15
14
3.USING ESPRESSO EQUIPMENT
5.
Work the machine. It normally
takes around half an hour for an
espresso machine to reach proper
operating temperature from cold.
During this time you should
“work” the machine by operating
the steam wands and hot water
spout, and also by passing hot
water through the group heads.
When the machine is operating
correctly, the boiler pressure will
return quickly to its normal
1 bar value.
During warm up, it can take some
time for this to happen. As well,
when the machine is properly
warmed, the water temperature
passing through the group heads
will be around 98°C. Before warm
up it will be as low as 85°C, which
makes poor coffee.
The sound of the machine tells
you if it’s up to temperature: when
it’s too low, you hear a soft steam-
ing sound. When it’s up to temper-
ature the steaming sound is
stronger and more consistent.
6.
7.
8.
F l u s h i n g a g ro u p h e a d
Hot water tap open before boiler fully
up to temperature and pressure,
giving some steam and hot water.
Hot water tap open with boiler up to
temperature and pressure, giving lots
of steam and hot water
the group heads with coffee.
The first cup will not taste right, as
it will have absorbed whatever
was lining the group heads (soap,
water etc).
Extract a short black. When the
machine is up to temperature and
pressure, run a short black
through both group heads by
pressing the
button.
Ok,
it
wastes a cup of coffee, but it lines
Flush group heads. At this stage,
although the machine is up to
pressure, it’s important to remove
all stale water from the heat
exchanger and group heads. To do
this, flush the group heads for 20
seconds.
On an automatic
machine, press the
b u t t o n
under each group head. After 20
seconds, press it again to turn off
the flow. On a lever/semi-auto
machine, operate the lever or
pushbutton for 20 seconds or so.
Although the boiler pressure is
correct, using the machine will
cause the pressure to drop, with
some time required for the pres-
sure to return to the normal 1 bar
level. This is due to air in the boiler
being compressed by the expand-
ing water. As water is drawn off,
the boiler pressure will stabilise as it
reaches normal operating conditions.
Empty filter basket, wash basket
and handle under hot water,
replace handle in group head. You
are now ready for business.
3.USING ESPRESSO EQUIPMENT
We recommend leaving espresso
machines on overnight. However
you might need to turn the
machine off, requiring a cold start
the next day. At start-up, the
machine will have been cleaned at
shut down in preparation for the
next use, as shown below.
At start-up, the coffee handles and milk jugs are
cleaned ready for use, cups and glasses are
stacked for warming, and the pump pressure
gauge is reading the inlet water pressure.
The procedure to start
up an espresso machine
from cold is:
Start up from cold
steam wand,
cleaned
and left
outside jug
coffee
handles,
cleaned
after last use
milk jug,
cleaned
after last use
Check the pump pressure gauge
before switching on the machine.
If it shows 0 don’t turn the
machine on
, as there is no water
pressure to the machine. Check
water supply.
1.
If the pump pressure shows
around 3.5 bar, turn the switch to
position 2. Position 1 is the illumi-
nating position, in which the
machine’s lights are on for show.
2.
Wait until the boiler pressure
gauge shows about 0.5 bar, then
release steam for 4–5 secs. Do the
same with the hot water. This
ensures there’s no air trapped in
the lines.
3.
Wait until the boiler pressure
gauge shows around 1 bar (green
area). Although the machine is
now ready to use, it is still not hot
enough for best coffee.
4.
S w i t ch i n o f f p o s i t i o n
L i g h t s o n p o s i t i o n
Normal operating position
