On/Off Timer

Post by **blgros** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:45 pm

I see that there is a $185 option for a timer for the Vivaldi II. I'm not clear, though, how it works. Part of my confusion, I think, is getting my brain around having separate controls for each of two boilers.

Why can you not use this machine with a standard appliance timer? I have had one now on my Silvia so everything is warmed up before I wake up, and it works great.

What does the optional timer do that an external timer wouldn't do?

Thanks

Bryan
Oakland, CA

Post by **Niko** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:52 pm

Hi Bryan,
Welcome to the S1 Cafe!

The S1 is always "ON"...
it's a standby switch that activates the cycle. So when it's OFF - it's still ON :?
I know it sounds kind of confusing.

A normal timer would probably melt right off the wall with the amount of wattage the S1 generates.

And you can't have the timer cycle just the group boiler, they both go ON and OFF - it's part of the machine's design. Even when you manually switch on the machine both boilers fire up.

Post by **blgros** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:57 pm

Thanks.
So basically you leave it "on" and then fire up the boilers in the morning?
So how long to people generally wait for this thing to heat up?

Bryan

Post by **Weska** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:12 pm

Half an hour will do. I haven't noticed any difference between that and longer times to warm up, but I haven't made an exacting comparisons either.

Note that you can also switch off the steam boiler and leave the brew group warm. The steam will come back within ten minutes of switching on its boiler. This means you can save roughly half your energy consumption by turning off the steam boiler whenever you are unlikely to use it, such as when sleeping.

Generally, I try to turn the whole rig, everything, off on weeknights because my weekday drill includes showering and the like that takes over half an hour--time enough to warm up. For lazy weekends when I won't shower first thing and may well drink espresso first thing, I leave everything on and the pf in place.

Post by **bbqnut** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:10 pm

I feel bad for all you S1 owners who must buy the $185 timer.

Now that I have an inferior machine, I am free to use the $5 timer from the hardware store.

There are advantages to living on the street and eating garbage :P

Post by **Niko** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:10 pm

eating garbage...I love it!

Weska is right, the only difference of waiting more than a half an hour is the cups will be hotter on the cup warmer after about an hour.

Post by **zoey** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:27 pm

Speaking of warming up the machine; Is it bad form to turn the machine on, wait for the temp lights to give the thumbs up, and then simply heat up the portafilter by running water from the group head through it?

Call me impatient and lazy.

Post by **JohnB** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:39 am

You could try it & see but I think it would take quite a few flushes to get things up to temp. I never drink coffee until after I have something to eat in the morning so the wait is no big deal.

Post by **javabreath** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:36 am

Why worry about timers? I just leave my S1 running all the time and turn on the boiler when needed. Other than possibe shorter group head gasket life what is the down side?

Post by **Niko** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:40 pm

zoey wrote:Speaking of warming up the machine; Is it bad form to turn the machine on, wait for the temp lights to give the thumbs up, and then simply heat up the portafilter by running water from the group head through it?

Call me impatient and lazy.

You can bring it up to temp by running about 15-20 flushes.

javabreath wrote:Why worry about timers? I just leave my S1 running all the time and turn on the boiler when needed. Other than possibe shorter group head gasket life what is the down side?

You can certainly leave it on 24/7, gaskets do wear out quicker that way but hey, your machine is always ready

This is exactly why the timer is nice for home use.

Post by **zoey** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:44 pm

I run the flushes into a cappuccino cup and put the portafilter into the cup.

Post by **Niko** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:00 pm

The PF gets plenty hot after the 20th or so flush (right after startup when the lights give the OK signal). You can get the group up to temp in about 12 minutes with frantic flush after flush - I've done it when the timer failed me and the machine was out Cold, I had to have coffee right then and there or there was going to be some trouble

Post by **blgros** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:41 am

Thanks to all for the information. But I'm just not understanding the difference with the VII.

What happens when you plug it in? What is "on"? I know there is two boilers--is there two on/off switches, one for each boiler?

What's the difference between using a timer on the plug and getting up in the morning and plugging it in? Besides losing a few minutes of sleep :-)

Post by **bbqnut** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:13 pm

blgros wrote:Thanks to all for the information. But I'm just not understanding the difference with the VII.

What happens when you plug it in? What is "on"? I know there is two boilers--is there two on/off switches, one for each boiler?

What's the difference between using a timer on the plug and getting up in the morning and plugging it in? Besides losing a few minutes of sleep :-)

When you plug it in, it is only in standby. Your finger still has to press the soft on/off switch to get it turn on fully. Some have come up with little devices that wire directly into that switch on the back, and for a lot less than $185 it becomes your "virtual finger", but requires some soldering to the control pad.

I decided against the $185 and against the mod, so I ended up just turning it on manually, taking a shower, and then making my espresso.

Post by **Niko** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:12 pm

Those of you with the timer might've noticed that it switched itself into daylight savings over the weekend. The one thing I don't like about this timer is that feature - I wish they would've left that out but who was to say that the damn Feds would step in (yet again) and mess with time?

If you get a VII, the timer is a nice option - not a necessity but still a nice little luxury.