Silvia Refurb Project - The Pump

[Mike Petro]

Ok, after 11 years and ~25000 pulls I am assuming it wouldnt hurt to
replace the pump and keep the old one for a spare. A couple of
questions here.

The original Ulka EP5 is still chugging, but would the EX5 with the
brass nipples be worthwhile instead of the plastic EP5?

Has anyone adapted an Ulka pump using the "Raccordo Bar" to allow
direct plumbing into a waterline, thus eliminating the reservoir? This
fitting can be found on page 13 of the Ulka literature (http://
www.rotinagroup.com/PDFDocuments/PDF12-VibrationPumps-16p-ULKA.pdf).

Was a pressure regulator required? What pressure?

Was a solenoid required on the inlet or did the pump hold well enough?
Even if the household water pressure (~35 psi) leaked through the
pump, the OPV and 3-way solenoid would easily contain the roughly
2.5bar.

Am I missing something here? I havent seen any Mods of this nature
scattered about, just PID and OPV etc?

I currently have a 1/4" waterline ran into my reservoir. When I flip
the knob during a pull, it will fill slightly faster than Silvia is
consuming. This is a big convenience until in my morning stupor I
forget to turn the water knob back off, overflow the reservoir, and
flood my carpet (I wont admit how many times I have done this). I
really (REALLY) want to plumb the water directly into the pump. If it
is not feasible with the Ulka, has anyone had experience using some
other pump? With the reservoir gone I would have a lot of space to
work with!

Thanks,
Mike Petro

[Steve Freides]

On Mon, Jan 9, 2012 at 11:57 AM, Mike Petro <rf...@mikepetro.org> wrote:
-snip-

> I currently have a 1/4" waterline ran into my reservoir. When I flip
> the knob during a pull, it will fill slightly faster than Silvia is
> consuming. This is a big convenience until in my morning stupor I
> forget to turn the water knob back off, overflow the reservoir, and
> flood my carpet (I wont admit how many times I have done this). I
> really (REALLY) want to plumb the water directly into the pump. If it
> is not feasible with the Ulka, has anyone had experience using some
> other pump? With the reservoir gone I would have a lot of space to
> work with!

With the understanding that I don't know what I'm talking about:

They make very small sensors for use with sump pumps - you'd just need
one that worked opposite of the usual - current on when water level is
low, and current off when it's high. That would let you hook up,
separately, some sort of small electric water pump to supply water to
your reservoir.

I know what little I know about this because I had to fit my own
external sensor to a very small sump pump in our house (long story).
The end result works great, and the sensor is actually small enough
that you could have it in an espresso machine's water tank.

-S-

[Mike Petro]

Its took a few days since I posted this for the post to get approved. In the meantime I have ordered a "Direct Connect Kit" for an Isomac from Chris Coffee which also uses the same pump. It includes the tubing, fittings, a pressure regulator set to 20ppsi for the water, and solenoid that you run in parallel with the pump. Hehehe, Chris thinks I'm nuts spending good money on an 11 year old machine, but I think she's still worth it.

Since I am eliminating the resevoir I was warned by Erez at PIDSylvia that the water from the 3-way valve, which normaly goes back into the resevoir, would quickly fill up my drip tray. So I am rigging a drain into my drip tray to handle it. I am going to weld a piece of 3/8" SS tubing into the tray and then slip some tubing over the nipple. Yes, some wasted water, but the convenience of never having to fill the reservoir or empty the drip tray offsets it.

---
Mike Petro

[scott stap]

Just to ease your mind, I have been rebuilding machines from the 80's and 90's. Sometimes it is fun to find what will fit and work. Of course I am fixing commercial machines and DO think your nuts, doing all that when you could buy a used commercial for less, but hey, I have seen weirder on a Sylvia...

--
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[Steve Freides]

My question would be whether or not it makes sense to eliminate the
reservoir if you could come up with a way to keep it between nearly
empty and nearly full at all times.

We look forward to your progress reports.

-S-

[Mike Petro]

Steve,

I looked at several float systems for maintaining the level inside the reservoir. There are a few very economical solutions. However, the thought of a failure of the float scares me, I would hate to come home to a flooded carpet. Those mechanical jobs just dont give me the confidence that tubing and a normally closed solenoid gives me. Think of how many times people have their toilet floats stick. You could also put an electronic level sensor in the reservoir and a solenoid to fill it, but again if anything ever fails the reservoir overflows and makes a mess all over the floor.

What I am unsure of is if 20psi is enough to push through the Ulka EX5 pump when it is not running. Even if it does, should the water solenoid fail in the open position I would still be safe from water leakage as the 3-way solenoid on the grouphead would hold the water pressure back, it is less than 1 bar. If the water solenoid fails open AND the grouphead solenoid fails open at the same time (slim odds) then the worst case is that I have water leaking out of the grouphead and going down the drain, still bad but no water damage or mess so not as bad.

---
Mike Petro

[Mike Petro]

Ed,

I would love to have a good commercial machine, but where can I find one for $500 or less that doesnt need another $500+ thrown into it?

I already own the Silvia, my budget for the refurb and upgrades is about $400, plus a new set of burrs for Rockey. At the other end of it I will have replaced all gaskets and seals, the pump, and other high wear parts. I will add a pressure gauge, adjustable OPV, PID, insulation to the boiler, direct piping, and maybe pre-infusion if I can figure it out. I figure I will wind up with the functionality of a $1,000+ machine, plus she will look like a spring chicken again.

Truth be told, I like the project, I like to tinker. Maybe it isnt the most cost effective thing to do, but I sure am having fun.

Off to sand blast and powder coat the frame now, going with blue instead of black this time. It helps that I have access to an Industrial Machine shop.

---
Mike Petro

[Joe Ureña]

Mike what about upgrading the steam arm etc?

Joe Urena
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> Off to sand blast and powder coat the frame now, going with blue instead of black this time. It helps that I have access to an Industrial Machine shop..
>
> ---
> Mike Petro

[scott stap]

I have been picking up commercial machines off Craigslist for under $250 and usually only minor tinkering needed to make em work. I have yet to get over $350 into any of my machines. Biggest problem is counter top real estate... 

Speaking of Craigslist, if you keep an eye on there you should be able to pick up a commercial Bunn coffee maker. Look for the plumbed in kind not the pour over. These machines are meant for commercial line pressures and have all the sensors, solenoids, and wiring needed to add your water level stuff you want to do. Usually the Bunns run on a timer instead of flow control so you will still need some sort of level switch. 

P.s. I have an auto fill Slush Puppie machine that simply uses two contacts at the top of the slushie tank. When the mix gets to the top it completes the connection between the contacts and turns off the flow. Simple Simple!

[Mike Petro]

> Mike what about upgrading the steam arm etc?

Joe,

I drink straight espresso, I steam milk maybe 3-4 times a year, and
then only for guests. My girlfriend does use it for hot water a couple
times a month, but never for steam. It was one of the things I chose
not to mess with to keep the budget in check. I did order all the
seals for the current one though, and I may try to find some silicon
or teflon tubing to cover the upper part of it.

Does the new articulated arm on the V3 bring anything interesting to
the table that might entice me?

---
Mike Petro

[Mike Petro]

Hmmm, that is actually very interesting. I live in a small town so I dont pay much attention to Craig's List but maybe I should start. If I found a really cool old machine cheap, worth salvaging, that could easily be my next project. I keep my espresso station in my basement office/den/man-cave and counter space wouldnt be an issue. A big fancy commercial unit would be right at home in the man-cave (as my lady friend has named it).

Are there any models that you have found particularly worthwhile and/or abundant?

---
Mike Petro

[scott stap]

I really like the Reneka Singles. They have to be plumbed in but they are 110v so you do not have to run new wire (110/120 whatever it takes...). Boyds sells all the parts and have been really helpful. A lot of people have no clue what a Reneka is so you wind up getting them pretty cheap. Other than that I would say you are most likely going to find a two head of the brand that is pushed hardest in your area (biggest distributor = most machines). I personally would not get too hung up on the brand if you can get it for the right price. Most of the internals are very very similar and can be purchased numerous places on the net or sometimes your local hardware store.

http://a-zrestaurantequipment.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=6918  

Sorry for taking this discussion a different direction but hey, the old commercial machines usually get overlooked due to size and perceived costfulness. Put it this way, I have 4 commercials and cannot afford to buy a Sylvia...