Hi there, my Vesuvius arrived yesterday from the workshop. It had two issues:
- Water returning from coffee boiler to the water tank through the pump.
- When steam boiler is hot, there is a short of interference with the coffee circuit. This was posted on the old forum:
The machine starts making pressure but stops just shy of 2 bar even though the pump is still running at the same speed. Then when it ramps up to the next stage the pump spins but the pressure doesn’t increase for a few seconds, ultimately overshooting and ruining the shot. No problem with steam boiler at 120º or less. No difference if hx is on or off.
First problem is sorted, I hope (time will say). Second is still the same. The technician is Italian and he talked a lot by phone and video with the Elcor factory. They have changed the big brass piece and pipes beside the group (where the one-way is), the auto fill solenoide attached to this pipes and the HX solenoid. Here is a video to show this behaviour:
Pressure issue
Problem is that over shooting ruins the espresso. If your profile is, ie, of 32″, this pressure peak compresses the puck and makes more difficult the pass of water. Then you need about 10 seconds more to complete the desired weight of espresso. No problem with steam boiler off or under 120º or so.
I’ve heard about this issue in the old forum and two friends of mine, Vesuvius owners, are experiencing this problem as well.
Any clues?
Just a comment on this machine: I have been using an Expobar Pulser when the Vesuvius has been in the workshop. It’s a fine and reliable machine but… I can say the espresso is way different, you will know how great the Vesuvius espresso making is when you have to change it for another machine. Better mouthfeel, better taste and aroma, more “opened” espressos and it’s incredibly consistent but… you have to take care of the steam boiler temperature!
