Is this the same part?

[Bitches_Brew]

i was wondering why there was such a dramatic difference in the price. are they different?

http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... nvalveseat

http://www.espressoparts.com/F_143

[MDL]

I can't tell you if the part is the same. What I can tell you is that Chris, like the majority of businesses, does mark up his parts. You have to decide if you can identify what you need on your own or if you want/need to "pay" Chris for stocking the parts, helping you identify what you need and generally providing great service. Chris runs a business that supports its' customers in ways that very few businesses can or do. He is not running a low cost replacement parts business but rather a full service, customer focused coffee business.

[chas]

Of course unless you bundle this item with several other things you need at the same time, the shipping costs will be the determining factor. Chris might stick the part in a 1st class USPS padded envelope and ship it to you for a buck, EP might charge you $7 to send it UPS.

BTW: Normally when I do find I need to order something from EP I usually do wait until I have several things to order just for this reason.

[Endo]

I'm not too concerned with $5 but............

Did your OPV seat actually wear out? I was wondering how long mine would last before it needed replacing. (I assume it will only wear out on the Mini ?)

Also, since the OPV overflow goes back to the vibe pump on the Mini, how can you tell when it's leaking? I assume the only way to tell would be that the brew pressure would drop below 9 bar and adjusting the OPV tighter would not cause the pressure to increase?

I'll probably check my valve seat at overhaul time (5 years). That's when I plan remove all covers, open the boiler, clean the internals, etc.

Thoughts?

[Bitches_Brew]

Did your OPV seat actually wear out?

yes.

how can you tell when it's leaking? I assume the only way to tell would be that the brew pressure would drop below 9 bar and adjusting the OPV tighter would not cause the pressure to increase?

in my case the bad expansion valve seat was allowing my brew boiler to drain, which in turn, made steam come out of the group instead of water. i'll add that my machine is fed from a flow jet so the signs of one wearing out might differ from yours. i tried to tighten the old seat, but it did nothing.

[Endo]

I assume you have a regular S1 since you say flowjet (not Mini).

How can the OPV seat wear out it if the pressure is controlled internally in the rotary pump? The OPV is just that...and "over pressure valve", so it should not be moving much (as I understand it).

On the other hand, on Mini it is actually a "PRV" (or pressure regulating valve), so it should be opening and closing several times each shot to regulate the pressure to 9 bar. So I assume it would wear out much faster. No?

[Bitches_Brew]

How can the OPV seat wear out it if the pressure is controlled internally in the rotary pump?

the only thing that i saw on the seat was an indentation from where it butts up against the pipe.

so where's the "foot in mouth" smiley face? i think starting this thread jinxed me. i replaced the seat about 2 weeks ago and it's been working fine since. after making my first shot this morning i went to clean the group and had steam/super hot water coming out once again, but the shot i made was normal temp.

whatever the problem is it's only happening once in a while.

[Endo]

All seats have a circular impression (like this):

s1v2/VII_Expansion.php

Since you replaced the seat and it continues (to drip during shots I assume), it sounds like your problem is somewhere else.

[Bitches_Brew]

it sounds like your problem is somewhere else.

i agree. i just got done replacing these 2 parts so i hope one of them is where the "somewhere else" was. (sorry for the bad picture i was in a hurry)