Any suggestions as to why the first shot pulled has the best crema, but subsequent ones tend not to? (our Office Lever is approx. 10 years old, we pull 2 doubles/day, have changed brewhead gasket twice w/no leakage around brewgroup, and let it come to temp/pressure for 30 minutes or more before initial shot). Thanks-
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Any suggestions as to why the first shot pulled has the best crema, but subsequent ones tend not to? (our Office Lever is approx. 10 years old, we pull 2 doubles/day, have changed brewhead gasket twice w/no leakage around brewgroup, and let it come to temp/pressure for 30 minutes or more before initial shot). Thanks-
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techkathy Is the gauge on the machine going into the red zone? The longer the machine sits the hotter it will get. Older machines can overheat when their pressure stat begins to fail. If the water for brewing is too hot you will get very little crema and it will dissipate quickly. The coffee may also taste burned or bitter. The pressure stat is easy to change out at home. Call tech support to order a new one if the machine is overheating.
How long should one flush this machine once it has been idle? I've been reading the idea of the flush is to wait until flash steam is gone. With mine that seems to happen almost immediately and many times there is no steam at all but I don't have a temperature measurement to be sure.
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techkathy You should flush the group head until the steam sound stops. The length of time you need to flush depends on the amount of time since it was last flushed. The longer the machine is idle the hotter it will be. If you want to be sure of the temperature you can use a thermometer and Styrofoam or paper cup.
Just last week I bought a refurbished Expobar Lever from Whole Latte. Looking through your website I found some instructions for retrofitting the control board. Can you explain what that is all about? Does my machine have the old board or the new board? I know it does not have the second pressure gauge because I asked about that (after I had ordered). Your sales department said that refurbished machines had been used for less than one month so I am expecting a machine in essentially new operating condition. From that I assumed it was manufactured fairly recently but apparently not so from the fact that the second pressure gauge is not there. So I am wondering about the control board. Is there any way of knowing when my machined was manufactured?
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techkathy There should be a sticker with the serial number and manufacture date on it. It is under the drip tray.
Angel Lopez Thanks for the information on the manufacturing date.
Angel Lopez Update on this question. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the machine I received was manufactured in september, 2012 and has the two gauges and the no-burn wand. (The wand does get pretty warm but not as hot as the hot water tube.) This did not match the information I was given on the phone or the buzz message from Chris Kaiser dated 1-27-2013 (should be just below here.) I am not complaining. I got something better than what I was told. I am wondering if I just got lucky or if WLL sold out all of its old version refurbished machines. The machine's condition is perfect. I certainly couldn't tell it apart from a new machine.
My expobar office lever got a dry boiler.Pump is working while I pull the brew lever up,but no water will be filled into the boiler.heating light goes for 1 second after the power switch on.How can I fix it ,it's not in US.
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techkathy Have you tried removing the water softener filter to see if the machine has lost its prime? There should be a water filter on the end of one of the tubes in the water tank. Pull the filter off of the end of the tube and try again. The machine should start to draw in water. Worst case - the solenoid valve in the machine may have become stuck.
chih chou chu Finally, I found that's the problem on 1 of the 2 relays in side the control box.It can be held, but not signal was sent to active the pump.now It has been replaced by local mechanician.
Techkathy thank for your help.
I have an Office Lever Plus that is about a year old. I see that the WLL has created a copper washer with a hole in it to help with the high temperature of the group head. My question is, can I purchase one of these to put in my machine? Thanks David
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A A David,
Looking up your order, I see that you purchased that machine in Feb of 2012. We had already begun modifying the machines with the new thermosiphon washer before that point. So your machine already has it!
Well I pulled the trigger and got this machine. I am so excited to get it on my counter and start learning all there is to know about it. I also got the Rancilio Rocky Doserless grinder. My question is, what do you recommend I start with on the grind setting?
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Sanfam ♦ With a Rocky grinder, consider starting at 9-10--this should be a good starting range on a new machine. However, remember that each grinder is more-or-less unique, I would take this with a gain of salt and adjust as needed.
Rick Goree Thanks Sanfam! I got my grinder and Expobar last night and tried it out this morning. First pull was at about 30 seconds on the setting of 9. I changed the setting to 12 and it pulled wonderful shots in 22 to 24 seconds. What a wonderful pair. I am so happy I went ahead with the upgrade.
Is there a way to attach a drain line for this model? I know it is possible on the plus model.
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A A Rick,
Because the legs on the "non-plus" model has the shorter legs, there is not enough clearance for the drain kit that you would find on the "plus" model. You could probably rig something up for it - but the Expobar parts for the actual drain kit are too large to fit under the machine as it is currently.
After initial warm up the ready light goes off then back on every couple of seconds. Is this the expected behavior or should it remain off completely? The same happens during the brew cycle.
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Craig Clark While I don't have an Expobar, this is typical of other machines and indicates the heating circuit turning off and on to maintain the correct heat on the boiler. When you are preparing to steam, does the light stay on longer? If so, this is normal, due to the extra heat required by the boiler to produce steam
chih chou chu Please check the boiler pressure. the heater should be turn off once the pressure reach 1.0bar the light goes off, and light on again when the pressure drop down to 0.8bar.
How do I tell the difference between the single shot and double shot baskets?
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mjackson ♦ The double shot basket is deeper and also the single shot will have a more tapered bottom.
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techkathy Is the gauge on the machine going into the red zone? The longer the machine sits the hotter it will get. Older machines can overheat when their pressure stat begins to fail. If the water for brewing is too hot you will get very little crema and it will dissipate quickly. The coffee may also taste burned or bitter. The pressure stat is easy to change out at home. Call tech support to order a new one if the machine is overheating.
04-30-2013 4:04pm |