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Swapping the steam wand from left to right on the Carimali Uno P
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Swapping the steam wand from left to right on the Carimali Uno P
Hi folks,
I looked for info on how to switch the steam wand and hot water on the Carimali Uno and came up pretty blank.
Therefore I thought it would be a good place to show some pics about how to do it for others wishing to embark.
It's not particularly tricky if you're happy inside a machine, and you'll need some basic hand tools. A vice will come in handy. I've done it using the original pipes at their original lengths. This has two benefits. No soldering (lead?! Argh) and it can be reversed.
You could burn yourself/snap a pipe and brick the machine blah blah blah.
Step 1. Take of the pipes and bend them gently to the new shapes shown in the pics. If you have a blowtorch, run a permanent marker along the length of the pipe, heat it until the line disappears, then let it cool to room temperature slowly. This will soften the copper incredibly, and make the bending easier and prettier. Try to bend it all by hand to avoid scratches. This is hard without the blowtorch.
Next, remove the hot water and steam valves. Undo the lock nuts circled in blue, then the Allen key bolts. Turn the valve handles 180⁰. Be careful to set the gap between lever and valve actuator so they just touch when the lever is at its upper most (off) position. Retighten the bolts and lock nuts.
Watch out for the vacuum relief valve on the steam wand side. You'll need to turn it 180⁰, such that the ball bearing is facing upward. You might just be able to tighten it to do this, but if not, whip it off, add thread tape and then screw it back in, stopping in the up position when getting tight.
The hot water and steam wand pipes now need one dimension of their bends made opposite. See the pics for clarification here. WARNING: you will put stress fractures any chroming that you have if you do this. It is unlikely any Carimali Uno has any left these days, but I thought I'd mention it! This will not affect the pressure tightness of the pipes, just diminish the appearance slightly. Almost unnoticeable on a vintage machine.
(Only 5 attachments allowed per post, see reply for steam wand bends)
Replace the wands, connect the pipes and mount the valves again. Make sure you have the front stainless plate on before mounting the valves. You'll want to set how far forward they come in relation to the stainless.
Now you can hold your milk jug in your right hand, woohoo!
Top tip: make your own diy steam wand handle with an old wine bottle cork. Drill a 7.5mm hole, skinny it down on a sander and wrap *tightly* with insulation tape. Put it in boiling water and sink it for a minute. Wriggle it over the steam nozzle (remove the nozzle if yours is the original fat one not a home brewed one like in the pics). Remove the tape and let it dry on a straight section. Once dry, wriggle it up to the bend. It should be tight enough to stay put pretty effectively. The tape is to stop it splitting as you get over the nozzle.
Do ask questions in the replies if you have any!
Good luck,
Joe.

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