Hey Ben! It's been a while. Sorry I've been flying under the radar. Herman
On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 11:06 PM 'Ben McCafferty' via Brewtus < [email protected]> wrote: > Hey Herman! > > On May 1, 2023, at 19:23, Herman Dickens <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sounds like a good deal to me. I have one of the original BII's still > running part time. > > Herman > > > On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 8:25 PM peter riess <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Update - It’s been on a filtration system since it was purchased and it >> comes with a back stock of replacement parts. I feel pretty confident and >> at $600, maybe worth the future trouble? >> >> >> On May 1, 2023, at 5:34 PM, 'Ben McCafferty' via Brewtus < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >> Ps one way you can do This is just to go ahead and replace everything >> that can fail. Then you basically get a new machine with your own labor to >> blame for any failures, ha ha. That would definitely get you a period of >> reliability, but possibly with unnecessary expense up front. >> >> b >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On May 1, 2023, at 16:16, peter riess <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Ben, >> >> Every few months? That may be more that I can stand… $700 is sounding >> expensive at that rate. >> >> I wonder how much time and money do you think Expobar owners are spending >> on annual maintenance? >> >> Cheers, >> >> Peter >> >> On May 1, 2023, at 5:02 PM, 'Ben McCafferty' via Brewtus < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >> A bunch of great advice here. >> >> Plumbed/vs water jug. Soooooo nice to have it plumbed. Even nicer to have >> the drain plumbed. Having done both with my current machine, I’d never go >> back. >> >> Pitcher’s advice re: bigger heating element is good; you can also adjust >> the pressure stat to set the steam boiler to its max, around 1.45 bar if >> memory serves. This made a world of difference for me vs. stock settings. >> >> As to the multiple failed p-stats per year (that is quite exceptional >> Adam!), I don’t recall the brand but we used to discuss switching to a >> non-stock model that was available at Chris’ Coffee and maybe Espresso >> Parts. It was great (Jaeger maybe?). Search my old posts and you’ll find it. >> >> Heat time—half hour is about right, to really get the group head up to >> temp (which is the strength of this machine’s design, as is the case with >> all E61’s). >> >> Price—$700 max sounds reasonable. You could always mention this group and >> the consensus here? By about 10 years of age, I was working on my machine >> every few months, and after about 2 more years of that, went with the ECM >> instead. Holy crap have they gotten expensive though! The ECM likes to eat >> vacuum breakers, and also they have a silicon tube that goes from the >> vacuum breaker to the drip tray (a nice touch, keeps the steam condensation >> out of the housing). That tubing rots regularly also. I’ve done one >> element, very easy replacement method. >> >> By the by, I mentioned using teflon tape instead of the liquid sealant. >> Another plus there—you’ll get to know the joy of removing a heating element >> from a Brewtus if it’s glued in with the factory sealant—definitely need a >> friend with an impact hammer and a way to clamp the boiler in a vise >> without bending it. With teflon tape, the remove/replace is worlds easier. >> >> Rotary and PID were great (I upgraded to both on my B2)—the vibe pump was >> a regular replacement item also; the rotary never needed work other than >> setting the pressure when I installed it. >> >> Backflush weekly with cafiza—and let it soak in there for an hour under >> pressure if you can! It will keep your shots really nice. >> >> Best of luck, keep us posted! >> b >> >> On May 1, 2023, at 13:56, peter riess <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Sounds like my old hot tub… Thanks to it, I could probably have a part >> time tub repair job! >> >> Anyway, thanks again. I’ll see if I can get it to a dollar point where it >> feels like a fun hobby, not a money pit. >> >> On May 1, 2023, at 2:43 PM, Adam Meade <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> When I got my IV-Rotary, I stuck the hose in a jug of water for a few >> months until I was able to plumb it in. No issues there. When I did plumb >> it, my water pressure was too high causing a leak in the machine so I had >> to add a pressure regulator upstream from it. >> >> I'll echo what others have said... you'd best be handy to own this >> machine. In the 6 or so years I have owned it, I've replaced several parts >> including a control board, a heating element, a sensor, and for whatever >> reason I am averaging going through about two pressurestat per year (I buy >> them in bulk now). If you enjoy learning about these machines and don't >> mind working on them, then go for it, but if you don't, then steer clear. >> On the upside, this group is extremely helpful as has been Whole Latte >> Love tech support. >> >> For heat up time, mine is about 8-10 minutes for the steam boiler >> followed by about 10 for the brew boiler. >> >> >> On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 4:32 PM Jason Scott <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hmmm, others will have to chime in on whether or not you can just stick >>> a hose into a water vessel. I tend to think that the rotary pump needs a >>> minimum water pressure to function, but I could be wrong there. >>> 35 minutes is more than enough time to heat up. >>> >>> On Monday, May 1, 2023 at 3:19:34 PM UTC-5 peter riess wrote: >>> >>>> The Brewtus Crew is awesome, thanks all. Good to hear this as well. I’m >>>> currently using a GCP so this would be a big upgrade. Maybe a huge time >>>> suck as well.. >>>> >>>> Is 35min accurate for heat up time? >>>> >>>> Any thoughts on plumbing vs dropping the tube into a big ol jug of good >>>> H2O. Plumbing would entail splitting my the icemachine line and figuring >>>> out an inline filter and some holes in counters, walls, etc. >>>> >>>> On May 1, 2023, at 2:09 PM, Jason Scott <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> They're no longer made, but the parts are all pretty universal (heating >>>> elements, steam/water controls, pstat, etc.) I think I'd be right there >>>> with you on the price. I would LIKELY pass on a leaking machine at $950, >>>> but would likely jump on it at $600-$700. The plumbed rotary IV version is >>>> quite a nice machine. My biggest gripe (which is a common one) is the lack >>>> of steam power, but there are ways to improve that with different >>>> tips/wands. I chose a higher-wattage steam element, and if the elements are >>>> due for replacement anyway, this is an option (but not a trivial option, as >>>> it does involve replacing wiring that's not intended for higher current). >>>> >>>> On Monday, May 1, 2023 at 2:51:19 PM UTC-5 peter riess wrote: >>>> >>>>> Thanks for that beta! Good info to take into consideration. The ask is >>>>> $950 but, assuming the worst, I wouldn’t want to pay much more than >>>>> $600-700. >>>>> >>>>> She also has some back up bits and parts, prepared for the end of the >>>>> line for the brand. I gather these are no longer made and parts are harder >>>>> to find than for an old Quick Mill, for example?? >>>>> >>>>> On May 1, 2023, at 1:32 PM, 'Ben McCafferty' via Brewtus < >>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Hey there Peter, >>>>> I think you have some unknowns here, and the bottom line is: what >>>>> discount are you getting, how willing are you to replace/repair parts, and >>>>> as Pitcher said how handy are you? >>>>> >>>>> I owned a B2 from new for 12 years or so (still have it, no longer in >>>>> service), and now have an ECM (another E61 machine, very similar). At 8 >>>>> years, you are definitely into the phase where you will be replacing >>>>> things >>>>> and I feel that’s to be expected. As to the lack of descaling, that may or >>>>> may not be an issue—where I live, I rarely descaled my brewtus and didn’t >>>>> have any buildup to mention. Definitely not the case in all areas. As an >>>>> aside, I’ve been using the BWT system (WLL carries it) for maybe 6 years >>>>> now and it is money well spent. No more descaling is their claim, it’s >>>>> been >>>>> true for me (I live in a different area now than I did with the B2 that >>>>> didn’t scale, harder water here). >>>>> >>>>> If it were me, I’d consider the following parts likely to need >>>>> replacing relatively soon: >>>>> —both boiler elements >>>>> —overheat sensors on top of both boilers >>>>> —pressurestat >>>>> —vibe pump if it’s a vibe machine and possibly solenoid/plunger >>>>> —miscellaneous copper and silicon tubing, esp the copper tubing to the >>>>> hot water boiler which is prone to clogging shut >>>>> —seals for the E61 group >>>>> —vacuum breaker for the steam boiler (this can be repaired with a >>>>> simple o-ring, instead of buying the whole part from a vendor—I have a bag >>>>> of 100 high temp/food grade and happy to send you one or more). >>>>> —E61 portafilter gasket and screen >>>>> >>>>> Less likely but possible: >>>>> —PID >>>>> —Giemme control box >>>>> —over pressure relief valve on the steam boiler >>>>> —seals for the wands >>>>> >>>>> So if you add those up, and they are less than the discount you’re >>>>> getting on the machine vs. new (and you like to work on machines), I’d say >>>>> go for it! In any case, you will know the machine well, and since you’ll >>>>> be >>>>> doing future maintenance on any machine, it’s good knowledge to have. >>>>> Meanwhile, I’d just get the machine and use it, fix the leak, and then be >>>>> pleasantly surprised (and money ahead) for the time that you don’t need to >>>>> do the things I mentioned above. ;) >>>>> >>>>> As to Pitcher’s comment about his machine leaking since new, that is >>>>> not normal in my experience. I can’t recall a leak in mine ever, unless a >>>>> line blew or something like that. You should be able to chase that down >>>>> and >>>>> fix it, I hope you can too Pitcher! Water under the machine is one of >>>>> those >>>>> things that drains my energy fast—just annoys the crap out of me I guess! >>>>> >>>>> One tip/suggestion—Expobar uses a liquid sealant on threads. It works >>>>> great, but it sets up FAST. You have to be really quick to get things >>>>> aligned, etc., especially on the pump assembly. I have always used yellow >>>>> teflon tape instead (you could add teflon paste over the tape if you wish) >>>>> and have never had a leak that I can recall. Just might save you a little >>>>> headache/heartburn. >>>>> >>>>> Best and good luck with the decision and/or new machine! >>>>> >>>>> b >>>>> >>>>> On May 1, 2023, at 12:08, peter riess <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> Thanks for the reply. From her description the dripping is coming from >>>>> a spot under one of the boilers. I assume it was build for the states. My >>>>> biggest concern I guess is the maintenance over the last 8 yrs... >>>>> >>>>> On May 1, 2023, at 12:58 PM, Pitcher Pitcher <[email protected]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I do not think the dripping is a sign of something major. Mine is 15 >>>>> years old and it drips since I have owned it. I would have to see where it >>>>> is dripping from to give you a better idea. There are some things to >>>>> consider if you are going to purchase. How handy are you? Some things I >>>>> would recommend doing to your machine to make it more hardy. Is the >>>>> machine >>>>> for the States or Overseas? The machine was built for 220 v 10 amps. The >>>>> States where I live are 120 v 20 amps. The extra amps over time has caused >>>>> some problems. >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, May 1, 2023 at 10:46 AM peter riess <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Seller claims she bought it new from WLL. Works well bur apparently >>>>>> it drips a small amount of discolored water as it warms up. Collects on >>>>>> counter under machine. She's never descaled it for the 8+/- yrs she's >>>>>> owned >>>>>> it. I am not sure about her water quality but she has it on a filter. >>>>>> >>>>>> Does the dripping raise a hairy red flag?? >>>>>> >>>>>> Thanks for any feedback! >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>> send an email to [email protected]. >>>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/42ebc17c-56b2-4ddd-893e-107e0b924ffbn%40googlegroups.com >>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/42ebc17c-56b2-4ddd-893e-107e0b924ffbn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>> . >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> "Pitcher" >>>>> Stephen Pitcher >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> 225-408-9041 <(225)%20408-9041> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/CACn%2BS8Fx2sED_Qdsyb0m%3D4z9aogMewzBDjKf_e9vz3eEGULamQ%40mail.gmail.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/CACn%2BS8Fx2sED_Qdsyb0m%3D4z9aogMewzBDjKf_e9vz3eEGULamQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/3508BEAD-4CA1-4958-A4B5-BFACB47BFF7C%40gmail.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/brewtus/3508BEAD-4CA1-4958-A4B5-BFACB47BFF7C%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> >>>>> You received this message 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