Group Gasket

[Niko]

I removed my PF last night and got more than I bargained for!
...the group gasket came along for the ride.
It had a nice deep groove worn into it and the rubber was a little hard so instead of flipping it over, I popped a new one in.

So here's my report:
If you keep the PF in all the time, the gasket should last at least 7 months.
If you do not keep it in...I have yet to change the gasket on my older S1 which is about 15 months old.
My VII (whose gasket this post is about) gets about the same usage as a small cafe (light duty commercial) closing in at the 2,100th shot soon.
:D Yes, I keep a daily log on everything from roast to shots being pulled :D

[chas]

I replaced my gasket for the first time about two weeks ago. I keep my PF loaded at all times. So that was 9 months but when I've backflushed some water has been shooting out around the gasket for the last couple of months. So 7 months may be about right.

[MDL]

Perhaps I am thinking about this wrong, but I have kept my portafilter off the machine when it is not turned on so that both the group and the portafilter can be dry. I have somehow thought that the screens and/or portafilter might get nasty if I left the portafilter on the machine when it wasn't hot.

Any thoughts? My machine also sits in a place where people might run into the handle of the portafilter if it was in all the time.

Mark

[Niko]

Yeah, same here...mine is in a high traffic area and I'm hoping to snare someone some day! :D No such luck, people avoid the beast as they walk by.
I keep the PF in at all times because I like it to remain hot since the machine is on most of the time. If I sleep, the machine sleeps, the rest of the time it remains on.
I do think the gasket lasts a whole lot longer with the PF on only when in use.

So in a (sort of) answer to your question, Mark....the group remains dry even after the machine is off if, you remove the PF a couple of hours later and wipe the group and basket dry by hand. Then you lock and load and it should be very dry until your next power on cycle. I usually do this and that's the reason the gasket popped off with the PF last night, I was removing it to dry it for the night so both the Vivaldi and I can sleep.

[PatRi]

any tut aound on how to replace this, anything to disassemble or it is just to pull it off?

thnks, pat

[Niko]

You can just pull it off.
I picked a few off with my bare hands (of course the machine was cold).

[chas]

The gasket is easiest to remove when the S1 is slightly warm so the gasket is still a bit soft. If the S1 is completely cold an old gasket can be very hard.

[bluesman13]

I get water leaking when I am pulling a shot and my machine is only a couple of months old!

[bbqnut]

With my Pasquini Livia 90, the official instructions were to use an ice pick to remove the old one. Once you realize that the old one will be no good, and you can destroy it, it makes the job a lot easier. And they are impossible to remove when cold (they break or chip into pieces).

[Niko]

I get water leaking when I am pulling a shot and my machine is only a couple of months old!

It's not your gasket, seems more like a poor fitting basket-to-grouphead fitting. I've gotten that too, try rotating the basket in different direction and crank it on.

[Niko]

Funny thing is...all my gaskets kinda' fell off while the machine was COLD.

[woodchuck]

11 months for me. I have my machine on a timer. On at 6am off at 8pm. Just started to get leaks around the grouphead. Easy swap out. The gasket came off of the slightly warm machine with nary an issue. Wet the new one and use the portafilter to set it in place. Next decision - when to descale?

Cheers

Ian

[wgaggl]

I changed my group gasket after a year of operation.

Mostly because the gasket got harder and less flexible after a while and I needed more force to lock the PF in place. A little after a year I decided to take it out and inspect it, and it basically broke apart.

And I strongly believe it depends on the On-Time of your machine. I don't have it constantly on, but I think Chas has his on all day (right?). So I strongly feel On-time is a stronger factor than usage.
I also recommend if you have the PF in all the time, leave it just loosely locked in. As I also have my machine in a high-traffic area in our kitchen, I remove it when it's switched off or when I don't brew any more espresso for the day.

Wolfgang

[Niko]

That's a valid point you have there.
It explains why my gasket needed to be changed after 7 months of use. My machine is ON most of the time and the PF is locked in all the time 24/7.

[scot]

I just did the same on my machine. completely dryrotted gasket would leak no matter how much force I put on the basket.

Honestly it seems like a poor quality item, there are many environments requiring much hotter and tougher operating environments than this. This one I lubed up with food safe silicone lubricant. Maybe that will help extend the useful life.

Scot

[hlsheppard]

I'm with you, Scott. I keep my machine on about 12 hours per day during the week and 24 hours on weekends. I'm on my third gasket and I've had my S1 for 27 months almost to the day. I have always kept my pf in (but not super tight).

This rubber does seem to dry out VERY fast, not only when compared to other machines I've had, but even moreso when compare to various industrial gaskets, etc.

[Niko]

I was looking at my gasket supply, some of them look like they came from different vendors. The rubber is thicker on one and it's more pliable on the other... :?

[chas]

I have always used gaskets fro Chris Coffee but the last time I made a purchase from Espresso Parts I bought a few of their gaskets. I have the first one in now. I am interested to see if there is much difference. They do look slightly different so they're obviously not from the same vendor.

[Niko]

That's where I got mine,
some from Chris, another came with the machine and then EPNW. We'll see which one lasts longer...