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Date: 09 Mar 2007 12:35:40
From: Cordovero
Subject: Cautionary maintenance tale: steam wand
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I'm a fussy stickler about cleaning my steam wand on the Giotto every time I
steam milk: I immerse the steam wand afterward in some boiler water, open
the steam valve, and then flush the sucked in water out again. Then I wipe.
Keeps the holes nice and clean.
But I never unscrew the tip and look inside.
So I noticed the other day bubbles around the seal of the steam tip. I
unscrewed the steam tip (after it cooled!) and found that the rubber washer
that I had in that seal has largely dissolved into charred black crumbs and
were blocking up my steam holes and otherwise floating around in there! I
removed all of it, and cleaned out the black gunk of them, and then screwed
on the steam tip (sans any rubber seal) and my steam pressure has increased
ASTRONOMICALLY, and I'm not getting any bubbles around the seal anyway.
So my cautionary maintenance tale (unscrew the tip and look inside now and
then) also becomes a question: SHOULD WE BE USING RUBBER SEALS between the
steam tip and the steam wand at all?
C
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Date: 09 Mar 2007 13:02:34
From: I->Ian
Subject: Re: Cautionary maintenance tale: steam wand
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On Fri, 9 2007 12:35:40 -0800, "Cordovero"
<cordoveroremovexxx@yahooxxx.com > wrote:
>I'm a fussy stickler about cleaning my steam wand on the Giotto every time I
>steam milk: I immerse the steam wand afterward in some boiler water, open
>the steam valve, and then flush the sucked in water out again. Then I wipe.
>Keeps the holes nice and clean.
>
>But I never unscrew the tip and look inside.
>
>So I noticed the other day bubbles around the seal of the steam tip. I
>unscrewed the steam tip (after it cooled!) and found that the rubber washer
>that I had in that seal has largely dissolved into charred black crumbs and
>were blocking up my steam holes and otherwise floating around in there! I
>removed all of it, and cleaned out the black gunk of them, and then screwed
>on the steam tip (sans any rubber seal) and my steam pressure has increased
>ASTRONOMICALLY, and I'm not getting any bubbles around the seal anyway.
>
>So my cautionary maintenance tale (unscrew the tip and look inside now and
>then) also becomes a question: SHOULD WE BE USING RUBBER SEALS between the
>steam tip and the steam wand at all?
>
>C
>
A teflon o-ring or gasket is a better idea.
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Date: 10 Mar 2007 21:14:31
From: Cordovero
Subject: Re: Cautionary maintenance tale: steam wand
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> A teflon o-ring or gasket is a better idea.
Right you are. I was just using what came with my afterket steam tip.
Thanks, Ian,
C
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