Can leaving the brew lever of E61 grouphead in the middle position cause damage in a single boiler espresso machine? - Page 2

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Pressino
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#11: Post by Pressino »

HB wrote:First, a quick review:

How might the E61 lever middle position present a problem?
Let's say you left the brew lever of the ECM Puristika in the middle position for hours and hours. From a hydraulics point of view, this would be the same as if you had disconnected the pump's power and lifted the lever to the brew position - the pathway from boiler to grouphead is open. As the boiler reheats, some water vapor would escape. Why? The brew boiler temperature is above the boiling point of water because there's a temperature drop between it and the grouphead. Consequently, the heat-boil-cool-heat cycle would force out a tiny bit of water vapor each time.

If the brew lever was in the middle position long enough, presumably the boiler would eventually boil off enough water to expose the heating element. I have no idea how long it would take, other than "a long time".
I believe another problem, at least for HX machines (not what the OP was talking about) would be introducing an airlock resulting in thermosiphon stall.

Giampiero
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#12: Post by Giampiero »

JRising wrote:Do remember that that warning post was for the Puristika, a SBDU machine. That's not a HX, there's an element in that boiler and no boiler-fill logic to make sure that element isn't heated dry.
Just a correction, Puristika it's not a SBDU model.

JRising
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#13: Post by JRising »

That's true, thank you. Just an Single Boiler without DU...

caffeinatedjen
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#14: Post by caffeinatedjen »

I have always left the levetta on my machine in the middle position when I'm not using it, I thought that's where it was supposed to be. Have I been doing it wrong all these years? It's not a Puristika, just an HX.

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