Posted Thu Oct 16, 2008, 5:54pm Subject: faulty pressure gauge?
I got a portafilter pressure gauge from 1st-line to test my Silvia. I mounted it to the portafilter, put the pf on the group head, and switched on the pump. Well, the pump did its thing, but the gauge didn't budge and soon water came out between the pf and the gasket. The gasket is just a few months old and has not shown problems before. Could the gauge just be faulty? How aggravating!
If there is nothing between the water and gauge (like a backflush basket) and you are seeing water come out between the gasket and PF, it sounds like a bad gauge.
How does the gauge mount to the PF? I'm not sure how the 1st-line gauge is set up.
It screws on in place of the spout. When I removed the gauge, a lot of water came out that had been below the basket. I guess I'll try separating the gauge from the metal fitting and see what I can see.
Maybe something is lodged down in the adapter...I'm guessing this is the one you have? Doesn't seem likely that it's blockage, but you never know. The gauge should screw into the adapter, but it might be a really tight fit. If you don't see anything obvious, try mentioning it to someone at 1st-Line and see what they say. They have a good reputation for support.
I unscrewed the adapter, and everything looked ok-- the opening to the gauge is a tiny pinhole. I poked a pin into it- (should I be able to move the needle that way?) put it all back together, but no improvement... email sent to 1st-line.
Thanks JGG and Davec for your replies. As it happens, I was using the basket, and my portafilter is the old style Silvia one with a notch. But I tried the idea of a rubber band inside the basket rim and it worked! Oddly, it read just 5 BAR. I had thought the pressure was too high-- but it seems it's too low! BTW, does it make a diff. if you measure w/ cold water or hot?
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