Two things about my S1

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karlos5000

Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

I have a couple observations I'd like to share about my S1 and a couple questions to follow.

First, my set up. I have a VII that is about one year old. It is plumbed into a filtered water line with a pressure regulator. The water is on the hard side of normal with TDS readings of just under 400 ppm. I also have a reverse osmosis and DI module that gets the TDS down close to 0 but I don't think that water tastes as good so I tap the water off before those modules. I keep the water line pressure at around 35 psi. I use espresso blends from counter culture, intelligentsia, and a local roaster (Zingermans, Ann Arbor). I brew at about 8.5 psi.

My first observation involves temperature control with the S1. I have the feeling my machine is running hot. I have never been able to pull a sour shot despite setting the S1 to 91 degrees C. I have also never been able to get the ultra carmel chocolate delight from fresh Black Cat like they do at Intelligentsia in Chicago.
I do not have a Scace temp monitor. Anything simple I can do to see how hot the espresso is brewed?

Second, about every fourth or fifth time I pull a shot, the solenoid valve seems to open but the pump does not engage. So I get a random preinfusions. If I stop the shot and hit the button again, its fine. Is this common? Or easily fixed?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

-Karlos
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

This site is really great. I started reading about temperature offset. Since I have the older VII I can adjust my temp offset by 0 to -8, correct? Does that mean I can actually cool down my brew temps? Or does a negative offset actually heat up the brew temp.?

I'll try empirically until I hear from someone about this.

Thanks!
JohnB

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by JohnB »

First thing I would suggest is mixing your hard water with the r/o water to get the hardness down but still get a taste you like. 400ppm is very hard water & about 350 ppm higher then CC recommends for the boilers. I was using water with a 90-100ppm hardness & found quite a bit of scale build up on the steam boiler element after just 6 months.

As far as the offset goes the standard S1V2 range was -3*C thru 0*C until the recent upgrade. With the board upgrade you have from -8*C thru +8*C adjustment. Read the section of the S1V2 owners manual that describes how to determine where your offset is currently set so you know what your machine is set to. Lowering the offset will lower the temp you get at the group head.

You can do some temp tests that are fairly accurate using a cut down stryo cup & an "accurate" digital thermometer. Cut the cup so it fits up against the gasket, insert the thermo probe just above the bottom so the end of the probe is half way into the cup (not touching the other side), hold the cup up against the gasket while wearing a heat mitt & pull some flushes.

No one is getting that famous "carmel chocolate delight" out of the current b/c that I know of. When was the last time you had it in their cafe?

The pump doesn't run during the p/i stage so I don't see how your random problem would affect them unless you have the mechanical p/i.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

Thanks John,

I'm surprised that no one else here has had the random pre-infusion problem. Keep in mind that I do not have the pre-infusion circuit upgrade or the mechanical pre-infuser. I wonder if this could be a scale issue? I will try to mix in some R/O but with my current set up I think this will require a reservoir and pump to do correctly. The water pressure after the R/O is pretty minimal.

I'll try to grab a good thermometer at my lab and see if I can measure a difference. For now I'm using my taste buds. I did try the temp offset and managed to sour up a shot of Kid O. So I think I found my maximum cool point. It was set at an offset of 0 so I could do some adjusting.
I actually had the "carmel chocolate delight" double of BC in August at the Broadway location

Anyway. Thanks for your comments.
MDL
Barista
Posts: 329
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2007 11:29 am
Location: San Diego

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by MDL »

Glad to see you posting here.

You need to do something about your water or you are going to have to remove scale; 400 ppm is much harder than you want to use regularly. I use the water softener/filter combo that I originally purchased from Chris. After the initial purchase, however I realized that I could buy the components for much less money on the open market. Although some folks do use RO water followed by a calcite cartridge it seems to me that using a softener and filter system is easier unless you have a large RO unit established (which you apparently have). The RO systems that I have seen use the line pressure to drive the output since the entire system is pressurized, but I have no direct personal experience.

No comment on your temperature questions. However, regarding the lack of the pump turning on, I have experienced this on one or two times when I hit the button twice rapidly. In other words, I turned the pump off before it could get started. The buttons can be very sensitive; be sure that you use a firm single push to activate the brewing.

Good luck,
Mark
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

Point taken about the 400ppm water. I use and recommend to anyone, http://www.airwaterice.com for any water filtering equipment. They are primarily an aquarium water treatment specialist but they have plenty of drinking water gear. I sent them an email and I'm sure they will come up with a cheap solution to reduce, but not eliminate the water hardness and maintain good line pressure to the Vivaldi.

Thanks again for your comments.

-Karl
JohnB

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by JohnB »

I just added a T fitting with an on/off valve in my water feed line before the softener cartridge & between the softener & carbon filter. This way I can feed hard water into the softened water adjusting the valve until I get the ideal water hardness for my taste. I installed a one way valve in the softener line before the T so nothing feeds back into the softener cartridge. This is the same set up another forum member used with his RO system so it should work on yours.

Take a look at this thread for tips on descaling: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=872

Since you said the pump does not run when your intermittent issue happens I doubt it is scale related unless there is a build up inside the pump which seems unlikely. I'd check all electrical connections between the shot buttons & pump.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

Just thought I'd add that I talked to CC about the pump not turning on reliably issue and they though there might be some mineral build up in the pump housing that is preventing it from kicking in with every group flush. I am going to open things up an look around. I'll try to take picks if I find anything. I may even dare to open up the boiler and see if my element has buildup.

Still trying to decide on the best way to reduce my water hardness...

More soon.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

I cleaned out the pump, no obvious build-up that I could find. Not that I could see much in there.
I was too intimidated by the steam boiler to open it up. :drunken:
Now I am awaiting my boards return from CC. In the meantime I'm setting up a small RO water reservoir and delivery pump to feed the VII.

More after the new board is in.
JohnB

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by JohnB »

Opening the steam boiler isn't a big deal but you will need a new gasket. I had CC send one back with my board. Considering the hardness of your water it would be a good idea to clean the scale off the heating element & temp probe while the machine is open.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

Ok. I added a boiler gasket on to my board upgrade.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

An update.

To prevent further build-up, I ordered a small RO water reservoir and a demand pump (Aquatec 5800) so now I will be supplying water with TDS 50-100 instead of 400.

I took apart the boiler, not that bad. The scale I would call moderate, not ridiculous, but certainly covering everything in the boiler with a tiny layer of mineral. I used 2 tablespoons of citric acid powder per quart of water and soaked the element and boiler for two hours at room temp. Worked like a charm. Everything looks nice and clean now.
The hardest part was getting the old gasket off the boiler. Lots of scraping to remove the sealed on stuff.

I am waiting to receive the upgrade board and the new gaskets before putting things back together again.

I'm getting a little tired of press pot. :blackeye:

More soon.
karlos5000

Re: Two things about my S1

Post by karlos5000 »

I received the upgrade board yesterday and got my machine back together without any problems. The board upgrade has also seemed to solve my pump not turning on problems. I suppose it may also be do to the de-scaling of the pump and boiler. Time will tell.

Finally have espresso again.

Slurp.
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