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I'm new to the forum and a one year owner of a Sylvia and Rocky. As usual, the learning curve was a bit tough but I have been having superb results in the last 8-10 months with excellent shots and consistent performance regardless of the bean used. I cleaned both machines last week (including a back-flush, burr cleaning, etc) and am now having some problems. Even on the finest grind setting (yes, I have checked that I have it adjusted just before the burrs touch and then backed it off) I am having VERY fast pours. Rather than a nice consistent 25-28 seconds with perfect formation on the screen of my bottomless portafilter, I am getting inconsistent formation on the screen (with some jets and fast blonding) and rapid pours lasting no longer than 15 seconds for a standard double shot. I have not modified my dosing, tamp pressure or technique, or distribution in the puck.
What gives? It seemed odd to me that I had to keep the Rocky so close to it's finest grind setting but quite frankly, it has been that way since I purchased it. Since I have always had great results, I just didn't think the lack of adjustment was going to be a problem. With these new problems however I am concerned that there may be a problem with the grinder. Either that, or I'm brutal......either way, I am looking for some advice.
Thanks,
Dave
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:Rancilio Issue, Advice Needed - 2008/03/03 14:17Dave - I ran into something like this -- and it was a cleaning issue: I did the basic disassembly procedure for the Rocky ONLY taking off the top burr assembly. What I found was lots and lots of primordial coffee oils and ooze that needed to be wiped off - After I did that, I could dial down a little deeper and get a more consistent grind. It is all about consistency friends.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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interference
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Re:Rancilio Issue, Advice Needed - 2008/03/06 08:35I've had this problem with my Rocky. The problem is probably play / "slop" in the burr carrier threads. This causes the burrs to not meet perfectly parallel. So they are touching before they can get close enough to grind for a 25 second shot. Essentially your zero point has crept upwards. You might notice that at +0 or +1 you can change the sound of the burrs touching simply by pushing on the hopper in various directions...
The way to clean up this problem is to apply teflon plumber's tape around the threads of the upper burr carrier. You want enough so that the hopper turns firmly but smoothly. On my Rocky, this was 2 winds of teflon, applied carefully and precisely.
After doing this, zero point actually went down due to more firmly held parallel burrs and Rocky was once again able to grind finely for a golden rule shot.
It was this experience that led me to upgrade from the Rocky to the Mazzer Mini. The Mazzer has three springs that maintain tension between the burrs to hold them parallel. Since the Rocky doesn't have the springs, the teflon helps immensely. Note that if you often change to drip and press pot settings, the teflon will wear out more quickly. I would recommend reapplying the teflon each time you take Rocky apart for cleaning.
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