brugnetti simona top deep clean

[gminoz]

Hey guys

I picked up a simona the other day secondhand, so I want to clean it up as well as I can. I've backed flushed it a lot, but still get tainted water coming through. I'm happy to look at a descale, but was wondering how that is done when this model has no water spout, so I can't drain the boiler that way.

If anyone can point me to some information on this I'd be very grateful. Doesn't seem to be much info around on this machine

Thanks!

[tristanp]

It's a great little machine that gives me good results and no trouble. Coffeeparts.com.au has some parts for it (gaskets, shower screen, pump etc).
Mine was filthy when I got it but some elbow grease, lots of back flushing, new group head gasket and shower screen etc brought it back to top performance. I should get it professionally serviced one day, but I've had it probably seven years (?) and it's given me little to worry about. I have no idea how old mine is, but 20 years and still going strong seems likely.

Enjoy, and put some pics up as you go.

[LeroyC]

brugnetti simona top deep clean

G'day fellow Simona Top owners,

We should start a club! Or at least a Simona Top owners thread. I don't think there's many of us out there and as you say there's bugger all info online. The Simona Top Yahoo User Group has a bit of info on it, but it's not very active so you won't get any recent advice on there.
I don't know any tricks to emptying the boiler sorry. I emptied mine when I brought it back to NZ from Sydney. I did so by removing the anti-vac valve from the top of the boiler and tipping the water out. Obviously this isn't an easy task and is probably best done at floor level, maybe even outside, with some towels to protect the machine and a helping hand if necessary. If you want to get an undiluted mix of descale solution in the boiler this is the only way really.
The other option is to drain the water reservoir, make a concentrated mix of solution to put in there and pump it into the boiler. This is obviously a bit less accurate, but it has the benefit of getting some cleaner through the lines from the tank to the boiler. Good luck with it, let us know how you go.

Show us a pic when you get a chance. Here's mine:

[pyrmontboy200]

That is a good looking little machine...

[kaanage]

The boiler has a drain plug for descaling - it's a bit fiddly to use plus you get the opportunity to burn yourself (and make sure you unplug the power before unbolting the plug).

A nice compact machine but the one I used for a couple of years had a super fast rebound so we had to do a cooling flush before every shot (possibly the HX had a hole in it but another one I used had the same behaviour)

[LeroyC]

The boiler has a drain plug for descaling - it's a bit fiddly to use plus you get the opportunity to burn yourself (and make sure you unplug the power before unbolting the plug).

A nice compact machine but the one I used for a couple of years had a super fast rebound so we had to do a cooling flush before every shot (possibly the HX had a hole in it but another one I used had the same behaviour)

There you go. The boiler is wrapped on mine so I missed that bung. It must be what the lump is under the insulating wrap that I can see at the back of the boiler.
I agree that the rebound is fast, but I don't mind. It's good practice to flush between shots on any HX machine anyway and the Simona has a nice big drip tray so you don't need to be constantly emptying it due to regular cooling flush. I've been using a Rocket Evo recently and the drip tray on the Simona is much bigger than that by comparison.

[LeroyC]

That is a good looking little machine...

Why thank you good sir.

[gminoz]

Thanks for your responses guys. I'll drain the boiler this weekend and see what I find. LeroyC I'll have to get mine as clean as yours before I post a picture, or I'll be ashamed! Do you think that the insulating wrap is worthwhile? Do you knwo what it's wrapped in?
Agree on the flush, it's good practice to clear old grounds from the cup before, and the drip tray is generous.

[LeroyC]

Thanks for your responses guys. I'll drain the boiler this weekend and see what I find. LeroyC I'll have to get mine as clean as yours before I post a picture, or I'll be ashamed! Do you think that the insulating wrap is worthwhile? Do you knwo what it's wrapped in?
Agree on the flush, it's good practice to clear old grounds from the cup before, and the drip tray is generous.

Wrapping the boiler can almost never be a bad thing, especially in a compact little machine like the Simona. The major benefit is that it will stop the water reservoir from getting ridiculously hot. It still gets warm, but I believe that without the insulation it can get seriously hot. Overall it's better for temp stability as well from what I've heard, but I couldn't say for sure. Mine's just wrapped in a heat resistant foam, but there are lots of options. There's a thread on CS somewhere about wrapping boilers, check it out.

[gminoz]

Cheers, will do

[tristanp]

I'll join in the family reunion. Here's mine:

[LeroyC]

Excellent!!

[gminoz]

and mine

[gminoz]

oops, dropbox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dlrrwv5hf7...11101.jpg?dl=0

Not sure how old it is, s/n is ST006, scratched on by previous owner I guess

[tristanp]

Looks good.