Found out my espresso machine was yelling at me for 6 months

I kept getting bitter shots no matter what I did. Finally noticed a tiny crack in the grouphead gasket that was letting water bypass the puck. Replaced it for $8 and now my morning routine is Actually enjoyable again. Anyone else deal with tiny parts ruining everything?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_singh3d ago

Did you backflush before swapping the gasket? Scale hides cracks.

abby_singh3d ago

Wait, did you try backflushing before you yanked the gasket? I swear, scale is the ninja of espresso problems (not that I'm a ninja, more like a clumsy ninja who burns their tongue). I once thought I found a crack, replaced the gasket, still got bitter shots. Turns out there was a thin layer of scale making the crack invisible, and I felt like an idiot for a week. Not that I'm calling you an idiot, Terry! I just have a special talent for missing the obvious, you know, like forgetting to turn the steam wand off before walking away.

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terryrobinson3d ago

Backflush first? Nah man, I think that scale hiding cracks is more of a thing with older machines or really hard water. I pulled the gasket out and saw the crack clear as day with my own eyes, no scale involved. Replaced it and the bitterness stopped immediately, so the crack was definitely the problem. Sometimes it's just a simple mechanical fault, not a hidden scale monster lol.