Mara X idle pressure

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Edit: I don’t have the machine so best for me not to say much by watching videos, specially when things have changed with the machine overtime.

Check this: https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/417-lelit-mara-x-v1-and-v2-the-differences

StevenG91 MediumRoastSteam

So as if stated in my first post, in the switch up position 1 as Dave states in the video it should be brew temperature priority (however in this mode it sits at 1.5 bars and doesn’t move and element continually kicks in). As per my post above with the machine pressed down in position 0 which should be hx mode it idles at 1 bar and doesn’t fluctuate, but takes 50 minutes to warm up, and can’t steam for **** 😅.

I can confirm that position 1 is Coffee Priority (V1 machine). This should be similar on a V2 machine, although on the V2 this is confusingly named “Xmode Steam”.

On both versions (V1 and V2), position 1 on the switch on the right side means that the machine will idle at a good brewing temperature (focusing on the coffee), and then will boost up the heat/pressure once the machine is used (steam boost is triggered by lifting the lever or purging the steam wand or the hot water tap). The difference between V1 and V2 is that in V2 the steam boost will be stronger and longer (to give more steaming power).

I have never used the machine (V1) in the other mode (switch position 0, which in V1 is standard HX mode - machine idles at steam temperatures and needs a cooling flush to bring it down to brew temperatures), so can’t say much about that mode.

In the following video you can see a time lapse of how my machine’s pressure behaves from the moment I turn it on (again, in Brew Priority mode, switch position 1). You can see the quick heat-up cycle (pressure goes up to almost 3), followed by the boiler cooling down and the pressure idling between just above 0.5 bar and around 1 bar:

In this second time lapse video you can see the manometer after a shot (first half a second is a steam boost to around 1.5 bar, and then it cools down and returns to idling at brew temperature:

I believe that this is the correct functioning of the machine when the side switch is in position 1 (Brew priority on a V1, Xmode steam on a V2 [though on a V2 I would expect a slightly stronger and longer steam boost]). If your machine is functioning differently, my guess is that something is wrong. The obvious culprits would be the temperature probes (there is one at the top and one at the bottom of the boiler; both are the same part), or the Gicar box (the brain controlling the heating elements).

As a side note, I have read reports on forums that BB advised owners who had issues that there is a mistake in the Mara X’s manual, and that actually position 1 on the side switch is HX mode, and Coffee Priority mode is position 0. This claim is 100% not true for my machine, and I haven’t seen a single report from other owners that it is true on their machines. If BB tell you that Coffee Priority is position 0 - I would take that with a whole bag of salt.