Rotary Pump Mini

[Endo]

It seems there's lots of room in the mini to fit in the rotary pump. Has anyone tried fitting one in? Should be easy enough since it started life with one.

[Niko]

Should be very easy.

[Endo]

I think the vibe pump works just fine. It's probably the most quiet vibe I ever heard (good mounting I assume), but still, I love the sound of that rotary.

I was just curious if it was possible. Unfortunately it is... . That means I may one day feel the need to do some tinkering. I think I'll be OK for the next 6 months with the vibe....until I get my "pimp my S1" urge.

[Niko]

I agree, the vibe would be just fine for me too if the VII's shipped with them. The only pimping I'd be doing is if the vibe died and went to heaven, then I'd get a rotary in there.

[Endo]

Funny that someone just posted a rotary motor/pump failure. I may rethink this.

[Niko]

Yes, someone already has a failed pump on the Mini but being under warranty I'd do the same thing he did, which was replace it with a free vibe again.
The Mini works so well with the vibe that I would only consider a rotary if I had to pay for it (out of warranty).

[MDL]

I thought that the rotary pumps had to have a pressure head to function correctly? When I purchased my machine I was also considering some of the Quickmill machines from Chris and the reason he says the Vetrano has to be plumbed in is just what I said.

Pumps in espresso machines can fail, be they vibe or rotary. For those of us with rotary pumps I am thinking that we should drop the pump every year 10 18 months to check for leaking seals?

Mark

[Niko]

It's the motor that worries me but then again a bad pump can damage a motor so it's not a bad idea to check whenever you have the covers off for anything in the future. Maybe that once a year filter change should include a cover removal for checking the wiring and then dropping the pump out to check for any leaks or corrosion.

[Endo]

I'm kind of on the fence with regard to vibe versus rotary. One thing for sure, the vibes sure are a lot cheaper to replace. I find it interesting to have both types of pump in the same machine. It will be interesting to see the long term data on cost of ownership.

[Niko]

There are people who swear that rotary shots taste better than vibe.
I have yet to taste the difference.
Personally I like the rotary better because it's quieter and it flows smoother, but taste-wise it's the same to me.

[JohnB]

It's the motor that worries me but then again a bad pump can damage a motor so it's not a bad idea to check whenever you have the covers off for anything in the future. Maybe that once a year filter change should include a cover removal for checking the wiring and then dropping the pump out to check for any leaks or corrosion.

The motors themselves aren't failing, the front bearings are corroding due to leaking pumps. Obviously the pump mfgr chose poorly when they sourced the seals. I'm going to look at mine tomorrow & if its replaceable & available I'll just put a new non oem seal in.

[chas]

I have my machine cooling down so I can pull the covers and give the innards the once over. I hadn't planned on doing anything in regard to the pump but now you have me thinking I should check it out too!