badmajon Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 9 Location: Pasadena, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Aug 3, 2012, 7:32am Subject: water left in Bialetti 12 cup- okay to modify?
For some reason, a good half inch of water is always left in the base of my Bialetti 12 cup moka pot. It seems like an easy fix to simply braze a bit of extra copper tube to extend the pick up tube another half inch.
However, I am puzzled why the tube isn't long enough. It must be intentional, so what is going on here? I don't understand how the water is supposed to flow up and out if the pickup tube isn't long enough.
I looked at it carefully, and it really seems that the tube is a half inch too short to get all the water out. I could add more water, but it seems inefficient.
Posted Fri Aug 3, 2012, 10:38am Subject: Re: water left in Bialetti 12 cup- okay to modify?
It's kept short so that the pot doesn't boil dry, overheat and distort or burst under pressure, and to prevent damage to the overpressure valve.
If you are absolutely certain that you are always going to be present to turn the heat off as soon as the pot has finished brewing, then you could extend it a bit (it's probably on the cautious side, but you need to allow for being called away by the phone or door or something) but do not take it all the way to the bottom. All at your own risk, obviously.
However, the better way of getting more coffee out would be to brew strong (more coffee/finer grind) and then add some hot water at the end.
Posted Fri Aug 3, 2012, 12:41pm Subject: Re: water left in Bialetti 12 cup- okay to modify?
It is supposed to be like that, as dyqik has commented.
The pressure buildup in the bottom part will push the water up until the level drops below the bottom of the pipe.
Properly designed Moka pots are made so that if you fill with water to just below the safety valve, and fill the coffee basket level to the top with coffee (not tamped down hard except perhaps to smooth and level it) then the resulting coffee will be the designated quantity for the pot.
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