Mariowar, You should not have that much trouble removing the gasket/screen combo.
1) Check your technique - use a stubby blade screwdriver with a 3/8" wide blade (1/4"?). Find one of the two notches in the grouphead and pry off that, keeping your screwdriver blade in the groove on the side of screen. The assembly should come loose without any disturbance to your gasket. 2) Keep the gasket area clean using a grouphead brush. I wrap the bristles of mine in a wet dishrag and run around the circle where the gasket mounts. 3) Check your gasket size. There are more than one gasket size that can work - yours maybe too snug. The one I use is p/n F 59 from espressoparts.com (NW). They are soft, too. A gasket should last up to two years, easy (depends how picky you are) I believe that the E 61 lever parts last a long time with home use. I do not lube anything in there, and I Carfiza every two weeks. Five years of use and not a problem. I do however water backflush twice and p/f wiggle rinse after every shot. I clean the gasket w/brush frequently, too. I have chosen not to let the friction = wear part bother me. Lubing the cams is nice, but I don't want to do it. Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of mariowar Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:03 AM To: Brewtus Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever I am glad this thread have been helpful to you. Just keep in mind that no matter what you have read, FRICTION = WEAR, therefore, reducing it will keep our machine in working condition for a longer time. As I mentioned it before, Wholelattelove and ChrisCoffee, recommend backflushing with detergent once ever 4 weeks, considering you pull about 6 shots a day. However, it is vox populi that users usually perform it once a week. Obviously, if there is not enough coffee oils to dilute, the detergent will get on the lubricant.... eventually making the lever stiffer. We all can have different personal opinions in this matter but the only fact is one. I f we keep doing it this way which is against the instructions manual we better lubricate the lever and cam to reduce premature wear. One of the biggest fears is a dirty screen that would alter the taste of the espresso ans since there is no screw to take it out you have to take the complete gasket in order to get the screen out and most of the times this operation ruins the gasket....... Just think about getting a new gasket every 2 weeks...... That is the reason why users backflush with detergent so often. Last night I suceeded taking out the gasket and screen with a knife without ruining them. Just do it at least every month so it will never get to the point af almost melting and toasting against the group. In addition to that I will also use a little Dow Corning 111 to lube the gasket so it is going to be even easier to take it out the next time. It is a very easy task if you follow the instructions on the link: http://www.espressomyespresso.com/ HOW TO Page # 13 PD. By the way, I just used one cup of MINUTE RICE ( Parboiled) to clean my MAcap M4 and WOW!!!!, tell me about rancid coffee coming out of those burrs + a difference on the cup. >From now on I will do it weekly unless I use a different blend. On Jan 12, 10:22 am, "Shaun Taylor" <[email protected]> wrote: > 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.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
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