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Originally posted by roknee link=1205799779/15#18 date=1206786677
now for a question:
i thought with the machine apart that i would maybe soak the 3 way in citric acid solution as well.
can i just immerse the part on the left of the pic? and will citric harden or ruin any rubber o rings?
cheers for your help
aaron
Better to soak this in Caffeto/Espresso Clean Aaron as most of the gunk within the valve orifices will be organic (rancid coffee remains). The problem with using any type of acid, even a mild one like Citric, is that it will etch the internals of the valve surfaces and may cause operational problems down the track.
my machine is clean and ready and awaiting a new pump and some bits. hopefully tues night ill reassemble me new baby and start pulling shots.
will post pics..
BIG thanks to all those who helped out, and a special shout out to sparky and pedro.
i have to say that i was VERY close to calling a service shop to fix er up, and then considered what the bill would look like and thought id have a go myself.
im glad i did and with your help and inspiration, ive totaly dis/re-assembled, cleaned, scrubbed, replaced, etc and im damn excited to see this baby in action.
hi
before soaking the three way valve in coffee cleaner,
remove the two orings,
undo the shaft from the base taking note of the order of piston and spring,
wipe off excess coffee inside brass base then soak.
with wet and dry sandpaper clean the bottom of the base.
this is best done with the sandpaoper wet, with warm water, and laid on a flat surface, then take the base and place on sandpaper and rub to and fro. this will clean the bottom surface and make it more even, giving a better seal on the orings when refitted.
well well well,
parts from COFFEEPARTS arrived within 28 hours (from syd)! i just have to say that Pedro has been wonderful from the word go.; very quick to respond to emails and phone calls and he threw in some group head gasket spacers for down the track free. amazing service, really.
MODS: can i change the title of this thread to something like "The Family Is Alive" or "Faema back on its femur" or "Faema Fantastico"?? the desperate plee for help in the title no longer applies...
so shes up and running, ran through a couple of shots using old beans to season and test the 3-way.
3-way seemed to do its job but not 100% so will chemical backflush and see if that helps.
the steam tip leaks a bit of steam from where it joins the arm (the screw thread).
she runs hot (I think) but have to play a little.
I will probably need some help in working out OPV adjustments soon.
THANK YOU to everyone who has helped get this thing working again. im like a little school boy (i EVEN pushed off having my lunch when the parts arrived, and believe me, it takes something pretty significant for that to happen)
well, pics are due but i have to say that i havent been totally happy (what is total happiness though) with the results in the cup.
admittedly i havent been using the best beans i think and thats an issue, and i also spent quite some time working out opv tweaking which I think (and hope) is about right based on the fluid o tech pressure chart (175ml/min from memory)
initially getting burnt tasting or very bitter espresso but realised that i was pulling shots DURING boiler cycling..whoops.
have now got a good routine which involves a 4 or 5 sec flush right after the thermostat clicks off.
Im getting a new tamper today and will swing past veneziano for something fresh (thats beans wushoes - not you) and will skip all the way home to try this combo out.
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