Start Up Question for Mini Owners

[chas]

The User's Manual shows a procedure that you do when you first receive the machine and the boilers are empty. After filling the tank you press and hold the ON/OFF and HOT WATER buttons until water starts coming out of the group.

Perhaps this does something special with regard to priming the pump? There is no step such as this with the V2. You just turn the unit on, the pump runs to fill both boilers and then the normal warm up sequence starts. Of course the fact that house water pressure is being applied to the V2 probably primes the pump automatically.

My main question for Mini users is, other than on first use, when if ever, does this process need to be repeated?

[Endo]

I just barely remember even doing this. I've owned mine for a whole 2 weeks now.

Still, I just tried it again on my Mini to see what it would do. It seems when you hold down the on/off and hot water together it runs the pump and opens the valve for the group head. No water comes out of the hot water dispenser. The "no water" and "power control" lights go on when you do this.

So I assume it's a step that gives priority to getting water into the brew bolier. Once the water is in the first time, it will always be kept full so it never needs to be done again.

In my manual they refer to this as the "boiler filling cycle".

I would probably do it again if I was to empty the brew bolier (for maintenance for example).

[Endo]

One more thing, if you are doing a manual, you may want to consider adding comments on backflushing in the Maintenance section. They tend to avoid discussing this in all machine manuals I've owned. Perhaps they try to avoid it over worry that some people may leave the pump on too long?

I'd also haved liked to see comments on using soft water. That seems ESSENTIAL given the sealed boiler. I'd also like a section on descaling as well, but that is probably best left to the "authorized service technicians".

[chas]

I currently have a section in the manual which is just copied from the V2 Manual that gives the factory approved method for group cleaning. Then I have both this method and the way most of us really do it on the S1 VII Website on the FAQ page. I may pull this info into the manual, but if you are looking for this info now, that's were you can find it.

s1v2/faqs.php#backflush

On the other hand, everyone has their own spin on it, so reading all the ways folks have done it that are posted here in this forum is probably the best resource of all.

I do have some info in the manual about the importance of water quality. However, I also have a link to both this forum and the S1VII site in the manual. The S1 VII site is probably the best place to document it with plenty of photos - assuming a V2 Mini does this at some point and provides me the photos and details for me to post there.

[zoey]

I completely forgot about doing this procedure until this post. I would suspect that it would need to be repeated if the boiler was emptied for repair, cleaning, or prolonged storage/non-use. I don't recall the manual discussing any of these situations.

[chas]

I got the procedure with photos for adjusting the group pressure on the Mini from Jason at CC. I'll be adding that as well. I know this procedure is not in the manual that is shipped with the machines. How did all you Mini owners figure out how to make this adjustment... or didn't you?

[caf4brains]

I've never changed the pressure setting - maybe having instructions would tempt one to tinker.....

[zoey]

I've made adjustments, but I don't recall how I figured it out. I was probably just tinkering around and discovered the adjustability.