Too Much Coffee

Just a word of warning about sticking you head under your naked portafilter watching the flow. It can be dangerous, as I found out this eveing!
Somehow as the pressure rose the portafilter managed to turn and fall out showering me with hot grounds, water and a portafilter Lots of sore bits, but no proper burns, but I think I was lucky.
Not sure quite how it happened, but my naked PF does not lock in that far (as it has tedhnically the wrong "ears" for my group) so I guess this was to blame. Never done it before in 6 years though. I think my over pressure valve sticks sometimes (new one already on teh way) and so the pressure ramped up tofull pump pressure. Whatever a 9 years old vibe pump can deliver. The new 8mm gasket seems thicker then previous ones which adds to the locking problem.
I'm beginning to wonder if teh olf Rituale doesn't like me any more and perhaps I should be thining about a new machine

Glad you are OK. Are you sure the new gasket is 8mm or could you have been supplied with 8.5mm by mistake?

simonp wrote:....I'm beginning to wonder if teh olf Rituale doesn't like me any more and perhaps I should be thining about a new machine

Before taking such drastic action I suggest you consider the Basil Fawlty approach to tame wayward machines.

GreenBean wrote:Glad you are OK. Are you sure the new gasket is 8mm or could you have been supplied with 8.5mm by mistake?

No, I know the PF won't even go in with an 8.5mm gasket. It must just be a fraction thicker than the previous ones I have used.

I certainly won't be sticking my head quite so close under the machine from now on! Shame really as it looked like being a really nice extraction of Square Mile's Red Brick blend, which I've found likes a very specific dose and temperature. The following shot was not as good, probably as my distribution hand was still shaking

New OPV and pump sat on my desk waiting to go in at the weekend. Boiler will be out for ANOTHER descale and inspection as it seems I didn't get it all out despite high concentrations of citric acid

That could ave been nasty Simon, I am peased you are relatively unhurt. Can you see lots of scale on your boiler walls?

CakeBoy wrote:That could ave been nasty Simon, I am peased you are relatively unhurt. Can you see lots of scale on your boiler walls?

Yes, I'm sure being sprayed with 94C water at 9bar pressure could have been much worse!

When I looked inside the main boiler with a little flexy video camera thing it looked mostly clear. However the HX pipe I believe is a different matter. I thought I had got it all out as the elbow joint was finally free of scale and the group was getting very hot. However, since I have been using the group temperature thing I now know that the HX is heating the water slower than it should. I have also seen more scale collecting in the elbow joint out of the HX pipe in the boiler, so I know there is more in there. It is surprising how quickly the flakes get stuck on to the pipes again further down.

You might like to try Calcinet descaler in the HX. If you isolate the boiler by shorting out the wire that usually goes to the boiler autofill it should be fine (you know all this anyway). It is seriously strong descaler and literally melts scale in seconds. We don't use it in Anna generally but when there is a known scale probem it is great. Scott stocks it and it is not expensive.

CakeBoy wrote:You might like to try Calcinet descaler in the HX. If you isolate the boiler by shorting out the wire that usually goes to the boiler autofill it should be fine (you know all this anyway). It is seriously strong descaler and literally melts scale in seconds. We don't use it in Anna generally but when there is a known scale probem it is great. Scott stocks it and it is not expensive.

I was planning on taking the boiler out and just filling the HX pipe with descaler. I know all the rest of the system is clear.
If I can't find any of the Kilrock (formic acid) I'll give the Calcinet a try.

On a positive note, 2 cracking shots this eveing with no portafiletr in the face Also managed to get them at smack on 94C brew temp using the thermometer in the group. I have actually been using a thermocouple and a logging meter so I can post some lovely temperature graphs to bore everybody at some point