SStones Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2012 Posts: 203 Location: Canada Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Giga 5, ECM Giotto, Rocket... Grinder: Anfim Milano-Best Vac Pot: No :( Drip: Some $30 thing from Walmart Roaster: I buy pre-roasted.
Posted Thu Dec 20, 2012, 8:13pm Subject: Re: La Nuova Era Cuadra - very wet puck
Reply from the vendor regarding wet pucks and stating it is normal. Should I be voice concerns?
An overly wet puck is normal, not all machines produce a dry hard puck. We have the solenoid set so it will drip a little to eliminate excess pressure from building up in the handle.
If the vendor says there is a solenoid-valve, other than the boiler-fill valve, in a Cuadra, either he or I are lying to you. A wet puck could be normal on a valvolina machine (With no threeway solenoid or drainvalve) but he said "Overly Wet" that's as normal as "Unusually noteworthy". There is a single poppet valve above the brewhead that is mechanically pushed up and open by the cam when you rais your control-lever... There are a pair of poppet valves below the brewhead that are mechanically pushed down and open by the same cam when you push the control lever down.
In the down position, the drain valve pair are held open and no water should run from your heat exchange tube through the brewhead (Save for a drip or two).
Let the machine sit idle with the control-lever down. The drain valve is wide open, but there shouldn't be dripping because the brew valve is closed and preventing the water from your heat exchange pipe from coming through. While keeping the control-lever down, you can press the button behind it to make your pump run. Does water come out of the brewhead or drain valve? It shouldn't. The brew valve should be holding it back. Don't run the pump for more than a couple seconds without any valves open, it is stressful if the relief valve isn't working. If the water is coming out of the machine and into the corner of the driptray, while you run the pump, then your relief valve is doing its job and it isn't stressful, you can continue testing and making sure your brewvalve and drainvalves are doing theirs.
I wish you luck, post more results if this advice is helping.
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