Hi, I’ve bought a Lelit Elizabeth ten days ago. Tweaked it with Dave’s recommended advanced settings and although I’m still struggling with boiler on or off… temperature (93º or 94º)… the “right” boiler temp texturing milk, and of course pre infusion times (which drive me crazy) I am very happy with the machine. Since I am not a big fan of the looks of the stock portafilter I decided to purchase the 58mm Lelit wooden portafilter. I pair it with an IMS LT200 competition shower. Tried it and immediately started leaking water through the group head. I observed all the variables, i.e. grind size… too much tamping pressure… wither I had screwed the shower right, etc… I tried using the stock portafilter under the same conditions: perfect. Repeated both scenarios with the same result. I looked on YouTube and found someone with a Victoria show had the same problem. You can see it here: Although a bit too long you can skip to min 4:20 and see the exact same result I have. For obvious reasons that most of you probably share I want to be able use a bottomless portafilter. So.. the question is… can someone recommend a nice and reliable 58mm WOOD portafilter that I can buy in Europe and that is compatible with the Elizabeth? And while I’m still at it… although I am aware is off topic… What preinfusion time do you usually set it to? Boiler on or off? what brewing temp? Thank you.

Juanjo - Clean the group of your machine, include gasket. Do not overtighten the shower screen. I don’t think the issue you are seeing is anything to do with the portafilter. A few questions: Does it “leak” when you use the stock portafilter? Does it leak if you revert the machine to stock configuration (shower screen, etc…)?

Juanjo Can you rotate yours further round, and if not why not? The portafilter in the video is still pointing to the left. The basket seals against the gasket, so the only thing that could be causing the issue is if the lugs on the portafilter after thinner. If they are then measure the difference versus your standard and see if you can get a thicker gasket.

is the victoria deffo a 58mm? i know the grace is 57mm? as above clean everything, if not, then look for a silicone seal, 8mm and 8.5mm not sure if it makes a difference but the pf like that is desgned for the e61 group

MediumRoastSteam No, it doesn’t leak with the stock portafilter. I tried the stock config as well. Same thing.

Cleaned the gasket too. Brushed, etc. Is there another portafilter brand I could be looking into that any one of you would suggest, just to be safe?

Juanjo - Is this a Lelit original PF? It makes absolutely no sense. Are you locking all the way in? Any chance you could do a video of you backlashing the machine with the said PF? @Cuprajake - Victoria is a 58mm machine.

The guy from the video assured me that he was locking all the way in, just as I do. He mentioned one thing though… That he almost immediately (for whatever reason) upgraded to a Mara X and used the same portafilter. He said that there have been no problems whatsoever. I take it the Elizabeth and the Mara X do not share the same group head, but still that shouldn’t be a problem, right? So far I am a bit tired of so many tests, and I would rather prefer to try another compatible brand. What naked portafilter is Dave using with his Elizabeth? I think I recall it was not a wood one.

This is an odd one. I am using the ECM porta filter, which is not wood, but it works great as a naked porta filter.

dndrich Apparently they have a wood one too: https://www.ecm.de/en/products/details/product/Product/Details/stainless-steel-wood-portafilter-bottomless

Juanjo - I use an ECM one. You must do whatever you feel it’s right for you - but personally I think you are barking at the wrong tree, and it’s up to you if you want to trust the guy on the video. Me…. errr… I’m not so sure. His portafilter is barely locked. Just watch the video carefully. You wonder why it’s leaking like that. The Lelit Elizabeth group is compatible with E61 ports filters - So there’s no reason why a wooden bottomless portafilter from Lelit would be any different from the stock portafilter from Lelit in terms of how it fits the group. Yes, the wooden portafilter has a handle made of wood (irrelevant) and the bottomless portafilter has no spouts (also irrelevant). There are may happy users of the Lelit Bottomless portafilter using on an Elizabeth who do not have this issue. Make sure the gasket is seating correctly the right way up and it’s an 8mm gasket. Make sure the shower screen is not over tighten - this is important. Make sure the portafilter is locked in properly at 6 o’clock position. Make sure you are dosing and appropriate amount of coffee into your basket and it’s not overfilled. That’s why I asked for the video. But I leave it up to you to decide on what you want to do next.

Leaking Lelit Bottomless wood portafilter.

MediumRoastSteam

erkal - You can order the o-ring and have as spare. It should not need changing, unless you damage it (don’t ask me how I know it… OK, I’ll tell you, I managed to slice it by carelessly fitting the dispersion plate….)

I use the Cafelat Silicone gasket. You need the red one, which is 8mm thick. If you fit that, DO NOT add any lube to it - unlike rubber, it won’t degrade with the group heat.

erkal

Guys thank you so much for taking the time to reply all my issues.

I will order a couple of each one from Bella Barista as it seems to be cheaper.

Unrelated question, since I am ordering things from them, is a 4 hole steam tip worth the upgrade over the 2 hole one? Do you know if the Profitec tips fit the Elizabeth?

delta76

erkal to be sure you have to buy Lelit 2200108, the Profitec looks familiar but not sure if it fits, you have to try and tell (and it’s out of stock anyway)

why do you need 4 holes tip? I think 2 holes is already strong enough for Elizabeth…

MediumRoastSteam

erkal is a 4 hole steam tip worth the upgrade over the 2 hole one?

Remember… It’s a 600ml steam boiler - Good luck with 4 holes.

erkal

delta76

I find it’s easier to make nicer froth on my friends Profitec 600 which has 4 holes, 2 holes seems to make large bubbles which is annoying.

erkal

MediumRoastSteam Is that too little?

delta76

erkal large bubbles is not related to 2 or 4 holes, rather it’s technique. I can make very silky milk with 2 holes easily

yes, 4 holes means very fast steaming. 600ml is rather small and you can run off steam quite quickly.

erkal

delta76 OK never mind then, ordered to gaskets, I’ll report back then I try with those. Thanks again!

MediumRoastSteam

erkal - just make sure you fit it the right way up! 🤪

Flat side (without any writing) faces down, and is the visible side when installed.

Bevelled side (which has wording such as cafelat, E61 etc) faces upwards and touches the group. That side is never visible once installed.

And lastly, make sure you read and watch Dave’s review of the machine, including maintenance tips and advanced settings. You may have done they already, in which case, just watch it all again. 🤪 - it’s a lot to take in.

erkal

MediumRoastSteam Yup did watch most of Dave’s Elizabeth videos, it’s how I ended up choosing the machine :)

I have put in the order and hopefully this will solve yet another issue with my brand new machine *sigh 🙄

I’ll report back here when done. Meanwhile I might bug you all again on another thread for a potential grinder I can upgrade to. I was just browsing that section to see if there are similar discussions :)

erkal

MediumRoastSteam I must say the fact that the gasket died so early is a little concerning. I have read that keeping it on for most of the day might not be ideal. Does that affect lifespan of machine/gasket etc?

delta76

erkal don’t be discouraged. that is why I said the gasket is “consumable” part, you need to replace it sooner or later :)

erkal

delta76 I do love waking up to a warm machine, if a frequent 3 pounds gasket change is all that it requires then so be it! :D

MediumRoastSteam

erkal - the problem here was you tightening the PF with both hands and not thinking much about it.

My gasket is 3 years old, to put in perspective. But I wrap my equipment in cottonwool. 😉🤣

erkal

MediumRoastSteam Well initially I wasn’t using both hands, only since it started dripping. So how do you tell the gasket is worn out by looking at it? What am I looking out for?

delta76

erkal not as experienced as @MediumRoastSteam but I guess you can tell that yours is out of shape instead of wearing out.

you change your gasket when it becomes “hard” (i.e. loosing elasticity/ability to “seal”), not because because of it wore out.

erkal

delta76 3 years vs. just a few months is a massive difference though…

delta76

erkal I was referring to me. I have had mine for 2 years (and if memory serves correctly, this day two years ago I ordered my Elizabeth). Have had a lot of fun with it, no major issues, only minor issue with the tip of the Teflon tube in the steam wand (which took me longer than it should to figure out). Guess I am lucky-ish.

Now eagerly waiting for my Bianca but for anyone who want to get into espresso, I wholeheartedly recommend Elizabeth

erkal

delta76 what’s with the teflon tip?

delta76

erkal it was deformed.

now I think of it, if you feel like your steam is not powerful enough, you can try to unscrew your wand tip (tip: you can use a double sided tape to make it easier to unscrew), check if that teflon tube to see if there is anything stuck. elizabeth steam should be powerful enough to steam 500ml no problem (I just did).

erkal

delta76 I think it’s very powerful, but 4 hole seemed easier and even faster.

Any other tips you can recommend for improving my experience with the Elizabeth?

« Previous Page Next Page »