This forum is now read-only
To login to the new support channel and community forums, go to the Support Portal
maintenance regime
I'm new here but subscribed today in the interest of possibly ordering an L1. I've owned a commercial lever for about 6 years, a Cimbali m20l. I have followed the L1 on Home-barista.com when Reiss was in the design stage and followed all of the new user notes there as the machine went to production and shipped. My main reason for dumping the Cimbali machine would be maintenance. I spend hundreds of dollars a year on seals and springs. Every few months the piston seals start to lead, which in turn rusts out the spring in the lever assembly and it costs me about $150 to get it all replaced (the Cimbali dealer is local). The machine is 35 years old, but last year I found an entirely new group head and lever assembly for it and had it installed ($1500). It's down again now with leaky gaskets. Multiple people use it and I think part of the problem is that it doesn't get flushed properly after each shot (my daughter consistently forgets to knock the puck out and just leaves it in). So, here's my question: now that people have owned these things for a couple of years or so, how often do you have to replace the piston gaskets and how big of a job is it? I live in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Thanks in advance for any info. Barry.
Comments
I replaced the seals on mine a few times but part of that was just curiosity, seeing how diferent brand / material rubber rings would work.
For instance, the red seals here were not the right fit:
http://kostverlorenvaart.blogspot.nl/2013/11/red-seals-not-for-everyone.html
I have documented the seals replacement routine with pictures and posted these but can't find that post right away. It's a fairly easy job if done carefully, you get better at it and the seals are really cheap I think, nothing like the money you have been paying so far to get it all done for you.
The gasket between the group and the machine body has never needed replacement, no leaks.
I'm on the other coast in Halifax. I've owned my L1 for a year and a couple months. Never had an issue with group seals and they are still going strong. Reiss suggests that they should last YEARS in a residential application.
I've gone to HB and seen an image of your machine etc
i can't quite reconcile your issues to be honest
what is your usage of the machine - i.e. do you leave it on 24/7? what lubricant are you using on the seals
so im afraid im not really able to offer you meaningful advice on your machine as it just sounds really odd
the only explanation i could think of, and please don't think i am saying this is what the cause is (it is merely a suggestion on my part) is the machine is old and has a lot of wear in the piston and/or bore, such that as soon as the seals get the slightest bit of wear they leak
even if you were to assume worst case scenario and say the seals needed replacing one a year on an L1, it is very simple to do yourself (i think you will find the process documented on this forum somewhere) and you can see the cost of the seal kit
i hope this helps
kind regards
reiss.
I replaced my seals once in 14 months and that was because I wanted to see how to do it. I was inside the piston area lubing the seals and thought why not try it.
I sounds to me that you need a padlock on you Cimbali so only you can operate and maintain it properly by yourself. A Lever Machine has to be used in a certain way and not abused, any machine for that matter. You check the oil in your car don't you? Air in your tires? You would never let someone run your car out of oil.
Another factor is water. Is your water contributing to the horrific repair bills??
Good luck with your decision.
Stephen
Same here Barry.
Yes, a padlock on my machine has crossed my mind! A terminal illness makes me far too indulgent to my daughter and I love the fact that she can make coffee. Perhaps a pump machine would be better. I'm eyeing that LM GS3 Paddle machine, albeit at twice the cost of a L1 (but that padddle!).
I use bottled water only. The machine is old but I replaced the entire group head assembly less than a year ago with a brand new OEM group from Cimbali. It's my dream machine, really. Even when I see a little detail in the pics of the L1 with the flat metal covers over the drip dray it makes me realize that there are things that I would miss about this beast. I'm getting the spring and seals replaced again this week and I'm sure it will be good for a few months again but I just might pull the trigger on an L1.
BTW, is the drip tray plumbed on the L1?
Thanks again for your replies and a forum like this is something that also makes the L1 attractive.
Thanks,
Barry.
As you can see I have had both and now the L-I remains in favor of something that requires less maintenance. Sold the GS/3.
No need to plumb in the drip tray, it's immense! So little liquid hits the drip tray the way I do it that it evaporates before I get around to cleaning it.
You must either flush your grouphead very little or flush into a bowl for your drip tray not to need emptying. I flush a lot of water with my Cimbali.
Thanks for relating your experience.
i will guarantee you there is less maintenance on any of our machines than the super high end machines
every extra feature bolted on is one more thing to break, its just a question of when
im not saying an L1 can't break, it could (its mechanical), but there is very little to break and if it does we can get you the parts faster than any of our competitors and you can almost certainly fix it yourself if you are competent with basic tools
I flush into a steaming pitcher that just fits the Group after every shot. I also use it for the warming flush in the morning, and the steam purge on start-up.
What happened to the wooden knobs?! It's nice to see a close up pic of what I assume are the acrylic knobs that ship with the machine, which is not the ones pictured on the L1 homepage.
I can see that flushing into a container is a simple alternative to lifting out the drip tray regularly to dump it.
Thanks again for showing me how you use your L1.
Barry.
No, those do not come with the machine. They are LaMarzocco PF Handles and Steam Toggle Knobs off the GS/3. I put them on the L-I when I am fitting new wooden ones so I have an a pair for a model. Also once again less maintenance :-)
I love the look of the wood and I have the wooden ribbed Cocobolo Lever Handle on because I can be lazy with my grip and nothing slips.
Where did you source your turkish coffee decanter with SS handle? I like it!
I bought the all stainless steel decanter 6 years ago and I presently have no clue from where it was purchased. It was made in Korea and has the Logo of "Metro" on it.