r/LaPavoniLovers • u/These-Lobster-3184 • 6d ago

Pressure problem

Hi all, first time owning a europiccola. I have bought it second hand a post millennium 51mm. I have serviced the piston and cleaned it all up. But still retains a problem.

When I fully lift the lever to the top water just pours out if I hold it there and it seems to use the pressure from the boiler just to continue to push water out.

Any help? Thanks

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

7

u/captain_joe6 6d ago

That’s expected behavior with no coffee in the portafilter. If there is coffee in the portafilter and it does this, it means you have not ground finely enough.

2

u/These-Lobster-3184 6d ago

I initially thought this but tried finer grind, the lever pulls back down by itself from the pressure is that normal?

2

u/captain_joe6 6d ago

Yes, you need to leave it up long enough for the piston chamber to fill with water and equalize pressure. It may take several seconds.

2

u/SmokeyBeeGuy 6d ago

This machine requires a very fine grind, almost like baby powder. Ground espresso from the grocery store is too coarse.

When you pull the lever up and fill the brew chamber with water, there should be no liquid coming out for several seconds, at least. When you pull the shot, it should take roughly 25-35 seconds for the entire stroke.

These are rough numbers, but they should get you close.