Sorry to jump in on this one a bit late. My lever always feels a bit stiff and 'squeaky' after backflushing, but it always settles back into its familiar operation after a few shots so I don't worry about it. The reason I'm posting up is to comment on the frequency of backflushing. I know there are different opinions out there on how often to backflush, first let's define the two types as a reminder - there is backflushing with water and backflushing with chemical. Backflushing with water is a good habit to get in to as often as you can. That means daily if you can remember, but certainly a couple of times per week would be a minimum. Backflushing with chemical has a wider opinion on how often to do it. High-volume/commercial operation approach versus home use approach requires different levels of frequency. A good commercial operation is backflushing (with chemical) throughout the day, and absolutely will do it at the end of each night. For home use, personally I try to backflush with chemical every week (or so) as I don't care for the idea that there are rancid coffee oils hanging around my grouphead, etc. The opinion that there is no need to use chemical any sooner than a 4 - 6 week period is madness to me, what is it about home use that is so forgiving that rancid oils are acceptable for over a month?
Backflushing once a week isn't going to hurt your machine if you do it correctly. The only downside is a little bit of extra time taken to ensure your espresso is clean. The upside... no rancid coffee tainting your carefully prepared espresso. To end on a happy note, here are some recent shots I pulled into a bodum, they were from a Brazil Sul de Minas and also from an Ethiopian Chelfit. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4254181777_9a74614529_o.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4254947138_0aea6c4e9e_o.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4267415941_db4195dfab_o.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4268161906_352acfbdcd_o.jpg ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Shaun Taylor http://forwardmomentumcoaching.com http://shaundoreenevankeegan.blogspot.com/ http://shaunseye.blogspot.com/ -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Enders13 Sent: 12 January 2010 03:54 To: Brewtus Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever This has been a very helpful thread and I thank all contributors, I have some Molykote 111 on order and will be applying referencing the link kindly posted by Mariowar. I noticed the stiffness and squeak while doing the periodical back flush with cleanser and after 6-7 back flushes to clear out the cleanser the lever feels soooo stiff I was afraid some serious damage was occurring.
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