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Silvia Day to Day
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Advanced Cleaning: Backflushing
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Backflushing the Silvia is NOT recommended by the Rancilio S.p.A. -
Any damage you incur from backflushing a Rancilio Silvia is not covered
under warranty, so performing this procedure is at your own risk - don't
come crying to me if the seals on your pump fail. I repeat, this
procedure is at your own risk, and can void your warranty.
Despite the above, this has not stopped many Silvia owners from
backflushing (click for
directions).
Much of this discussion is from alt.coffee posts by Randy Glass and
some comments by others, notably Al Critzer.
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Silvia Maintenance
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Changing the Group / Portafilter Gasket
Some recommend changing your portafilter gasket every 6-12 months. Or,
you can wait until you have some leakage. The gasket is installed with
the rough side up and the smooth side down. If you are worried about a
leak, keep a spare on hand - you'll only be out about $12. To install,
empty the reservoir, turn the machine on its side, and the old gasket
will come out fairly easily. If it is really crusted on, you may need to
use some kind of pick to pull it off. Make sure you've cleaned all the
crud off of where the new gasket will seat, or you will probably have
leakage after installing the new one. The new gasket goes on easily,
a simple press fit.
Cleaning the Dispersion and Shower Screens
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Take off the portafilter. Look up under the group. You will see a nice
big flathead screw. Get out that stubby little screwdriver that you never
thought you would use, and carefully unscrew. Remove the dispersion and
shower screens, and clean up with a soak in a cleaner like Cafiza, and
reinstall. Easy stuff, but don't strip the screw! If you have scale
buildup, you may want to use Purocaff instead of Cafiza.
You may be surprised
at the scale buildup, especially if you use hard water in your machine.
I would not do this procedure more than once a month.
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Changing the Steam Wand Gaskets
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From alt.coffee, Mo Brooks writes:
"I have rebuilt the steam wand of my Silvia. It involved a few dollars in
parts (two o-rings and a rubber valve seat, if I recall), some grease, and
about 30 minutes (it only took that long because I was chatting with a
friend and forgot to grease it before putting it completely back
together--doh!). Not much more difficult than a group gasket. I got my
parts from the company I work for part time (Coastal Caffeine), so it was
just a shopping trip to the van parked out in my driveway. I expect
1st-Line or
WWL will have them.
We routinely rebuild the wands of our
customer's machines within a preventative maintenance schedule. I plan to
rebuild the wand every other group gasket change.
"If your valve is leaking, you are increasing the risk of running your
boiler dry, as well as causing rust problems.
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Fixing a Leaky Solenoid
David Jenkins has some wonderful information on
fixing a leaky solenoid on the Silvia. Someday, if I get permission,
I may mirror his pages here.
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Silvia Upgrades and Modification
These changes can improve your espresso, and satisfy your desire to tinker!
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Basic: La Marzocco Ridgeless Double Filter Basket
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This was recommended so highly that when I ordered my machine, the vendor
threw in the LM basket at no additional charge to replace the standard
baskets. The vendor kept the original baskets, so I have no basis for
comparison. The LM basket should come with a stiffer portafilter spring
to help hold it in when knocking grounds out. I have been very pleased
with the basket, which has a little more room in it and no ridge for your
tamper to get caught up on. I have been managing some very nice ristrettos
with this basket. Get one, they are relatively inexpensive once you are in
this far!
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Basic: Brasilia 9 Gram Single Filter Basket
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There has been a great deal of discussion on alt.coffee and other places
about how hard it is to pull a good single shot - so much so that many have
given up. However, recently talk has turned to using a 9gr. basket instead
of the usual 7gr. basket for a single, the thought being that the extra
coffee in the basket makes it easier to pull a single. So, I went off
to Crossroads Espresso and ordered a 9gr. basket meant for a Brasilia
machine (specifically from the Brasilia Century Group). It works very
well with Silvia, and I recommend getting one to anyone who desires
singles. (Mostly, I drink doubles, this was just an experiment!)
I ordered mine from
this link
- pick part number F00869, assuming the catalog hasn't changed, you
should see that you are selecting a 9gram single filter basket.
Here
is my review of the Brasilia basket on CoffeeGeek.com.
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Basic: Getting a Real Tamper
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The plastic tamper that comes with the Silvia is a joke - it doesn't
even fit the 58mm portafilter correctly. Go and buy a decent 58mm
aluminum or stainless steel tamper. The tamper I use (pictured) is
a Reg Barber with the
Rancilio logo from Whole Latte
Love, which cost
way too much, but it is pretty and matches the machine and works VERY well.
The handle is rosewood, and the base is precisely machined out of
stainless steel to 58mm.
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Basic: Rancilio Rechargeable Water Softener
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This goes into the tank of your Silvia. If you use hard water in your
Silvia, a water softener is a must to prevent scale buildup inside the
machine. Happily, it also keeps the extra minerals from getting in your
espresso! It it supposed to lay horzontally at the bottom of your water
tank - some on alt.coffee stand it up. Mine is laying down, and I don't
mind the fact that I have to refill the tank whenever the water drops
below an inch in the tank.
To recharge the resins in the softner, first remove it from the machine.
Mix 3-4 tsp. of table salt with 8 oz. (250ml) warm water.
Spoon it into the big end of the softener and let it sit for
15 minutes in a cup. Rinse until the saltiness is gone (I actually taste
some of the water coming out to verify the salt flavor is gone).
Reinstall.
Theoretically, these things can last forever, but if your water has iron
in it, the ion transfer to the resins can eventually slow down to the point
where it doesn't work well and you can no longer recharge the softener.
My father also thinks that at his home, where
there is incredibly high silica content in the water, that the filter would
jam up far more often. So, effectively, these do need to be replaced
sometimes.
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Basic: Commercial Portafilter
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On alt.coffee, Thomas W. Gauperaa says "When you've just gotten
the machine. The standard portafilter is just fine.
But later you may want the commercial portafilter because:
- it's bigger and retains heat better (remember, the portafilter starts
to cool as soon as you remove it to grind, dose and tamp)
- the handle is longer so you get better leverage when you insert
and remove it
- the spouts are wider and the construction is such that the flow is more
even. I like it because it is easier to diagnose the pour."
UPDATE 03-May-2004: I did finally make this upgrade, but not to the Rancilio
professional portafilter. I upgraded to an aftermarket La Marzocco
15 degree angle-handle portafilter, with a rubberized handle with the
La Marzocco imprint. This is also a professional portafilter.
It has some advantages beyond the Rancilio pro above:
- the 15 degree handle with the spouts make a tripod for level tamping
- the portafilter is deep enough to allow you to use the La Marzocco
Swift triple basket, which holds 21 grams of coffee!
I hope to have pictures up soon, and ordering information.
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Basic: Three-Hole Steam Wand Tip
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Only available from 1st-Line Equipment.
So far, reviews from alt.coffee are a mixed bag, some like it
and some don't.
Personally, I am having good luck with the one-hole
tip, so I am not going to try this one.
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Intermediate: Pressure Control Mod
More on this when I have time to write it up. Greg Scarce has written
about it on alt.coffee, so you can search Google Groups for this post
until then.
Advanced: Adding a pressure gauge
More on this when I have time to write it up. Greg Scarce has written
about it on alt.coffee, so you can search Google Groups for this post
until then. Greg is one of the key Silvia experimenters we have!
Advanced: PID Temperature Control
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Get a PID installed on your Silvia and control the boiler's temp
MUCH more accurately.
Pepe's Hodrodded Silvia page has tons of info, as does
Murph's Silvia
PID page... Personally,
I'm not ready to try this, the espresso I am getting is awesome. But,
if you like to tinker, this is for you.
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WAY Advanced: Double PID, Plumbed in, PressureStat mod
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Yes, it has been done. And you might understand
how
to do it if you can read the Chinese on this page... It is nice to
know that Taiwan has a modding community that is alive and well!
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