Ellegaard Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Denmark Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Pavoni Mignon
Posted Wed Mar 28, 2012, 6:31am Subject: Changed gaskets on La Pavoni - now it won't press!
Hello Coffeegeeks,
I spent a few hours yesterday changing the gaskets on my 1997 La Pavoni Mignon. I bought it over eBay a few years ago and haven't had the gaskets changed, so I thought it was about time. It was quite a hassle, but eventually I succeeded and also had the whole thing cleaned up so it looks neat inside out.
As I came back from work today I wanted to pull myself a shot of espresso to see if there was any change. Well, there was, but unfortunately not to the good side: When I fire it up and slowly lift the lever, it feels just about right, and I hear the water fill the group head. However, when I pull the lever down, the water seems to run back into the machine instead of through the nicely ground coffee.
Any idea what I did wrong?!
I'd like to add, I'm doing exactly what I've done for years with this machine, and I'm not using different coffee or water or anything...
Posted Wed Mar 28, 2012, 10:53am Subject: Re: Changed gaskets on La Pavoni - now it won't press!
It sounds like either your V seals aren't oriented properly or you have lube in the channel of the the lower V seal that is preventing it from sealing. The seals should be oriented with their channels opposed, like this: ----. If lube found its way into the channel of the lower seal that will prevent it from sealing on the down stroke and allow water to flow back into the boiler. Boiler pressure is around 1 bar, group pressure on the down stroke is many times greater.
Ellegaard Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Denmark Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Pavoni Mignon
Posted Wed Mar 28, 2012, 11:21am Subject: Re: Changed gaskets on La Pavoni - now it won't press!
Thanks a lot for the quick answer!
I believe the V-seals are put on correctly, so it looks exactly like on the attached picture. You might be right about the lubrication; I didn't really think it would be a problem, since I found it recommended both on discussion boards and YouTube. I had to use a little bit of olive oil in order to slide the whole thing back in place. Is there any way to get rid of this excess lube?
Posted Wed Mar 28, 2012, 1:11pm Subject: Re: Changed gaskets on La Pavoni - now it won't press!
Lube is absolutely required, but you have to keep it out of the center of the seals (inside the V). A small packet of Dow 111 food save lubricant is a must for all La Pavoni owners. You can attempt to remove excess lube without taking the seals off, but it would probably be best just to remove them both and give the channels a proper cleaning.
Ellegaard Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Denmark Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: La Pavoni Mignon
Posted Thu Mar 29, 2012, 12:07pm Subject: Re: Changed gaskets on La Pavoni - now it won't press!
Thank you very much. I gave it another shot this morning just to see if the problem was still there, and all of a sudden it worked perfectly again. Strange! Perhaps the olive oil dried out or something... But I will keep your recommendation in mind in a few years when it's again time for the gaskets to be changed.
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