To prime, but what if not to prime, that is the question

Equipment, technique, or just drinking the stuff

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To prime, but what if not to prime, that is the question

Postby Jonny782 » Sun Jul 15, 2012 7:02 pm

This is Gaggia classic post. My machine at work is in a communal kitchen. My question is, if a colleague switches on the machine but does not run water thru to prime it, does it matter? I've never understood this priming bizzy.
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Postby quink » Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:43 am

Priming just make sure the boiler is full, so you dont end up killing the element in the machine.

If you steam your milk, your pump isn't running so the water level in the boiler drops as you steam. If you dont prime the machine after steaming you could be left with an element thats not covered completely by water. Which could lead to a quick failure.

If you only make espresso priming shouldn't be an issue as the pump will replace any water used when you brew, so your boiler should always be full. Never hurts to check though.
Modified Rancilio Silvia, Gaggia 2600 grinder, La Pavoni Pub 1EV
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Postby Jonny782 » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:19 pm

OK Thank you. I presume then that the boiler should not drain after matchine switched off?
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