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With enough mods the L1 can do as well as the L-R does much more easily ;-)
This is maybe primarily an L1 subject but I post it here to illustrate how clever the L-R architecture is.
http://kostverlorenvaart.blogspot.nl/2017/09/wieland-timer-switch-for-line-pressure.html
Some owners are thinking of plumbing in their L-R which would turn it into a smaller version of the commercial size L1 but the fact is that the L-R already has all these features. And more really because of how simple it is to change the pre-infusion pressure of the L-R and thereby the extraction temp and pressure profile.
For my L1, I first had a line pressure and flow regulator installed but of course these can only restrict the flow and pressure, not increase it.
Then I had a line pressure booster installed, a beautiful small and above all perfectly silent pump under the kitchen sink.
It would not be active all the time since it needs to be cooled by flow and 30ml of espresso every 2 hours is insufficient cooling flow.
So I had a push button next to the L1 to make sure line pressure was 3 bar during pre-infusion.
Still, the best warmup is to be had at around 3 bar line pressure so ideally the pump would need to be briefly activated every minute.
Finally I built a device that does that and now, the big old L1 behaves exactly like the L-R does right out of the box ;-)
Why would one want the L1? In a cafe, where one cannot be bothered to fill the tank all the time, and where one needs a much bigger boiler for a huge steam potential.
Why would one want to plumb in an L-R? It would mean that it's again difficult to quickly change the line pressure. The restrictor can be installed and used, but it's an extra thing again. And one also needs extra security / alarm against leaking because there is MUCH more water to flow out than just the tank full if there would ever be a leak.
Also one can order a kit for plumbing in the L-R but one cannot expect it to come with a training course in plumbing to learn how to perform all these tasks. Just like a tool / hardware shop is no free training center ;-)
http://kostverlorenvaart.blogspot.nl/2017/09/wieland-timer-switch-for-line-pressure.html
Some owners are thinking of plumbing in their L-R which would turn it into a smaller version of the commercial size L1 but the fact is that the L-R already has all these features. And more really because of how simple it is to change the pre-infusion pressure of the L-R and thereby the extraction temp and pressure profile.
For my L1, I first had a line pressure and flow regulator installed but of course these can only restrict the flow and pressure, not increase it.
Then I had a line pressure booster installed, a beautiful small and above all perfectly silent pump under the kitchen sink.
It would not be active all the time since it needs to be cooled by flow and 30ml of espresso every 2 hours is insufficient cooling flow.
So I had a push button next to the L1 to make sure line pressure was 3 bar during pre-infusion.
Still, the best warmup is to be had at around 3 bar line pressure so ideally the pump would need to be briefly activated every minute.
Finally I built a device that does that and now, the big old L1 behaves exactly like the L-R does right out of the box ;-)
Why would one want the L1? In a cafe, where one cannot be bothered to fill the tank all the time, and where one needs a much bigger boiler for a huge steam potential.
Why would one want to plumb in an L-R? It would mean that it's again difficult to quickly change the line pressure. The restrictor can be installed and used, but it's an extra thing again. And one also needs extra security / alarm against leaking because there is MUCH more water to flow out than just the tank full if there would ever be a leak.
Also one can order a kit for plumbing in the L-R but one cannot expect it to come with a training course in plumbing to learn how to perform all these tasks. Just like a tool / hardware shop is no free training center ;-)
Comments
I can only speak from my own personal perspective, but where I am in the UK I'm lucky enough (or not) to have 5 bar pressure to the house. Plumbing in the LR for me would have made changing the PI pressure as simple as turning a screw under the sink while also enabling it to go through a BWT filter at the same time. That as well as no faffing with the drip tray with the waste plumbed (yeah that is a bit lazy I know) meant a plumbed option would have been preferable. I say option based only on a quick discussion the other day with Reiss where he mentioned plumbing in the LR probably isn't going to be straightforward and would also require emptying the water box on occasion due to the design, unless it was redirected into the waste (Reiss please correct me on that if that's not quite right as I wouldn't want to misquote you especially on the design of your beautiful machines).
All said and done, did it stop me ordering an LR and using it as intended? Nope. Will I jump back over to an L1 if one showed up? Only time with the LR will tell
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