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A lovely thing by all means, but mine leaks, there is water on the table and inside the base -- it even blew 30mA fuse (guess it is called earth leakage circuit breaker)
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colin
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2006/11/21 10:35Wow. Your Achille cannot be that old.
Where did you buy it from?Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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dave
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2006/11/21 17:36Cartesian wrote: ... mine leaks, there is water on the table and inside the base -- it even blew 30mA fuse
My guess without knowing more is that you may have a poor seal at the top of the piston cylinder (inside the stainless piston body).
This piston body forms the lid to the cylinder, and there is a single o-ring responsible for maintaining the seal. If the seal is failing, you will get water escaping through the back of the stainless piston/group body, where it falls in behind the side walls covering the boiler into a small plastic tray around the edge of the base of the boiler.
To see if this is where the water is coming from, release the three sidewall pieces by removing the boiler cap and the two screws holding the hard black cover on the top of the boiler (catch the sidewall pieces carefully, or they'll all fall at once). Watch the rear bottom of the group where it meets the boiler, there is a small drainage hole here.
If this seal is a problem, it is a simple fix to replace it once you have the right part. Possibly some additional food-grade grease/sealant might help (perhaps even a bit of vaseline, according to the helpful folks at Espressotec).
This drainage design handles small amounts of water well - boiling it away - but a bigger seal problem can cause larger amounts of water to leak during lever activation or even direct drainage from the reservoir ... both of which will flood this small tray, overflowing and pouring onto the counter, and possibly into the base. If this happens, you are at risk of shorting out the thermal reset fuse since it sits flush at counter level and is exposed.
Getting at the seal is very simple -- the Achille is extremely easy to disassemble. Once you have removed the sidewalls, disengage the bolt/screw locking the lever arm to the piston. Also remove the 3mm screw that joins the upper piston body to the lower group body (at the front of the group). Next, loosen the two hex nuts fastening the upper steel body to the boiler. Gently lift the upper body up and away from the machine, which exposes the black plastic cylinder and piston, along with the o-ring that seals this cylinder to the piece that you just removed. Be careful when putting this back together, in order to avoid pinching the o-ring.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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ndebord
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2006/11/27 15:58Just wanted to add a note about the "pull."
In the 60s I worked at a Cafe in Evaston, IL. We had a four pull machine and the key to a good cup was to "pull" the lever down almost halfway, then return it to the top and then pull down steadily.
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dave
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2006/11/27 18:51I pulled many shots this way on the Achille, and it was about the only way to get close to double volume. Shots were very well-rounded - better, clearer taste profile - if not as heavy in body or as buttery as a pump-based espresso. A single pull nets 1.5oz with no coffee present, so a pull-and-a-half helps to keep 1.5oz in the cup despite the thirsty coffee puck.
I actually found that the best-bodied shots were from pulling a ristretto with a single uninterrupted pull. There was, of course, a preinfusion stage ... I just didn't reverse the lever or release pressure. Took a hang of a pull, but the results were worth it. Shot volume on these was, well, rather tight. Think about how much fits in the bottom 1/3 of a 2oz bodum pavina glass.
FWIW: I also used a bit more coffee, at a coarser grind, in the Achille than the Gaggia Espresso, though they both use the same basket/portafilter/group. The Achille is both more forgiving of and more dependent on a high dose.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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Arto
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2007/01/06 07:32Just to correct you:
The water before AND in the piston is "cold". You push it through the HX-pipe (where it gets hot) to the group & PF.
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Arto
Visitor
Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2007/01/06 07:40And to correct my self (to be clear is good, huh?) I should have made a post like this:
"...keep in mind that the boiler pressure is there to push water to the brew group, not to assist in or brew espresso..."
"...which then allows the pre-heated exchanger water to fill the piston cylinder which comes into contact with the espresso grinds..."
Is not true. You push the water al the way: From the cold water-resorvoir -> piston -> HX -> group -> PF
And the boiler is stainless steel as far as I know
Sorry if I'm to picky
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dave
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2007/01/06 16:36Arto,
Yes, methinks there are some remnants from the Pavoni article that seeped into that for the Achille (re: boiler pressure and drawing heated water into the cylinder). Thanks for pointing them out [Note to Colin to correct.]
As you state, in the Achille, the boiler is a closed environment (until you open the steam valve). Cool water is gravity fed from the reservoir on top to fill the cylinder. Lifting the lever transfers the water below the piston. Pushing down on the lever pushes the water from the bottom of the cylinder through the heat exchanger.
The heat exchanger itself consists of about five turns of pipe inside the boiler, of which only one to two turns (depending on the water level -- one at minimum, possibly two at max fill) are immersed in the boiler water and the rest in steam.
As the piston pushes water through the HX, it comes back to the base of the group and through a single hole over the dispersion block. At this point, it is just like any other Gaggia with the same block/screen/screw/basket and a compatible portafilter handle (it's a bit heavier).
I found that you need to flush some water out of the HX prior to pulling your shot as it overheats. However, despite obvious signs of burning on the edges of the puck, I also found that it was wise not to flush too much, even to the point of the initial water being rather hot.
The Achille was more tolerant of a high dose in the basket, even requiring a moderately high dose in my experience. You can really stuff it if you want to. N.B. After filing down the rim of the shower plate on my Espresso, I find that I can pile on the coffee with the pump machine as well. Thing is, it is the same shower plate in the Achille.
Thanks for your comments.
DaveDave is an Ottawa resident and Coffee Expert
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ciel
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2007/03/08 12:46Colin, thank you for a most informative and well written article.
From what I can see, Gaggia has rewritten the design book for all lever machines with its new Achille model. This new generation machine boasts several safety and technical features not found on older designs. For now, the Achille would seem to stand out from the competition in this price range.
Can you tell us if Gaggia’s rivals have begun responding with their very own competitively priced next generation machines as well?
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beatsjunkie
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Re:Gaggia Achille Lever: You are the machine - 2007/03/31 01:46I am wanting to buy a lever espresso machine and am wondering whether the Gaggia Achille or the La Pavoni Stradavari is the better machine: would anyone care to comment?
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