ACS Vesuvius Evo Leva

LMSC

MacPhisto I am thinking if the clicking sound might be coming from the swing arm. You could rule that out by gently pulling the lever up and down a half way through a few times in a smooth swing motion (without releasing the lever of course). 😊

It doesn’t explain the puddle of water though. I would swap the piston white gaskets, which Jake asked you to and see if the problem goes away. Finally, if there is a leak on the elbow, that must be fixed.

Cuprajake

MacPhisto

Cuprajake

Some (one) answer. I pulled the piston again and measured the white gasket with the extra shipped with the machine. Identical.

However, I flipped over the piston and noticed the very slim plastic gasket/spacer beneath the springs was badly split:

That would be a candidate for the recent jerking motion of the lever on shots. I don’t see a replacement with the shipped supplies, so I’ll likely need to contact acs for a replacement or dimensions so that I can order closer to home.

I’ve never unscrewed the spring assembly bolt, so I’m not sure how this gasket tore so badly or how to avoid it in the future. More mysteries.

chCoffee

Been enjoying the machine so far. Watched Dave’s video on his technique and curious how everyone else pulls shots. Do you preinfuse with the pump before pulling down the lever? What’s standard shot times for most people? I had a tasty shot at 60 seconds and an equally tasty shot at 28 seconds. Taste wasn’t all that far off from each other which surprised me.

MacPhisto

chCoffee

I find the length of preinfusion is dependent on the roast. Generally, darker roasts need no real preinfusion other than a brief couple of seconds to avoid all the pressure hitting the puck at full pressure.

I’ve certainly had some passable shots from really long extraction times, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Adrianmsmith

chCoffee Do you preinfuse with the pump before pulling down the lever? What’s standard shot times for most people?

For me its usually 4 to 10 seconds of 2 bars pre infusion and main shot time around 26 seconds.

Technique is

With new flush lever its set to turn pump on just before lever is vertical. I hold the lever vertical for i guess 2 seconds and slowly pull down to ensure as little air as possible is in the cylinder ensuring pump is running for the full travel of the lever
With original pump actuator arm i used to press with thumb whilst pulling the lever slowly down again to minimise air in the cylinder. I could not taste a difference if i forgot and just pulled the lever.

P.s. I’m just me, not possibly typical of most people!!

Elcarajillo

Looking at some of the other posts, the teflon spacers seem to be in different places /positions

Have they been moved / repositioned on newer / later models ??

Adrianmsmith

Elcarajillo Looking at some of the other posts, the teflon spacers seem to be in different places /positions

Have they been moved / repositioned on newer / later models ??

The split / dislodged teflon in question is easy to miss when installed correctly as its very thin and hidden by the spring bottom

Blink and you miss it, its not the lower more obvious one….. 😎

….. and looks different with the piston removed!!

MacPhisto

My machine is from the fairly early Evo2 models. December 2023, if I recall correctly.

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

Sent the loctite back after the seller confirmed it was a

“genuine copy” . Refunded by eBay. Apparently a large percentage of loctite on eBay i ls not genuine. Never knew there was a counterfeit market for loctite. God only knows what it contained!!

Plumped for this one as its still semi permanent and wras approved. (And a third of the price delivered which i have to admit, swung it)

Will report back.

Would have ordered the 18-10 but the £43 delivered killed it 🤭

Service from these guys in Derry was great.

DavecUK

Adrianmsmith I hope it works out as the 18-11 is thicker, takes 3 hours to cure and I think a day or two to fully cure, more importantly it’s low strength, which IMO keeps it more flexible.

Elcarajillo

Adrianmsmith Is it there to permit the spring to twist as it is compressed, without squeaking ? or is it to keep the piston centered ?

Adrianmsmith

DavecUK

From what i read on the spec sheet the initial and overall cure is pretty much the same time. Its still a thread seal product with slightly higher break torque , not a thread locker .

Happy to report the in place method of dismantling and rebuilding the valve without cosmetic damage was a success and does not involve any pressure on any chrome body parts.

Theres just enough foom with the ⅜ socket bar to complete the valve rotation without catching any chrome.

Thread cleaning took the longest time

Fingers crossed for s good seal 🤞🏼

DavecUK

Elcarajillo Is it there to permit the spring to twist as it is compressed, without squeaking ? or is it to keep the piston centered ?

The flats machines into the spring is what prevents twisting under tension, and they LSM did it as part of the basic design. I presume the thin Teflon washer is there simply because as an engineer you want to prevent metal to metal contact and possibly take up any slight twisting motion to ensure no spring buckling.

You notice on the cheaper groups (bosco clones) e.g. the Londinium, the springs have no machined flats, so they do twist under compression, then untwist again. They, in the groups I have seen have no thin Teflon washer between the spring and the piston assembly, so any spring buckling caused by twisting is increased.

MacPhisto

Paolo and I have been discussing the issues. The thin flat teflon gasket is to prevent noise when the spring rotates on compression. It is not a critical element of the piston.

He suggested attempting to hand tighten the sensor. I was not able to tighten further though it’s a pretty awkward reach. After I removed the gasket and reinstalled the piston, the same issues (leak, low pressure and “jerky” movement of handle persist.

Here is a new video of the leak which pretty clearly comes from under the sensor body.

This pull is with a blind basket. Top pressure is just over 9 bars at this point.

DavecUK

MacPhisto get a mirror on a stick and see if it’s coming from where the sensor screws into the fitting, or from the red body where it joins the main part.

MacPhisto

DavecUK

Thanks Dave. Already ordered a lighted inspection mirror a few days back. Should be here later today and I’ll update.

DavecUK

MacPhisto Thanks Dave. Already ordered a lighted inspection mirror a few days back. Should be here later today and I’ll update.

One step ahead of me then. I realise ACS told you to tighten it, but I think evidencing to them/you where the leak is from is better. I can understand their commend about tightening it, because they use n o ring, so hand tightening is all that’s required. They are Swiss sensors and very robust/reliable with a 30 bar burst pressure rating, I ’ve never heard of one failing before and they are very expensive….roughly 6 or 7 times the price of the MA-TER pressure sensors.

MacPhisto

DavecUK

With an inspection mirror aimed under the sensor, it looks to me like water is only coming from the junction of the T where it attaches to the connection under the sensor. Certainly let me know if someone sees something different.

Apologies in advance for the shaky video. It will first focus on the image in the inspection mirror, then pan over to the sensor body for orientation, back to the mirror and last the analog pressure gauge.

The sensor is up against the polished panel so there is a double reflection at times.

rusty-pie

Hi, I need help from the brain trust again. Shortly after sorting out all my boiler leaks, one day my leva tripped the RCD as soon as the pump kicked in after start up. I’ve turned on the machine again with the side panels off and realised that there was a noticeable leak from the body (not the threads) of the valve which regulates the preinfusion pressure. The water was falling in proximity of the valve which controls the mains water supply (my machine it is not plumbed in). Is there any way to isolate the pressure regulator valve to check if the short is actually there or I need to replace the inlet valve as well? In other words, is there a way to bypass the valve so I can turn on the machine to see if the rcd still trips or not?

Also, is the pressure regulator valve a standard part which I can easily source in Australia or can I only get from ACS?

I’ll try to attach photos

Adrianmsmith

rusty-pie Also, is the pressure regulator valve a standard part which I can easily source in Australia or can I only get from ACS?

I’ll try to attach photos

If you scroll up to approx nov 2023 its mentioned a few times.

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/10-acs-vesuvius-evo-leva/3473

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/10-acs-vesuvius-evo-leva/3506

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/10-acs-vesuvius-evo-leva/3743

The difference in this part is a thread adaptor shown was required.

https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/10-acs-vesuvius-evo-leva/3806

Was easy to source in uk but i have no dealings in aus . Send tom a pm via his yoytube he most likely would know who to use and is generally helpful.

Acs are generally quick to ship though.

Adrianmsmith

rusty-pie The water was falling in proximity of the valve which c

The water falls on to the back of the iec lead (mains in) which is what actually trips the rcd 🤭😎

DavecUK

rusty-pie It’s a standard part, you can use either CEME, or MA-TER, just make sure the specs are the same or very similar and if u decide mater, ensure you wire it correctly.

rusty-pie

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