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After the old forum software breaking in a way that we were unable to fix, we've migrated the site to a new platform.

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Azkoyen Bravo Compact E2 2 Group - rebuild

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Comments

  • UNMUNM
    That link is great for procon pumps. Mine is a rotoflow and is a bit different - basic principle the same, but front plate on the rotoflow is threaded and requires a two pin wrench (like for an angle grinder collet). The pin spacing is 35mm and unfortunately I don't have such a wrench to hand. I did make one up from a block of 50x100 (or 2x4 in the old money) and two suitably sized nails with the tips removed, but the front plate is so tight that the pins slipped and I don't want to risk rounding the edges, so will wait until I get the correct tool before removing the plate. By swapping various adapters, I managed to fit my spare pump temporarily, freeing up the rotoflow to be removed and disassembled at my leisure. Yeah, the feel is not like a broken bearing or something scraping, more like bearings that are too tight or possibly pitted. Should be easy to tell if it is saveable once disassembled.
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  • UNMUNM
    AM The pump in my bravo is one of these (with the mesh screen) http://www.depcopump.com/datasheets/Fluid-o-Tech/brass rotary.pdf No parts diagram unfortunately. It is closer overall to the first link you posted up. Years ago when I had a pump fail in my hydrobath, I found a couple of very helpful pump repair places near me. Will have a look and see if I can find their details. Also BF may chip in as he has a bit of experience with pumps.
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  • Brett HBrett H
    That is genius mate.  Temporary genie ass in every respect.  Even a world champion tile layer like me who knows nothing about wiring...  :pan :doh:
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  • derrilexderrilex
    They could have at least put it in a J box for ya :rofl: :rofl:
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  • UNMUNM
    Easy decision AM, keep the bravo - it is a nice little unit. Pass on the cremina to another cremarian. I'll happily pay you what you have invested in the bravo so you wont be out of pocket.
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  • UNMUNM
    Purchased a metre of Insul Bright from Spotlight on Saturday. At $12.95 a metre, they charge more than other places, but when you only need a metre it is worth it for the convenience of picking up immediately. Installed two layers around and over one end of boiler (haven't insulated the end with the heater element yet as that will require good cut out around the element wiring (insulation includes a layer of metalised film and I am a tad wary of having that close to the 240v bits). It took quite a bit of fiddling to get cut outs in approximately the right place for all the pipe work and boiler mounts, but finally got it in place. Switched machine on to warm up and went away to do a couple other things. Came back 15 mins later and still warming up - not quite at boiling point yet. Came back again 15 mins later to find the water tap was slightly open and the fault light on the front was flashing. OOOPS! Turns out that the routing of the input hose to the pump caused it to kink and it was not supplying water to the tank as it should. Fortunately, element doesn't seem to have cooked (fingers crossed). Anyway, until I get a 90 degree fitting on the pump input side, no more testing and still  not relocated from the workbench to study. Hopefully Tuesday. Will post pics of the boiler insulation when I can take shots in daylight. Got plenty left for another layer or so, or to insulate the bezzera. I'm hoping it will not only lower the heater duty cycle, but also drop the group temp slightly as the internal machine temp should be quite a bit lower.
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  • UNMUNM
    Managed to get a different flex pipe for supplying water to the pump without kinking. Hooked up and tested briefly. Slight weeping on output side of pump, so need to remove from the frame and tighten some more. Initial tests with insulation: Approx 40 sec on time, approx 2 min 40 off.  Over multiple cycles, I calculated a 28% duty cycle(was about 30% before).  Would like to see it down around 25%. Ambient temp around 10 degrees though, so will hopefully be better once installed indoors and with covers on. Might throw in another chunk of insulation though for good measure. The drop from 1.1 bar to 1 bar is definitely slower than before and I can comfortably touch the insulation. Funny though - right hand group was much slower to warm up than left.
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  • UNMUNM
    OK I finally bit the bullet and decided that come what may, the azky moved inside today. Couldn't get the leak fully fixed on pump output side, but with the aid of a tapered rubber washer, got to one drip every 10 sec with a blind filter and pump running. Decided that was good enough for temporary use until I can get a 90 degree flexible pipe. Machine all put back together and moved inside (drained tank as it is a brute for a one person carry). refilled all OK, switched on and warmed up. When pulled the first shot, pump making louder than normal noises and no output - looked like a choker, fair enough. Courser grind, still issues. Looks like pipe has kinked and flow is not what it should be. Bugger! So off to buy a longer pipe tomorrow, but at least it is inside and there is now some space for the Bezz. Also worked out new duty cycle with both 2400W element and 1200W element power. One thing I neglected last time was I calculated duty cycle, rather that percent of on time to total elapsed time. So, the machine now spends 15.45% of its time with the element on at 2400W and 30.28% of its time with element on at 1200W (when idling). Regardless of power setting, that means approx 0.36 KWHr used per hour it is switched on, or an effective wattage over the day of 350W (much the same as a PC or the plasma). Not something to be left on all day when we are out, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I will drop the pressurestat slightly when it is opened up and try to get it to  0.8-1.0 bar when up to pressure.
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  • UNMUNM
    machine is now 'fully operational' with original pump re-installed and working fine. Every so often one group or the other seems to have little to no flow, need to work out what cause is (not a pump issue - boiler refill is consistent). Quite possibly a flake of something partially blocking a restrictor. Using my trusty Victor 86  I checked temp in the cup for a shot today - 68 degrees. Checked flow temp of a steady stream from one group - 88 degrees, then later after idling  - 96 when stream started and dropped to 92 within 3 seconds. Not running too hot so far as I can tell. Obviously holding a bead thermocouple in the stream is not the most accurate measurement, but good enough to give me an idea of how it behaves.
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  • UNMUNM
    Been using the bravo for my daily coffee needs for a couple weeks now and getting the hang of it. Poor flow from group if left idling too long, steam then unstable pour then steady stream. Cooling flush basically. A few idiosyncracies, but I am consistently getting better shots than from the gaggia. Time to try a few unusual beans, then think about selling and start a new project. Wonder what a domesticated two group compact is worth these days
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