Regarding not plumbing in the S1 Vivaldi...

[HooHaw]

According to the local La Spaziale/Faema service tech, it's ok to use a static tank besides or below the S1 Vivaldi instead of plumbing it in, is he right?

[zak42]

I believe it needs positive line pressure, so i'm not sure a static tank will get you that. I run my with a flojet pump and 5 gallon bottle and am happy with the setup.

[ishcoco]

According to the local La Spaziale/Faema service tech, it's ok to use a static tank besides or below the S1 Vivaldi instead of plumbing it in, is he right?

I did that for a while, before my plumbing was completed. It will work, but the machine does not have the pressure it should. I would get a Flojet system, if you do not intend to plumb it in.

[HooHaw]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Just one more annoying question... 8^). Will drawing from a static tank kill the pump? Or shorten its life?

[HooHaw]

What are the alternatives to Flo-jet? It's hard to find where I am.

[ishcoco]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Just one more annoying question... 8^). Will drawing from a static tank kill the pump? Or shorten its life?

I don't think it will kill the pump, as long as it is not starved for water, but you certainly will not be getting the best shots the machine is capable of. I would certainly get a flojet, or plumb it in. If you are going to spend this much money on a machine, it would be a shame to skimp in this key area.

[HooHaw]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Just one more annoying question... 8^). Will drawing from a static tank kill the pump? Or shorten its life?

I don't think it will kill the pump, as long as it is not starved for water, but you certainly will not be getting the best shots the machine is capable of. I would certainly get a flojet, or plumb it in. If you are going to spend this much money on a machine, it would be a shame to skimp in this key area.

True. Very true.

[Woofy]

Espressoparts.com has the FloJet on sale for $115 plus shipping at the moment. That's about the cheapest I've seen it available.

[HooHaw]

I did check with Espressoparts.com but they'll only do Paypal for international orders (it seems) and we don't have paypal where I am: the Philippines :?

Anyhow, I'll try my luck again with Chris Coffee since they have the naked pf for the S1 and baskets, if he deigns to answer his e-mail.

[admin]

I have noticed a new feature that Paypal is offering lately. Most websites that accept Paypal have integrated this new feature. If you click on the link to pay for a purchase using Paypal, you get to a web page where you enter your Paypal UserID. On the same page is a button you click if you don't have a Paypal account.

It used to be that the only thing you could do from that page is to register for a Paypal account. However now there is usually an option on that page to use a major credit card. The credit card purchase is handled by Paypal so as far as the retailer is concerned, you still used Paypal to make the purchase.

[admin]

Anyhow, I'll try my luck again with Chris Coffee since they have the naked pf for the S1 and baskets, if he deigns to answer his e-mail.

Chris is usually pretty responsive though he is on the road a lot visiting vendors and attending coffee related trade shows. As far as I can tell he's not an e-mail on the road kind of guy. While I would definitely recommend talking specifically with him when it comes to purchasing an espresso machine, you should be able to talk to anyone there about just ordering the parts you are looking at. If I am remembering the addresses correctly, you might try mary@chriscoffee.com. I've talked to her several times regarding parts orders I've made.

[HooHaw]

I'll keep that in mind Chas. I can call but for reasons of cost, time difference and I don't want to bother them with a non-emergency, I'd rather e-mail them.

But a point about Chris' reputation: his reputation in the coffee forums is such that I was willing to buy a 110V machine from him, pay air freight ($300 according to FedEx) to the Philippines, buy a transformer (since we're 220V here), pay the damn taxes, duties and charges (20% all in all), and it'll still be cheaper than buying local. That is, if there's a dealer in the Philippines for the brand I'm interested and if that dealer carry the model I want.

That I'd rather deal with Chris half way around the world than with the local dealers ought to tell you how good Chris smells from my end and how Philippine dealers really stink (well, except a couple or so).

[GentleGiant]

With the Flo-jet, the instructions will warn you that you need a pressure accumulator with a device like an expresso machine, where the pump basically blocks flow.

When I was running mine without, the flo-jet was cycling off/on at least once a second - this is not good. I had my handyman make a small resevoir that tees off the line and has just a simple tank. It works well, though it's not quite a elegant as the ones sold for the purpose, which have a dedicated air bladder.

This is my set-up, rearranged to show things a bit better. The silver tank has a tee fitting in the bottom. It starts out full of air when you put it in, then when you turn the pump on the first time after connecting it, the pump pushes water into the tank until the air is compressed to match the pump's set pressure. With this tank you must keep the tee down, or the air will vent through the outlet. The dedicated accumulators have a sealed air bladder that you pump up with an air charge.

This tank is about 1/2 gallon capacity, and I can draw 3 double shots before the pump kicks in to bring the pressure up. Joe, my handyman, charged me $30 for the fittings and (salvaged) tank.

[HooHaw]

Haven't read about this before...

I think most users either plug the Flojet straight to the pump inlet or have it go through a filter (like Chris Tacy did when he reviewed the Bricoletta).

[GentleGiant]

The issue is that if you have the flojet going directly to the S1's pump inlet, the pressure regulator in the flojet will be switching the pump on and off very rapidly. The instructions warn this causes rapid wear of something or other...

If the flojet is driving a faucet or a drip brewer, there's no problem because it's a continuous flow with no restriction. With an espresso machine the flojet pumps much faster than the rotary pump is drawing water for the shot, so pressure in the input line climbs immediately and the flojet shuts off for a half second or so, then kicks in again.

I don't know the practical effect of the above, I just decided to work things in a way to eliminate the potiential problem.

I see that EPNW has a real-live accumulator for under $50 : http://www.espressoparts.com/product/9013

[Johan Lindroos]

According to the local La Spaziale/Faema service tech, it's ok to use a static tank besides or below the S1 Vivaldi instead of plumbing it in, is he right?

What I do with my machine* when I

[HooHaw]

Thanks John. I've already cobbled a PF pressure gauge and, at another thread (http://www.rimpo.org/wforum/viewtopic.php?p=1177#1177), daerider said he measures group pressure with PF that allows a 1.5 oz flow in ~25 sec.

[cappadoc]

Johan,
I use a FloJet because my home has horrid water quality and filters don't tell me when they need to be changed. This is a Huge advantage for me else I wouldn't be able to use a plumbed machine. I don't have to test my water at all now that I use bottled H2O.
Jeff

[Johan Lindroos]

Oh that was bad news to hear that your water quality is not so good. In Sweden almost everywhere, the water is as goog as bottled water or even better, certainly much much better than in Italy. But maybe the bad water taste is supposed to be there in order to get the espresso as much alike as in Italy as possible... :D