I will add some updates incase anybody comes across one

I took the top (Black) of the machine off and that appears only to provide some insulation on top from the metal section.
I next started on the underside of the top part, those screws were in very tight an I started to strip the heads. A tip for those who may not know, to get around this issue I got a G Clamp and Screw Head (From my drill bits), by clamping the Screw head into the screw fairly tight you can use a small Shifter or spanner on the hexagon section of the Screw head to loosen the screws.
The top part off didn't give me access to the shower head, it was attached but I couldn't access it like I thought I would be able to.
Next I decided to take a gamble and remove the Rubber Seal, Wallah! that was holding the showerhead in place. So there are no actual screws holding the shower screen, the seal holds it in place and assume by locking the portafilter in must stop against any type of pressure.
Anyway the shower head was clean and seal looks in real good condition so win there.

I ran a Citric Acid powder through the machine several times (about 4) but am still getting some white specs in the water so assume there is still a bit of scale. I was able to clean out the Steam wand and the 3 holes seem to put out some good steam.
Also the water has a Black/Grey tinge, my thoughts are this could be burnt scale or something similar. The water is getting clearer but still had a grey tinge about it. This only happens on boiling water inside. If I put clean water and shake around a bit I don't seem to notice any color change. Any Ideas on the black tinge or how to speed up its removal?

Have not made a coffee with it yet

Brad

Note: Still not able to add photo's so I assume that there is a post quantity. I did have this same username several years ago on this site but It was deleted at some point, possibly for lack of use.

[Brad74]

Another Update.

I can't get rid of whatever Black crap is lying on the Bottom. I thought It was getting better but isn't.

I have run about 8 Citric Acid and 5 Sulfamic Acid cycles through, the water comes out black with tiny specs of black along with scale, reminds me of Black Sand when Gold Panning.

If using just water the water comes out with a slight Grey tinge so it is something Descaling Acid is removing.

Any Idea what this is? Has anyone restored Atomics and come across this? If so how did you get rid of it efficiently.

Thanks
Brad

[Otago]

Not an expert on this by any means but it would seem that you are using descaling agents that are too severe for use on aluminium. An Atomic owners manual at https://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/A...ick%20look.pdf warns against using descaling agents that are not suitable for aluminium.

Hope this helps.

[Brad74]

Otago,

Thanks, I was using citric acid powder based on some information on the Atomic Restorers thread, it isn't in the machine long, around 6-8 minutes then cleaned a few times. The sulfamic i used later (after I ran out of citric powder) as I had it lying around was from Aldi descaler and thought that there machines would be aluminium.

I don't think it is the descaler causing the problem as the grey tinge has been there since I first used the machine, but I could be wrong. The black specs aren't totally solid, if i pick them up the they smudge almost like they are from something that has been burnt.

Update:

I should also add that Citric Acid on its own doesn't cause the Black water (although I do get some black Flakes), it's only after I heat the descaler to run through the rest of machine that it causes the Black water.