Is this the "pressure spiking" Lelit Elizabeth issue?

jcb1973

Hey folks - new Lelit Elizabeth owner here. Experiencing inconsistent results and noticed a big pressure spike on the first shot after standing for a while / the first shot of the day. Subsequent shots go to around 9 bar and stay there with stability.

So - is this the issue described in other threads e.g. https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/116-lelit-elizabeth-pressure-spikinginconsistent/? If so, would it cause e.g. the inconsistent pull times I am seeing?

Am I right in thinking that this is not right? It should be more stable, right?

DavecUK

jcb1973 All I saw in this shot is a machine going to almost 12 bar and gradually dropping during the extraction as the puck becomes more permeable.

jcb1973 Subsequent shots go to around 9 bar and stay there with stability.

If this is definitely happening, then you may well have the issue?

Del_UK

That’s one heck of a spikey spike! My ’liz goes up to 9-9.5 on the first then back down to 8.5 on subsequent shots. I did clean/lube the OPV but it only sorted it in the short term. I’m not getting much difference in my shots fortunately but I’m assuming yours are vastly different with that pressure change!

jcb1973

Thanks Dave / Del - complete newcomer here, seeking first of all to understand if this is normal! Really appreciate experts here who can help - THANK YOU.

Excuse my very low level of knowledge, but this is not normal, right? Am I explaining it the right way for my retailer / Lelit to understand?

Anything you suggest I should do to demonstrate / identify the issue?

Thank you again!

Del_UK

jcb1973 does it happen with a blind basket and if so does it stay at 12 bar for long?

jcb1973

Thanks Del - yes, happens with blind basket, stays at 12 bar for first shot (seems to just stay there, not sure how long I should run it?), subsequent shots with blind basket go to 9 bar.

Ando

It is the issue you suspect it is. I have the same problem, sadly took me almost a year to notice otherwise I would just have returned the machine for a refund.
Lelit have acknowledged the problem to myself and advised I need a new overpressure valve. Am yet to get a response from Bella Barrista re supplying that part under warranty, but hopefully it gets sorted soon.
The issue has been around long enough - surprised they are still selling machines with the dodgy part

DavecUK

Ando surprised they are still selling machines with the dodgy part

It’s not all machines…although I have an idea of a parts check they can do to possibly find the affected expansion valves. I may well write to them tomorrow. I just need to find a particular image of a faulty expansion valve someone had disassembled at my request and uploaded to the forum.

drdre89

Ando thankfully I noticed my issue within the 1st week of getting my Elizabeth after posting on here. I returned it and got my refund thankfully. Now I have to wait another 2 weeks for the “ Rancilio Silvia Pro X” to come in stock in Australia 😭

DavecUK I do believe this issue is bigger than you realise but as you said before … this is most likely people’s first real Espresso machine… so alot of people would not even be looking at the nanometre when pulling a shot and not even notice anything is wrong.

jcb1973

Ando - thank you so much. I am very tempted to return for a refund, I am super disappointed that my most expensive purchase ever is defective!

jcb1973

I guess the question is also (before I go down the refund route) - is this fixable?

It has shaken my confidence in the quality of the machine though. So sad to discover this!!

DavecUK

jcb1973 I guess the question is also (before I go down the refund route) - is this fixable?

It has shaken my confidence in the quality of the machine though. So sad to discover this!!

Yes of course, it’s just the expansion valve…..

europa

oh dear, having just tested this myself, i have the same issue. mine spikes to 12 bar on first shot (despite having set it to 10 bar about six weeks ago).

mine is also from bella barista, just under a yr old. what is the concensus here: call them and ask for a replacement part?

jcb1973

Appreciate the reassurance Dave!

jcb1973

@drdre89 - good point about noticing. I started racking my brains about why I might be experiencing wildly different shots, and happened to notice the pressure by luck, then took to these forums for advice.

Hope that the retailer will be helpful - they have contacted Lelit (and I hope they will also be helpful!!)

Grif

jcb1973

who is your retailer? UK?

jcb1973

Kaffekompagniet, Stockholm, Sweden. Waiting to hear back from them - from their first reply, they don’t seem to have come across the issue before. Will update this thread when I hear more.

drdre89

jcb1973 My retailer was Jetblack Espresso from Sydney, Australia.

So I believe the issue is coming direct from the Lelit factory in Italy as it looks like this issue is worldwide.

Grif

What I can’t understand about this is why it has’nt shown up in other machines, the opv is an off the shelf jobbie isn’t it,

not custom spec to the Liz?

jcb1973 Good luck with your retailer, hope you get it sorted quickly….same goes for everyone with this issue!

I’ve been considering one for a while but won’t be jumping in until this is sorted.

MediumRoastSteam

Grif - I’ve been reading this thread and this must be such a frustrating experience. It would drive me up the wall. I wish you all good luck in having this fixed.