The S1 Cafe - Helping Your Espresso Dreams Become Reality

slo

First I noticed that the lights on the display are not lighting up as normal so the machine seems to detect a problem. These lights usually come on when there is a blockage. Also the pressure gauge shows line pressure but when you initiate the dose the pressure does not go up nor is there any water ...

slo

First; where and how are you measuring the temperature? If you are measuring the water falling out of the shower screen, the temperature will always be much lower than the boiler temperature. Furthermore the temperature of falling water will also be lower than the temperature of water hitting the co...

slo

Thank you Chas for taking the time to follow up.
Mine has been running with a 20A feed for many years and no issues.
Just in case anyone had second thoughts about running on 20A...

slo

Thank you Chas.
CCS did not indicate which part of the tests it no longer pass?

slo

I noticed something looking at the plumbing in the parts catalog, the expansion valve on the Mini does not drain in the drip tray like the VII but rather is plumbed back to the water inlet path! I guess it makes sense if you have to fill the water reservoir manually. Furthermore the expansion valve ...

slo

I do not have a Mini but I can try to help. Are you referring to the valve seen in the left of this picture? Mini_V2_Owners_Manual_RevG 26.pdf Part 8582 of the parts catalog. RICAMBI S1 NEW 15.pdf Yes this is a pressure relief valve. And no, there should not be water coming out of it unless the boil...

slo

Thank again Chas. Hope that the ETL did not find something wrong with the design. Another point is that although the Dream may have passed the test, it is also now only available in 15 Amp. So it does not seem to be resolved by software. On the CCS site, only the Dream T is still available in 15 or ...

slo

Thank you Chas.
I am really curious about this.

slo

Welcome here

That is a nice set-up.
You, or someone in your family, is a big fan of flavored coffee?
That is a lot of variety!

slo

I did this test as well and got mostly steam with a little bit of water, does that sound right? You removed the whole valve from the group head and only got a bit of water while the line pressure is ON (Flojet active)? With your Flojet ON, you should get continuous flow from the group head port. If...

slo

See my note below in a other thread. There are electrical components that are only rated for 15 amps. I noticed your post and this is what reminded me that I saw earlier on H-B that CC's machine would now only be 15 Amp. How can you tell that the connectors are only 15 amp rated? FWIW, it has been ...

slo

Taken from the Chris Coffee website:

"As of August 2017, this machine can only be used in 15 amp mode but will continue to have a 20 amp plug on the machine, so a converter cord will be included with all Vivaldi machines."

Anybody knows why that is?

slo

If it is in fact the solenoid valve, if I were to remove that whole valve from the side of the grouphead, would water come out under line pressure? This would be the same test or better than removing the boiler inlet tube as I suggested. Sorry guys if I seem to be phased out from your discussion. I...

slo

Pretty sure the brew boiler is filling. I popped off the inlet to it and got water spurting out as it heated up. This means that the boiler is full but it does not mean that it fills with line pressure. When you had the water inlet off there should have been a flow out of the tube from the line (fl...

slo

If the group boiler fills (as stated), regardless of the pump working or not, when the group solenoid 3-way valve opens (when pushing the 1 or 2 cup button) there should be flow coming out the group under the flojet pressure. Yet there is no flow. I would think that either the 3-way valve is not ope...

slo

I was doing my routine cleaning of the group dispersion screen when I though about the silicone gasket. So I pull it out to look at it and check for general condition. To my continued amazement it is still nice and flexible 3 years after installation with the machine being ON 24/7. The only effect o...

slo

The gicleur screws into the output of the flowmeter. From there water flows directly to the group boiler. (Part # 276 on the drawing in an earlier post.) The gicleur that I was talking about is the one that is part of the steam boiler solenoid valve. The group pressure gauge is right at the output ...

slo

The group boiler fills automatically from line pressure. Therefore it should already be full when you turn the machine on. If the pump comes on as soon as your turn on the machine, that most likely means it is trying to fill the steam boiler. The only way this could cause the group pressure to chan...

slo

The left hand gauge gives you pump pressure and the right hand gauge gives you steam pressure. The steam gauge will not move, regardless of the pump being active, until there is pressure build up from the water being hot. If the left goes into the red, as you described, then I would think that the p...

slo

I just measured the resistance of a brand new temperature sensor that I received from CC for the Vivaldi II, the new shorty type, and it measured at around 200K ohms at room temperature. I also confirm that the resistance decreases as the temperature increases. I am no expert in temperature sensor, ...

slo

Oh well! For some reason the steam boiler was set to an additional degree! I just reset it to 1 degree below the normal and the pressure is now stable around 1.25 (oscillate between 1.2 and 1.3) bar. I'll experiment with the setting to see where I like the steam power the best. I know that I still h...

slo

My machine as a mix of sensors installed; Stubby on the steam boiler and Well type on the brew boiler. Are they interchangeable one to one? I installed the new sensor on today and could not make a perfect seal even with enough teflon on the thread that I could not tighten it anymore. I am sure that ...

slo

OK. Follow up on CC, they tell me to put Teflon tape on the threads... The threads on the sensor are straight, not tapered. So theoretically the Teflon on threads is not the right way to do it. While there is a chance that it may work (for how long?) I am still thinking that the sensor should either...

slo

Did you resolve your problem?

slo

Ok, it is my turn to have a problem with the steam boiler temperature. The steam boiler overheat and the pressure reaches 1.5 bar. It is stable there Based on this, and other threads I have assumed a Temperature sensor problem. I took out the Temp sensor to look at it and it was covered by a fine la...

slo

If I understand things correctly, the copper you see at the end of the tube is normal. It should be there to prevent direct flow down that would splash with a lot of energy in the drip tray. The exit holes should be sideways and the larger tube redirect the flow down after taking the bulk of the ene...

slo

Welcome back!
The Vivaldi is THE affordable double boiler to own.
Still no upgradatis to speak of on my side (full disclosure: I also have a number of lever machines...)

slo

Maybe it is the "whirling fan"?
Do a search on noisy fan to find a fix if it is that.
Good luck.

slo

Just saw the initial offer.
I have a full maintenance coming up and I assume that my gasket will look like yours.
I am in for a set.

slo

I am now around the 1 year mark and I just turned the gasket over and it now behaves like a new one.
Lets see if I get the sliddiong again .

I never got more than a year on a classical gasket. Based on this the silicone is definetly a better solution no matter how long it last from now on.

slo

I have noticed though that my portafilter rotates slightly during a shot. It frightened me at first, but it stops in time and doesn't really come close to falling out. So far. Funny but this happened to me also recently. I have been very laxed on the tightening since these gasket are softer to begi...

slo

If you use the tip described by Chas you can reduce the friction created by the basket such that no tool is required to pull out the basket. Vivaldi PF spring modification..jpg I have circled the 3 bends that you need to do. Bend as much or as little as you want to get the right retention force you ...

slo

The image does not work for me...

But if they are black we sure can talk.

slo

I dropped a cast iron skilled on one of my plastic side that resulted on a small crack. It is very small and barely visible but it always bugs me. I asked for a quote on a pair of replacement Plastic panels from CC. They quoted me $300.00 for a pair. It stopped there. I figured that I eventually wou...

slo

I also am on the first one. Although I has only been on for 6 months ...
The machine is on 24 -7 and there is still no sign of hardening.
My average with the traditional seal was between 6 to 12 months (and that is pushing the life to the limit...)

slo

Thank you again.
I will probably get this funnel a chance.
Shipping to Canada is really a little over the top...

slo

Thank you for posting the pictures.
I am seriously considering this alternative since the price is so much better.
How is the fit on the body? The cylinder is larger than the Mazzer body right?
Doesn't the bead on the top rim prevent a proper attachment?
Thanks again

slo

Thank you. I had done my search with "funnel coffee" and it did not come up in the top few hundred... I gave up an asked. I should have tried "funnel grinder"... It looks nice. Does the Mazzer doser lid fit well on top? Does he also do the backing plate? At this time there is non...

slo

rhinoevans wrote:Very inexpensive funnel on eBay from a guy making them in Sacramento $85. Probably will pick one up just to experiment. $85 for nozzle and a back plate from Mazzer for $29.

Could you post a link to this offer?
I also have a SJ that could use a funnel.

slo

Of course it can! The Major is a very good grinder with the large 83mm flat burrs. It has a very particular taste profile. Very different from the large conical. In my opinion, it is one of the best single dose grinder I have ever used; Fast and Consistent . That being said the grocery model will no...

slo

E-Mail sent.
I will take my 3 gaskets.

I just installed my last spare. For me it means I will need a replacement spare in about a year maybe less than that.
If the Silicone really last longer, I will be set for many years to come!
Thank you for this!

slo

I was away on business, just got in...

I certainly will take a three, more if it can help with the process and cost optimisation.
Red is a good color for me too.

Even if they are very stable thermally they will still wear. And I am not about to change my machine any time soon!

slo

For my machine it was indeed at part #280 where the problem was. Without blocking the flow completely, the stuck valve was acting as a "gicleur" (flow restricter) enough to slow down the filling of the steam boiler (taking more than 1 minute and all that follows) after taking some hot wate...

slo

Just a completely useless quick note to let you know that it is nor because you did not get a response that we do not care... It is just that I do not seem to be wiser than you!
Can you give more details? I just cannot understand the scenario. We are not talking about the vacuum breaker here, right?

slo

Mine only have a little plastic dot that prevent removal. It is only a matter of prying it out. I have done so before.
Since the part is sold alone and the Hopper cannot be taken apart there, I assume that brute force is the solution to your problem.

slo

Hello Stefanolo and welcome. I will defer to others on advices specific to the Mini... but I agree that the no-burn, albeit the obvious advantage of the no-burn feature, is probably not the best steam arm. I keep on trying it on but removing it for the original steam arm. I never tried the longer S5...

slo

Like I wrote in another post recently:
The end position of the P/F should be at or before the 6 o'clock. I last changed the gasket about 3 months ago and the P/F seals at 6:30 or even 6:45 still.

slo

It is indeed sometime hard to get it in. Last change I did I put the gasket in the freezer for a while to get it to shrink. It does not shrink a lot but it does help with a hot machine to put it in. The end position of the P/F should be at or before the 6 o'clock. I last changed the gasket about 3 m...

slo

Maybe it's just me, but when my espresso machine is acting up, my life is just plain out of kilter. I'm glad yours is back to being peachy. No, no! It is not just you. I too get all out of whack when I cannot get my espresso proper. But the espresso side was working, not great, but it was working. ...

slo

Finally found the time and the patience to take the Vivaldi apart... Man is it ever hard to get at some of the plumbing parts in this machine!!! :evil: This morning the symptoms got really bad! The flow was down to a dribble!!! I had to do something. The suspected parts was indeed the cause of all m...

slo

Endo wrote:...throw out your old theories about what a good shot should look like and simply thrust your taste.

Now that is good wisdom!

slo

Congratulation and Welcome!
Bring it on!

slo

Although I recognise his knowledge and ability to put it into word, Your "buddy" is no friend of mine... :twisted: I agree with your ideas 100%, but in the reality of day to day use, it's a non-issue (at least for me); what comes out each time is close enough to what goes in each time, and...

slo

I can't say that the burr chamber on my WBC and a Fresh are identical because I haven't looked inside a Fresh, but on mine, the sweeper under the lower burr has very close tolerances to the burr chamber that there's .5g tops in there. I hate to disagree with you Peter, but this is not entirely true...

slo

Also for the springs, instead of buying new springs you can also just make more bends in the straight sections. This reduces the retaining force. The more bends the least force.
I remove the basket for preparation easily before each shot.

slo

A lot of post have been made over the years about alternate drain solutions Here is the one where I presented my own take on it: http://www.s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=610 A lot of Italian machine have a drain kit with a small catch basin under the main drip tray to drain out. I have found t...

slo

Welcome! Actually, the second switch is for the optional programmable timer. If you do not use the timer, the switch MUST be on OFF. If it is ON without the timer being installed it will make the electronic go crazy and play tricks on you. Just flick it back. No arm done. Enjoy the machine and the f...

slo

There isn't a 'correct' setting, but he suggest taking the tube off the boiler and dispensing water into a cup, and looking for a steady stream. I tried that when the problem was going on, and it would have a very short spurt and then go down to a dribble. My steam boiler is filling in the normal a...

slo

Hello Peter. Thank you for sharing the pain! And I mean that most sincerely! I have a very similar issue on the my Vivaldi. Since this is my daily workhorse, plumbed in and drained out through the counter just over the the dishwasher machine the access to the plumbing is very difficult and there is ...

slo

I have been following this saga with interest but with nothing helpful to add so I did not interrupt with annoying useless comments. But now that everything is resolved I am glad that everything is back in working order for Zzyzx. And thank you to Chas for educating all of us on trouble shooting the...

slo

Thank you Chas for this. I am eagerly reading and waiting for more on this. The GS/3 has been an option in my home for a while because my wife likes the looks of the machine better! I didn't share any information on pricing! ;-) I was and still remain skeptical that the differences will ever be such...

slo

If you look at the La Spaziale parts catalog they indeed offer 2 different thickness. I believe that Chas is correct in assuming that it is because of P/F ears wear. What I do not understand is the different diameters available? There have been a number of reports of people having a hell of a time ...

slo

If you look at the La Spaziale parts catalog they indeed offer 2 different thickness. I believe that Chas is correct in assuming that it is because of P/F ears wear. What I do not understand is the different diameters available? There have been a number of reports of people having a hell of a time g...

slo

I have measured both spare gasket that I currently hold. They both come out at 64.3 x 52.7 x 6.3 mm. I would guess that the 64 x 52 x 6.3 are the closest one. These are the gasket from the manufacturer (Canadian distributor in Montreal) with a LS molded on the gasket and the 4 notches on the perimet...

slo

Just to help you decide on the quantity you should buy. My experience has been that, leaving the machine ON 24/7, the P/F gasket needs a replacement on average every 6 months. In a drawer away from the sunlight and heat the will last many years. So it is worth to order a few at a time. I usually ord...

slo

Congratulation and welcome!

A hockey puck!!
Very stable, simple and cheap.

slo

Endo, two things about what you wrote: 1- Shortening the shaft support length by almost half could have been an issue indeed because any misalignment of the bearing has a larger impact on the burr alignment but in fact, I noticed no issue in re-aligning the grinder after the mod. 2- The Voodoodaddy ...

slo

Chris Coffee has been shipping all their machines with the thinner dispersion disk for about 5 1/2 years. The thicker disk, which is still shipped in other countries, has the holes in a star pattern. The thinner disk has its holes in a circular pattern. You can see a photo of both side by side at t...

slo

Thank you for the feedback. This would be indicative of a basket that creates a higher restriction on the flow than the original basket. This in itself should not be a problem other than people needing to adjust the grind and dose. As such these basket WILL have an effect on taste. I am more than ev...

slo

Already have one of those! Unless you are willing to take a hit on it, I'll have to pass on your offer. But for everyone else, the Pharos is a great Espresso grinder if you are willing to do the hand grinding and the spanking and the ... or cough up and get the Voodoodaddy mod kit which I did. Stock...

slo

Hey Endo! I just saw on the HG site that someone that lives in your neck of the woods had placed an order. I was wondering if it was you. Congratulation. Let us know out it turns out. I think that you are very right in thinking that the 83mm will have a better resale value and will be in higher dema...

slo

Thank you for the feedback Richard. I have been itching to place an order on these. More crema and wetter puck.... could it be that there is more restriction from the basket? Smaller holes and an overall area restriction? When running the pump with water is the basket creating a restriction? Did you...

slo

Thank you for posting this graph Endo. As you suggest, running water while the heater is on will speed up the group head warm-up of the group head and using the blind (backflush) basket and leaving the hot water in contact with the group head for a while at every shot (you must empty the basket befo...

slo

Well done.
I can tell you that I also had to bend the tube a bit to ensure that there was no spill.
You are not alone. And I love the machine too!

Welcome.

slo

Oh! I have thought about a lot! Every morning, I prepare a monster latte for my wife and I have to use the bottomless and even have to tip some of her big cups because they just don't fit under... I just never found an easy enough mod that will not look bad. I think that flipping over the grid would...

slo

By all means, this was not a complete description and it was barely touching the surface of what must be considered when buying (or making) a roaster. I must say that for a few friends and family, I roast 3 or 4 batches of 850 g of various coffee on the Cafemino with some smaller batches on the modi...

slo

I have started roasting using a Popcorn popper a few years back. I started with an out-of-the box basic popper, then another, and another. I then modified them and complexified the set-up progressively over the years to get more control. In the end I had, and still have, a setup that was really good...

slo

I am not a big fan of Illy. And not only because it is a bit "aged" before it gets to us in the Americas . Just not my favorite style of espresso blend. The course might be interesting nonetheless. The effect of tamping is one or two order of magnitude less than the grind setting. You shou...

slo

In a standard double basket, a loose but even coffee bed that is skimmed straight on the edge of the basket is about 16-17g with a "normal" espresso grind setting. With this dose, if you have a 6 seconds shot, the grind setting is certainly too coarse!! Have you set the Vario-W to the espr...

slo

1) While it is not "absolutely required", I strongly recommend using a scale that gives you at least 0.1g resolution. I use the very same as this one (more than a year and still going. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Mini-Electronic-Digital-LCD-Balance-Weight-Weighing-Scale-1000-0-1g-/310471717251?...

slo

In the single PF with the single basket, I load it with 14.2 - 14.6 g, and the grinder is set pretty fine, both settings 2 - 3 clicks from the top. Tamping it with the spring loaded Espro, I can consistently get 22 - 25 second pulls. The dose that are quoted make absolutely no sense!!! Here is what...

slo

It may have been only a dream but I believe that Endo had a thread going on this very subject yesterday!

Why it was removed is a mystery to me... and may be part of a larger plan to take over the world from La Spaziale!!!

slo

If a vibe pump can keep up the desired flow at 9 bar you don't need any more pressure. That might just be it. Maybe their pump cannot provide the proper flow when set at 9 bar but can when set at 11 bar. Nonetheless showing the pump and talking about the size of it as a reason is just ignorance or ...

slo

I have been interested from the moment that it was announced!!! :grin: I am sure that, barring an outrageous pricing ( I mean even more outrageous that the pre-announced $850! :shock:), I will finally break and order a 83mm. This might just be the perfect single dosing grinder for me. The cradle wou...

slo

If this can help, having recently installed a dedicated 240 Vac line in the garage for my coffee roaster, I consider the price tag that you received very resonnable. The 20 Amp wire, new breaker and wall outlet are well worth over $100.00 in material cost. Having a 20 Amp outlet in the kitchen may n...

slo

Will reserve final thanks until you give them a shot or 10 but preliminary thanks anyway.

How are the ridges, if any?
Pictures maybe?

slo

I'll be very interested in the Astoria basket as well!
Make sure to keep us posted!

slo

Adjusting the pump pressure is really easy. It just looks more than it is. All you need to do is remove the drip tray and remove the front panel. You now have full access to the pump adjustment. All you need to do is loosen the nut on the adjustment screw (hold the screw in place, to prevent it from...

slo

The bottomless portafilter seems to hold over 20 grams. The new Bottomless that CC sells now comes with a triple basket It can hold more than 20 grams without any contact with the screen bolt. I have used this basket a lot with oversize doses. By oversize, I mean anything above 15.5g, which is the ...

slo

... I wouldn't call turning a screw a "tear down". I didn't mean it in a major chore kind of way. It is no big deal to take the screw off. I should take the screen off and soak it every week but there is not much to be cleaned really that the weekly backflush does not take away. To each i...

slo

Although Endo's answer is pretty sharp, so is your problem. The short, if it is a short, may be just about anywhere.
You will ave to try to isolate the problem... I would not want to be in your shoes.

slo

Although it cannot be ascertained scientifically, there has been a few instances where the 3 way valve started leaking and a (numerous) good soaking back flush has cleared the problem. So it seem to demonstrate that there is a benefit. For sure, back flushing with clean disk and diffuser is the most...

slo

I keep trying various blends in my Major but I always switch back to the K10 next shot. The Major does make a kick ass Decaf grinder though. For me it is the B-Vario that is in Decaf duty now. If I were a single dose grinder I would probably settle on a conical for the ease of switching between dif...

slo

Same here, I bent the springs to allow easy removal.
But the triple baskets that I bought show very shallow ridging that could be almost be called ridgeless.

slo

Maybe the US, but not Canada. I got my S1 V1 Mini from the long time LaSpaziale distributor in Montreal called "Cafe Union". This is accurate. Cafe Union still sell the S1 so are a few other La Spaziale distributors. I believe that the only exclusivity that Chris Coffee has on the S1 is t...

slo

peter wrote:Sylvain, Whale, can vouch for the coffee as he helped us cup them.

As a side note, I am called SLO here, unlike just about every other coffee sites as for some reason I was permitted "Whale".

slo

:grin: I certainly encourage anyone that lives in Montreal to get the 3 Coffees that Miroslav is distributing. :grin: I pick the coffee directly at his place, in Boucherville, so there is no shipping cost for me. The quality of the coffee is far above the average from Greenbeanerie. The coffee is so...

slo

MIne has one as well.

slo

Your machine does have no steam boiler fan...right? (That's the most significant change on the new machines). How is this a most significant change? How is it important? (Edit: although I do recognise that it is a an improvement). It would not difference to me what so ever! All the cosmetic change,...

slo

Just curious. ..did you ever read brewing instructions on a bag of espresso (or website) where they actually recommend adding sugar? If so, how much? I can't remember ever reading anything, but I may be wrong. The Italians do not write brewing instruction on the bags of coffee in Italy (that I know...

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