Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

[PrescottCR]

Spong

I just looked these guys up. Very cool grinder, how long does it take for you to grind a shot's worth of espresso?

You are the ultimate judge on if it's a good system, don't sweat what 'others' say.

[csutak40]

I would like to know in detail what has been changed in later revisions of this machine, I'm sure other people are curious also.

+1 I certainly would be interested (I was just going to send the +1, but seems the message must be at least 10 characters)

[shapeshifter]

I just looked these guys up. Very cool grinder, how long does it take for you to grind a shot's worth of espresso?

You are the ultimate judge on if it's a good system, don't sweat what 'others' say.

Prescott, at present due to breaking my wrists and having to use my left hand, at least a few minutes. I like the whole process, the smell from hand grinding is divine so it never worries me how long it normally takes any way

What you say is very true and I feel something that A LOT of so called experts forget when handing out advice.

Every single person has different tastes and what works for one person doesn't work for another.

[Dannok]

I have found that once you start getting slipping PF syndrome the best thing to do is clean the gasket. When you take it out you will likely find that it's kind of slippery. I left mine in and did a back-flush with a little chemical, but let the foam come out the sides a bit. Getting the oils in-between the gasket and basket. Let it sit for a bit and rinsed. Now the PF feels TIGHT.

Spraying hot, cleaner water from between the basket and basket might be a lazy, and even dangerous way to get it done, but it worked. I suspect you can soak the gasket briefly and get a similar result. I'm sure the gasket can survive the chemical cleaner as it does during a back-flush, but I'm NOT sure how much you wanna leave the two in contact if you do a soak. Hopefully someone with more experience with the matter will chime in.

Like I said, in my particular case the gasket felt slippery where it sealed with the basket, even after 2 cleaning cycles in a row using cleaner. Your situation might be different. Over dosing your PF will cause issues too!

Good luck. It's an easy fix if that's all it is.

Just got my machine back after a couple of weeks at Breville for repair, the group handle isn't the one I sent in with the machine and this one slides out every time (never happened with old one) so will give this a go tomorrow, hope it works!

[PrescottCR]

Can you post some pics of the new gear Dannok?

Hope it all works perfectly for you!

[Dannok]

Can you post some pics of the new gear Dannok?

Hope it all works perfectly for you!

I wish it was new gear. This one has scuffs and marks all over it and the plastic insert was in again.

The machine also came back with a few scratches, a ding, and a different drip tray cover which is well scuffed, but that's another story and doesn't effect how the machine works. Just a tad disappointing when you have something, which you paid a decent amount of hard earned dollars, for over 12 months and manage to keep it in pristine condition then the manufacturer has it for 3 weeks to fix a warranty fault and treats it like a $30 blender. ~ End Rant

Anyway, realised I'm out of cafetto, so I'll have to wait until the weekend to pick some up and give this a go. Fingers Crossed, it's a bit hard to hold the group handle and steam milk and use the controls at the same time...

[argus]

Dannok have you spoken to Breville's customer service about what happened to your machine and if so what was their response? You probably shouldn't name the repairer but can I ask which state you are from?
My machine has gone back for repair again and am now dreading what will come back. Mine was also dented during the last repair, never heard back from Breville when I raised it with them. I Don't think I'll be quite as easy going if it happens again, like you say when you pay over $1k for an appliance that needs multiple warranty repairs in the first year of use you would expect a little more care, no matter how good a coffee it still might make.

[Dannok]

The pressure didn't go above 2-3 bar the whole shot so I tried again after setting the grind a fair bit finer and the result was the same I noticed that when holding the single shot button down to rinse the portafilter that not as much water was trickling out as usual. With a blind filter the pressure does build to 10-11 bar but is really slow 12-15 seconds to build pressure... The machine was cleaned before I left and I cleaned it again including shower screen just to be sure but didnt make a difference. does this sound like the o-ring issue or is it something else....

Just thought i'd update on this....

My machine was couriered to & from the Botany service centre as I'm on the central coast which was handy. The machine now ramps up to pressure as it should which is good and all appears to function well, other than the sliding group handle as said earlier, but hopefully a cafetto clean will sort that. Might also adjust the OPV as pressure is a little higher now, slightly above 11 when pulling a shot.

The parts listed on the repair sheet as replaced are the pressure gauge and showerscreen seal. So doesn't appear to have been an o-ring issue despite similar symptoms, which has me a little worried as I don't want to have to send it in again should my o-ring fail or worse yet after the warranty expires.

Overall I'm happy to have my machine back in action! The Breville people on the phone line are friendly and helpful. A little/any communication + extra care from the service center on higher end products like this wouldn't go astray however.

Now I just need some fesh SO beans for us to play with mmmm

Dannok have you spoken to Breville's customer service about what happened to your machine and if so what was their response? You probably shouldn't name the repairer but can I ask which state you are from?

No I haven't spoken to them yet but do plan on calling either today or tomorrow. Not sure what I would expect as a response. I am in NSW, and the machine was sent to Breville's service centre in Botany.

[Steffche]

I have had my bdb for about 10 months now. Over the past few months I have noticed that the portafilter starts to unscrew itself during a shot. Even though I lock it in firmly sometimes I have to hold the handle during the shot to ensure it doesn't come off. It has done that a few times and has made a real mess. Not to mention the dints that have been made in the bottom tray from the portafilter hitting it on its way down.

Called breville support and they have given me the contact details for the nearest service centre. I was just wondering if this is a common occurance?
I regularly clean the machine as per Phil's video.

Cheers steve

[Vinitasse]

I have had my bdb for about 10 months now. Over the past few months I have noticed that the portafilter starts to unscrew itself during a shot. Even though I lock it in firmly sometimes I have to hold the handle during the shot to ensure it doesn't come off. It has done that a few times and has made a real mess. Not to mention the dints that have been made in the bottom tray from the portafilter hitting it on its way down.

Called breville support and they have given me the contact details for the nearest service centre. I was just wondering if this is a common occurance?
I regularly clean the machine as per Phil's video.

Cheers steve

Hi Steve... yes.. it is a common enough occurrence and by wading through the bazillions of posts you would find that the common cause seems to be either residual cleaning solution on the grouphead seal OR an overly smooth seal. Best suggestion would to be to (a) making sure the seal is squeaky clean and then, if that does not work, (b) give the seal a gentle roughing up with a bit of sandpaper to enhance the grip somewhat

[argus]

Phil mentioned earlier that the portafilter lug thickness was not a controlled dimension & relied on the skill of the technician hand finishing this part after casting & machining. He also said this is now a controlled dimension with a tolerance being measured during QC. Unfortunately for those people that have the problem of the portafilter flying off he did not mention what that dimension and tolerance is or how people with the problem could get their portafilter replaced. Could also be a worn/dirty seal or plastic locking collar. Your best bet is to call Breville customer service and try your luck if cleaning or roughing up as suggested above does not work.

[Steffche]

Thanks for the replies guys. Its definitely not a dirty seal as I have taken it out and cleaned it several times. It does seem a little burnt/hardish which makes sense as to why it isn't sticking anymore. Just don't want to have warranty issues if I was to sand paper it slightly.

Off to the service center it is then. ...

Thanks again.

[MerleApAmber]

Finally! All 83 pages! Whew... you lot are a vocal group. As one of your friends from North America, I thank you all. The work you did, that which my mates here did the first year it was out with us, have left me with a wonderful machine and a grand opportunity to enjoy espresso. Since I wasted my first 52 years on the planet in ignorance this is something I consider priceless and for which I owe you all so very much. Looking forward to seeing more of the rest of the site now
VBR, Chris

[PrescottCR]

Good deal Chris! I did the same thing- read all the pages when I joined here and at CG.

All you need now are fresh beans the way you like them.

[pecker]

Re: Breville BES900 Dual Boiler - Owners thread

Hey all ive had my DB for 3 months now and love it. Just wondering if there are replacement steam wands out there that are dual walled so they are easier to clean? Had a mate tell me other machines have them so thought it would be good if i could get one for th DB?