Now I've gone and done it: The Ponte Vecchio Lusso Thread.

[SJM]

I seem to remember hearing Doug at Orphan Espresso making similar remarks.  I've heard some places will sell them but refuse to ship them because of the high odds it will be damaged in shipment.

I don't think the issues Joe was speaking of had anything to do with shipping damage.  They had to do with the build quality.  He said he basically had to rebuild all of the ones he received before he could sell them with any integrity.

Looking at my SAMA I see nothing which suggests it should be difficult to pack for shipping.  In fact I have received two and shipped one before with no complaintsI think that is a line of you-know-what....

Susan

[headchange4u]

Not great news. Mine is functioning fine (knock on wood), but it still makes me wary. There are definite difference is between my machine the one I've been working on. I wonder if there's any way to identify a "the good ones"? I also wonder what kind failures Joe sees as most common.

[SJM]

Sorry, Jason, I did not delve into all that with Joe.  He is amazingly easy to talk to and you can find him here

Address: 818 Post Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Phone:(206) 622-5602

When I called, Joe answered the phone.  I know he will be "off" all next week, so....
When Joe isn't there his son usually answers the phone, but he usually defers to Joe on machine issues.

Joe has been importing these espresso machines for at least 40 years ago, starting when they were made by Saba, then by Damba, then by LaBassa, and now by ? 

Susan

[John F]

It's kinda sad to be honest.

I've also seen a problem PVL. It was exhibiting very unusual pressure issues. This particular machine had just been re worked by OE. 

I TOTALLY  love my PVL but if more and more stories of bad ones come up I guess it just makes those of us with good ones that much luckier. 

[SJM]

I TOTALLY  love my PVL but if more and more stories of bad ones come up I guess it just makes those of us with good ones that much luckier.

I was right on the verge of getting one to love my very own self, but I am not confident enough at this stage in the game.

[rgrosz78]

Looks like my pressure may be WAY too low. I waited 40 minutes, and it never got above 0.5
With the top removed, I'm barely able to see two screws on the back of the pressurestat. I assume that is what I need to adjust - but which one?

I can barely touch them with a screwdriver. Probably need to remove the "shell" of the PVL. Can anyone give me some hints of how to do that?

To remove the case, look at the bottom and you will see 2 large nuts and 2 smaller bolts. Remove the smaller bolts and the case will come off.

The small screws aren't your adjustment. The adjustment screw is recessed in the end of the stat that points toward the case. There's no clearance to adjust without taking off the case or drilling a hole like staylor suggested.

I finally removed the cover from my PVL, so I could adjust the pressurestat. I must be blind. The only screws I see on my pressurestat are on the back. It looks like it might be enclosed in something??
Here is a link to eight close-up photos:
http://www.softwarepolish.com/personal/pstat/album/index.html

[headchange4u]

That looks like the pressure gauge connections. Look on the opposite side where the steam wand is located. My pressure stat is right above the reset switch which has a little red button on it. It should have a recessed screw in the end.


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[headchange4u]

Look on page 5 and you will see location.

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/PonteVecchiocloserlookv3.pdf


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[rgrosz78]

Look on page 5 and you will see location.

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/PonteVecchiocloserlookv3.pdf

Well, DUH - you can tell I'm not a hardware guy. Thanks for that, Jason!!

[headchange4u]

Ok. This is weird. I went to fix me a latte, and shortly after turning the machine on, literally within seconds, it started making a clunking noise and vibrating. It had a half a tank of water at the time. I emptied the boiler, and looked inside but I did not see anything wrong. After refilling the machine and turning it on again the noise and vibration went away. Has anyone ever had this happen?

Ponte Vecchio Lusso Strange Noise: http://youtu.be/CflxpVmTs-o

[rgrosz78]

That is pretty weird - freaking me out 

[rgrosz78]

I finally took my PVL apart, and adjusted the pressurestat by two full turns clockwise. Flipped on the power, waited 20 minutes, and now it reads at about .1 bar.

Then I adjusted the pressurestat by two full turns clockwise AGAIN, and it still reads at about .1 bar. Looks like the pressure gauge is bad 

I tried three different espresso blends on the PVL today, and they all tasted "off" (compared to prior results on my Gaggia). My guess is that the temp is still too low, since they were all on the sour / acidic side.

I am hesitant to make more adjustments to the pressurestat. I'm still waiting for a response from 1st Line.

[rgrosz78]

I am hesitant to make more adjustments to the pressurestat. I'm still waiting for a response from 1st Line.

I got a response on Saturday, and they said they would ship a new pressure gauge.

I have been using the PVL to steam milk for our afternoon lattes. I noticed that it seems very hard to control - like there is too much steam pressure.

After finishing my latte, I decided to tinker a bit. I removed the pressure gauge and then put it back in place. Lo and behold, now it seems to be working - and showing a pressure of 2.0 bar!

I did not need to adjust the pressurestat in the first place. After backing out my prior adjustments, now back to 1.1 bar. Tomorrow I'll go back to experimenting with espresso on the PVL.

[jspain]

Ok. This is weird. I went to fix me a latte, and shortly after turning the machine on, literally within seconds, it started making a clunking noise and vibrating. It had a half a tank of water at the time. I emptied the boiler, and looked inside but I did not see anything wrong. After refilling the machine and turning it on again the noise and vibration went away. Has anyone ever had this happen?

Ponte Vecchio Lusso Strange Noise: http://youtu.be/CflxpVmTs-o

Jason,

It's never happened to me..... I'd only be speculating as to the cause. Larry might have an idea??

[milowebailey]

Very strange, does it have an autofill solenoid or power relay?  Maybe the pressurestat?