Silva - heating takes 5+ mins

[acid_rider]

Happy to help and can I simply mention.....

Its not a question of needing to "prime" or not. Its more the idea of understanding that to keep a steady feed of water through the system, without airlocks, and the correct water level in the boiler etc, will keep the machine operating at optimim.

What does that do? It prolongs the life of the electric element which = many dollars not to mention much inconvenience saved

So if you have a hankering to "prime the boiler" just because you can, rather than think...I dont need to do that....think instead that it will NOT hurt to do so, in fact it is really helpful to you in the long run if nothing more than to understand the proper operation and management of the machine.

Very well said, in fact i did prime boiler this morning using the middle water switch and opening the steam wand (to extract ~250ml of water) when I first started the machine to heat up.
Then I let it sit for ~20 min and then I prepared the double shot, temp surfed using the top switch, extracted double espresso (closer to double ristretto to be more precise), and it was very good.

[TOK]

Happy to help and can I simply mention.....

Its not a question of needing to "prime" or not. Its more the idea of understanding that to keep a steady feed of water through the system, without airlocks, and the correct water level in the boiler etc, will keep the machine operating at optimim.

What does that do? It prolongs the life of the electric element which = many dollars not to mention much inconvenience saved

So if you have a hankering to "prime the boiler" just because you can, rather than think...I dont need to do that....think instead that it will NOT hurt to do so, in fact it is really helpful to you in the long run if nothing more than to understand the proper operation and management of the machine.

[acid_rider]

thanks! Great tips.

[TOK]

Hi A-R.

Yes, however answering for the general readership:

While you may not run the tank dry there are plenty that do....It is not a rare occurence. The pump sucks air, there are air locks in the line or in the pump depending on how long the pump is running without water. That was the basis of my post # 19.

Best to re prime when this occurs.

In this case you can say you are not strictly priming the boiler, you (anyone) are repriming the water inlet circuit, but its still the same operation to make sure there is a steady feed through for optimum performance of the machine.

Hope that helps.

[acid_rider]

thanks!

Yes there is. You would do the "prime boiler" function after if you run the reservoir out of water andf consequently if the pump runs partially dry. When you refill the reservoir, hit the water button and open the steam valve as per my post above. That will pump out the air lock that will be in the inlet water line as a result of you running it out of water...

hope that helps.

excellent, thanks.

given that i never ever steam, under what conditions would my pump become partially dry?

i never let the reservior run dry, i always fill it up (or top it up) before every use of the machine and i replace reservior water daily (when machine is switched off, of course).

it therefore sounds to me that i would need to "prime boiler" only in event of an "accident" when i accidentally forgot to top up the reservoir and the machine was turned on at that time?

did i understand you correctly ?

much obliged once again

[TOK]

thanks!

Another question: if I never ever steam, I only make double-shots of espresso - so is there any reason or any requirement for me to use the middle or the bottom switch buttons on my Silvia and/or to ever open the steam wand round dial ??

Yes there is. You would do the "prime boiler" function after if you run the reservoir out of water andf consequently if the pump runs partially dry. When you refill the reservoir, hit the water button and open the steam valve as per my post above. That will pump out the air lock that will be in the inlet water line as a result of you running it out of water...

hope that helps.

[TOK]

its not about "better"...its about a more convenient and cheaper fix when the element has blown and needs to be replaced. The new element is just an element.....requiring either some work to be done to the older version boiler to fit OR, the purchase of a new boiler top half.

The superseded boilers had an integrated element, the latest boilers have holes drilled to accept a screw in element.

We used to do this conversion when we were short on new stock of elements (ie inbetween shipments), but when stock of regular boiler/elements came in there was no incentive to spend time doing the conversion...

If your element is working properly you would never consider the change until it shorts out. At that time your service provider will be able to give you the ducks guts on what is best to do, and from then on you only need to buy the element not the whole top half of the boiler.

Hope that helps.

[koshari]

The SS element should be a bit more immume from oxidisation. I suspect you would have had your boiler upgraded to a v4for that price so it's likely you have a Stainless element now.

[acid_rider]

The older elements were copper. The recent are stainless steel. Having said that I have a v1 where the element is still fine.

thanks, so which is better - new V4 stainless steel element or the old V3 copper?

[koshari]

The older elements were copper. The recent are stainless steel. Having said that I have a v1 where the element is still fine.

[acid_rider]

No there isnt

Many thanks!!

This makes it much simpler, even for temp surfing I only use the top brew-switch to make the light come on.

When I turn the machine on - for the first time in the morning - I hit the top brew-switch and I let about 200-300ml of water come out from the brew head (not wand), to flush out the old water contents from the boiler - I guess this is how I prime it for espresso.

Then I wait 15-20 min and then I make double espresso (including temp surfing, priming - using the top brew-switch only).

I hope this is the correct set of actions for espresso-only process for Silvia.

I am asking becuse after 5 years of service my Silvia V3 element blew up (blowing the house fuse), cost me about $280 (with labour included) so I began to wonder if my espresso making process has been wrong and I somehow damaged the Silvia V3.

[koshari]

No there isnt

[acid_rider]

as mentioned earlier its not really priming if you use the brew (group) output as the feed that supplies the brew is not at the top of the boiler.

http://www.pidsilvia.com/Images/SIL_...steam_out2.jpg

as for the requirement to prime, if your not steaming you dont have to worry.

thanks!

Another question: if I never ever steam, I only make double-shots of espresso - so is there any reason or any requirement for me to use the middle or the bottom switch buttons on my Silvia and/or to ever open the steam wand round dial ??

[koshari]

as mentioned earlier its not really priming if you use the brew (group) output as the feed that supplies the brew is not at the top of the boiler.

http://www.pidsilvia.com/Images/SIL_...steam_out2.jpg

as for the requirement to prime, if your not steaming you dont have to worry.

[acid_rider]

ok time now permits...

You prime the boiler after EVERY steam operation, to make sure the boiler is full to the correct level (because when you make steam, you convert water to steam and let it out.....it doesnt automatically refill). If you have run a particularly long steaming operation (big jug etc), the water level in the boiler will be a lot lower than it should with possibility of requisite problems.

If the steaming operation was the last thing you did before switching the machine off, the boiler should have been primed BEFORE switching off, so it is known to be at correct level when you switch it on again at the next sitting.

You also prime a brand new machine out of the box, and anytime you run the water reservoir or pump dry, or remove the water resevoir for filling.

To prime:
switch on the WATER toggle switch (middle switch with squiggly lines) and open the steam valve. The water pump starts and directs water into the boiler until it runs out the top which will be from the steam exit port. Ergo....when water eventually runs out of the steam pipe in a continuous passive stream, you're done. Spitting steamy water is not a "continuous passive stream". Close steam valve, and switch off the WATER toggle switch.

Job done. With boiler full, machine will operate as intended.

Hope that helps.

Hello

if I do not ever steam is it OK to prime using the top switch to run water through the main group-head instead of using the middle switch to run the water through the steam wand?

THANKS!