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  • Steam problems on 2 group Wega

    Hi All,

    Wondering if I can get some advice. I own a 2 group Milano branded wega. Which I bought two months ago.

    Im having problems getting well textured milk on this machine. No matter how carefully I stretch the milk, I always end up with too much froth and visible bubbles in the milk. Now I work daily on a Mirage and have no problems texturing perfect milk with small 300ml jugs. The volume of the milk also increases more than Im used to. As an example, a 300ml jug filled halfway ends up overflowing before the milk is up to temp. Ive tried plugging the 5 hole steam wand with toothpicks and also changed the entire steam wand for a slightly better one with no change in results.

    Can anyone recommend a fix? Is the steam too wet perhaps? If so, how do I go about changing this on an HX machine without throwing the group head/steam equilibrium out of whack?

    Thanks,
    ACog

    P.S. Ive posted in the machines section rather than milk froth and bubbles as I believe the problem lies with the macchina rather than the mano

  • #2
    Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

    Originally posted by 7D7F737B7B75726F1C0 link=1274527580/0#0 date=1274527580
    Hi All,

    Wondering if I can get some advice. I own a 2 group Milano branded wega. Which I bought two months ago.

    Im having problems getting well textured milk on this machine. No matter how carefully I stretch the milk, I always end up with too much froth and visible bubbles in the milk. Now I work daily on a Mirage and have no problems texturing perfect milk with small 300ml jugs. The volume of the milk also increases more than Im used to. As an example, a 300ml jug filled halfway ends up overflowing before the milk is up to temp. Ive tried plugging the 5 hole steam wand with toothpicks and also changed the entire steam wand for a slightly better one with no change in results.

    Can anyone recommend a fix? Is the steam too wet perhaps? If so, how do I go about changing this on an HX machine without throwing the group head/steam equilibrium out of whack?

    Thanks,
    ACog

    P.S. Ive posted in the machines section rather than milk froth and bubbles as I believe the problem lies with the macchina rather than the mano
    Ya a hard man to please..

    As you are well aware.. A bit hard to offer much with out seeing / hearing /Touching.

    1: Wetness.. Real or perception ?

    Do a test.. Purge. Stop and then run for 30sev in a jug and then measure teh amount of water... Do teh same on teh other unit..

    Then you have real evidence as to WETNES.

    2: Temp ... Er you said it... If the group and HX is fine... You can play a little; but will that change teh steam ???

    3: Water level in teh tank.. Again a trade of a bit with the rest of teh system but worth thinking about

    4: Have you done a descale of the steam line ??? If ya have scale or deposits in any of the fittings / junctions it will cause a change to teh way teh steam performs..

    5: Is the problem with both steamers ?

    6: O-rings and valves all clean and lubed..

    Opps Brainstorming... Slowed to a stop... Need coffee and BF1942 ;D



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    • #3
      Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

      my bets the milk, is it diff to work?

      interesting one Acog,

      do you work up there with those 3 sexy sisters, or come down the hill like jack and jill? i found it hard to find a good coffee up there last time I visited

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

        Have you tried my method on the new machine

        It worked for you on the 6910 so it may be time to revisit

        http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1220959662

        I have used it with success on many machines

        KK

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

          hey acog.
          ive used an old wega two group before for a bit and i found it difficult to get nice milk too.
          i recall people commenting on the older style wega tips being pretty horrible.
          ive used prosumer tips that no matter what kinda plugging of ports resulted in below part milk.
          hopefully someone will chime in with the "right" tip (hhmm double meaning...)
          try searching thru coffeeparts and see what tips they may have for wegas.
          or chat with pedro (from cp) - hell prob know what tips will fit your steam arm.

          aaron

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

            Originally posted by 735C5557407F535C5355575F575C46320 link=1274527580/1#1 date=1274528903
            Ya a hard man to please..
            Hey AM, yes, I am. If Im going to be serving coffee from this beast, I want people to say it was awesome, not just nice.

            A few good tips, Ill try them out. How would I go about changing the water level in the tank?

            Maheel, Ive tried a number of different milks, most of which I know to work fine on other machines, including my little 6910.

            KK, I could be doin it wrong, but I have no problems on other machines, including ones with 5 hole steam tips. I used the NS aurellia WBC spec machine a few months ago, and after the first jug which was a disaster, I had excellent results. That machine has more steam power than a russian locomotive.

            The weird thing is even if I only allow a small amount of air in while stretching, the result is always about the same, too much foam, and no gloss, just lots of really small bubbles. And if Im using a small 300ml jug, the milk volume increases so much that it begins spilling out the sides before the milk is up to temp.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

              Originally posted by 6F6D61696967607D0E0 link=1274527580/5#5 date=1274568231
              How would I go about changing the water level in the tank?
              Not sure on yours ... Do you have and technical docs... Look for a single SS probe going into the boiler..

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                Not sure if your Wega is the same but the probe AM was taking about may look like this one attached to the white cable on my Izzo

                What sort of pressure is the boiler at too? If you have wound it back to far you will be getting wet steam.


                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                  Thanks BF, Ill check for something similar. Tank pressure is set to around 1 bar while idling. It doesnt drop to less than ~.8 bar when its under load.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                    Hey Acog

                    chuck a empty jug under your steam wand (big one) and blast it with steam for 1 min or so. (be careful its hot!!! lol) purge it 1st as normal

                    how much water / condensation is then in the jug after?

                    i just tried on mine thinking about your issue, after about a min (and burning my fingers) I only had about 7ml max, and i sort of used a bit of ally foil over the jug to try to catch all the steam.

                    unless you are getting massive amounts of water i just cant see you filling a jug with water making the milk volume increase.

                    to adjust your water Power off!!!, i would think yours would be a ss probe and just push it in further, you then need to drain some water via the hot water tap a bit to get it to "refill" to the lower mark. normally its on top of the boiler near the antivac with one wire attached. make sure you stay above the elements hey !!! I would put a spanner on it and remove  to see how deep the probe really is before adjusting.......
                    probe out, check with wooden kitchen spoon for water depth and determine element depth etc. I would do my 1st "checks" with wooden spoon on a "cold" boiler.......

                    dont take the plug out of a boiler full of steam.......... that might hurt....

                    same style probe as per BF pic, one wire on the right

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                      Pressure sounds low, mine is running at around 1.1. Maybe give the PStat a crank, try some shots to make sure the temp is still OK and see if the steam quality improves.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                        Boiler pressure could be adjusted up to 1.1 - 1.2 bar
                        On my BZ40 machine I prefer to have the elements cycle on, no lower than 1.1 bar

                        And if that is no better I would look at the boiler water level as noted above

                        KK

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                          Originally posted by 5E595D525A504555525B3C0 link=1274527580/10#10 date=1274572173
                          Pressure sounds low, mine is running at around 1.1. Maybe give the PStat a crank, try some shots to make sure the temp is still OK and see if the steam quality improves.
                          AND

                          Originally posted by 77535A5A59596377534F51533C0 link=1274527580/11#11 date=1274575471
                          Boiler pressure could be adjusted up to 1.1 - 1.2 bar
                          On my BZ40 machine I prefer to have the elements cycle on, no lower than 1.1 bar

                          And if that is no better I would look at the boiler water level as noted above

                          KK
                          Me 3

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                            Originally posted by 6166626D656F7A6A6D64030 link=1274527580/10#10 date=1274572173
                            Maybe give the PStat a crank, try some shots to make sure the temp is still OK
                            Honestly, the espresso from this machine is pretty ordinary too. Looks nice when it pours from the spout, nice viscosity and colour, but lacks sweetness of balance. Often has a bitter finish.

                            One things for sure, this is going to force me to learn about the inner workings of an HX machine.

                            Maheel,

                            Thanks very much for the practical tips. Especially about removing the probe on a cold boiler. Kind of reminds me of the time my cousin checked the water level on her overheated radiator....

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Steam problems on 2 group Wega

                              Originally posted by 65676B63636D6A77040 link=1274527580/13#13 date=1274610782
                              Honestly, the espresso from this machine is pretty ordinary too. Looks nice when it pours from the spout, nice viscosity and colour, but lacks sweetness of balance. Often has a bitter finish.
                              Not sure how long it was standing idle so a good system clean may be in order

                              Originally posted by 65676B63636D6A77040 link=1274527580/13#13 date=1274610782
                              One things for sure, this is going to force me to learn about the inner workings of an HX machine.  
                              I am sure you know most of this Acog but I will post it for the benefit of others

                              The HX system is a separate heat absorbing unit
                              It draws in & uses fresh water (not boiler water)
                              Water pipes or pipe spirals are heated by transfer from the hot boiler water

                              When the machine is sitting idle for a while the water in the HX pipes will be at boiling point

                              This water should be flushed to stabilise the temp
                              A visual sign of the flush is - until the water runs free without spitting or hissing
                              Some machines need more & some less of a flush

                              Then load your already prepared group handle and pull your shot

                              As for steaming or prior to steaming
                              I get a tall plastic cup (or milk bottle) and purge steam for about 10 seconds which is about the time it takes me to steam milk

                              Then proceed with steaming the milk

                              KK

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