Help with Solis Crema SL70

[Howdy Mr]

Today I was given a gift; a used Solis Crema SL70. This is my first espresso machine (depending on if you consider moka pots espresso or not), so I have a lot to learn. Thankfully, Coffee Geek has a review that I've just found. And the manual is on line as well.



The previous owner told me it pulled shots well, but warned me not to use the frother because it will trip the breaker. I'll be looking for answers in the manual and review, but thought I'd pose the question here in case someone is familiar with a common issue with this machine.

Any other tips would be appreciated as well. I'll read the review and manual thoroughly before using as well. From the responses to the review it seems Coffee Geek did a great job. I see I need new baskets without the "improved" single hole. I'll need to look for a tamper too. But the baskets are smaller.


[A few hours later] Tonight I"m cleaning it with Brew Rite and trying to figure it out. The switches are upside down (off is up), unlike the picture in the manual. This caused me some issues at first, like a tripped GFI when I had the steamer on when I thought it was off. I guess the previous owner was right.

The knob on the side seems to do nothing. In reading the manual it appears that it should allow the pump to pump through the wand rather than the filter. But it's not. The water just keeps coming through the filter no matter where the knob is. I can't tell for sure if it's standard righty/tighty valve or should be turned clockwise to go on either. The picture in the manual seems to indicate it's like a regular valve. Perhaps a line is clogged.

It seems to leak just a bit through the filter before I turn the pump on. But that may be a result of me taking a while to figure it out. We'll see.

Tips, pointers, advice, etc.?

[Spyder]

Howdy! Been reading your thread over at Home-Barista and wanted to offer the following advice... Don't pay much mind to the "senior members" over there (another_jim... Jim Schulman) being one. Now some of them do have alot of experience, but they can get too arrogant in the process, hence the "advice" about you doing your homework before "wasting their time"...

I do agree there are far too many new threads about "what grinder should I buy, what does this, how can I do that" but I understand your issue with wanting to know yet more than what you've found so far by lots of searching. IMO it's not wasting anybody's time to help along the way. It is much easier to ask than do hours of searching for what "might" be there. I had to post my rant here because I've been banned for standing up to "senior members" as I refuse to kiss anybody's a$$! If you dispute anything they have to say God forbid. I hope to one day see some of these "senior members/moderators" of various forums in person as I doubt they'd have a damn thing to say at that point, well except "I'm really sorry sir"

Anyway, good luck with that machine and even though I've never seen/used a Solis I'd be more than glad to help where I can. Hell at least you have a decent machine to start off with and cheap to boot.

[Spyder]

Also will add that there is a CG member named Kristi that did some extensive tinkering with the Solis and reported her findings on CG. Didn't know if you had stumbled onto that thread or not... it was pretty extensive/informative.

[Howdy Mr]

Howdy Spyder,

Thanks for the advice. We did exchange a couple of PMs, so hopefully the drama is over. The response was certainly disappointing. His advice was helpful though, as was Dana's. Kristi's thread on CG is awesome, as is Mark's review.

I've learned a lot about this machine over the past couple of days. Rather than repost it all here, it will be a lot easier to just provide a link to the HB thread. If you're interested in this machine at all, I think the links I found will be very helpful shortcuts to reading through various threads and searching sites.

I am still stumped in regard to how to proceed. Perhaps I can get some good, clear and helpful advice on what would be best to focus on first.

I tried to pull my first shot on this machine this morning. It didn't go well. The shot just dripped, but I noticed that the OVP was filling the overflow tray. In researching this machine I found that they typically come with the OVP locked or almost locked closed. I couldn't imagine that I'd choked a machine that badly. But, I'm admittedly new to this and quite ignorant of the tolerances. Some folks adjust the OVP too, so it's possible I got one that's been adjusted. So, regarding the OVP, I have to wonder if it's me or an oversensitive OVP. If it's me then could it be that the OVP was adjusted and I need to adjust to it?

I used pretty fine grinds. But, again, I'm learning. These grinds work in my moka pot, but may not be ideal as I'm beginning to learn. So, did I choke the machine?

Also, the machine didn't come with a normal tamper, but with a built-in one that you push up on. Since I've only tamped a couple of times, it's entirely possible that I overcompensated for the awkwardness of pushing up on the machine. So, did I over-compress the puck?

In light of this where should I go first? What's the logical progression from here. Do I use my current mill setting (using a manual - Spong) and tamp more lightly? Do I change my grinder setting and tamp as I have? Is there a way to test the OPV? Or should I just proceed as if that's fine?

Some advice Martin gave me not too long ago is playing in my mind too. He advised me to get a small scale to weigh my grinds. In my moka pot I didn't see it as helpful. Now I'm seeing how it could be very helpful. Thanks Martin. I get it now.

[BoldJava]

Howdy! Been reading your thread over at Home-Barista and wanted to offer the following advice... Don't pay much mind to the "senior members" over there...

Every forum has a collective mood or temperament, SM's included. Long ago, I found Home-Barista and it is invaluable for the depth of information. Many members have a working knowledge of coffee and hardware beyond that of 90% of the people earning a living within the industry. However, it became clear very quickly that "fools weren't suffered gladly," and hence, I rarely post over there. It is, though, on my daily read list as there is a ton there for me to soak up -- passively. There is no need for me to jump into the fray. I appreciate it for what it is; an invaluable resource to help fill the chasm I have in the espresso end of the coffee world.

I would hasten to mention that H-B has been very supportive of posts I have made to publicize Coffee Kids auctions over the years that we have held on another site. I am thankful to Dan for that.

B|Java

[Spyder]

Yes scales are very helpful. Get something digital with 1 gram increments. Some anal retentive coffeegeeks weigh to .1, but IMO that's overkill.

Have you descaled yet? If not I highly recommend basic citric acid/water as it's cheap, safe and very effective. You could have some clogging, which can decrease water pressure/volume. Also remove the shower screen and the dispersion disc/block if it has one and check for blockage there as well.

Grind fineness for a moka pot should definitely be more COARSE than what you'd need for most any pump espresso machine.

Hard to say about the tamp, but the ones incorporated into machines/grinders are usually more trouble than they're worth. You don't have to spend a small fortune on a tamper. Make one out of wood or use a flat bottom drinking glass. As long as it fits the basket nicely that's all that matter.

Several years back I had a Capresso pump machine that had a funky basket size and I bought one of the $10 double ended aluminum tampers, think it was 55mm on one end and 50mm on the other. I rough sanded the 55mm end down to a smaller diameter, then finished with hand sanding until it fit the basket like a glove. Main thing is to keep it as round as possible. Not long after that I acquired an Olympia Cremina that has a 49.5mm basket. The 50mm end of that tamper was a bit too large, so I broke out the sandpaper once again and made it work. Basically I have two very functional tampers in one and cost was $10 and a little sandpaper.


It can take some time to dial in any machine. Main thing is to ensure you have decent water flow and pressure. Also, run a water debit test. To do this remove the portafilter from the group and place a cup under the group. Activate the pump for 10-12 seconds and you should have at least 3 oz. of water in the cup after doing so. If not either the pump is fading or you have some blockage.

[Spyder]

Howdy! Been reading your thread over at Home-Barista and wanted to offer the following advice... Don't pay much mind to the "senior members" over there...

Every forum has a collective mood or temperament, SM's included. Long ago, I found Home-Barista and it is invaluable for the depth of information. Many members have a working knowledge of coffee and hardware beyond that of 90% of the people earning a living within the industry. However, it became clear very quickly that "fools weren't suffered gladly," and hence, I rarely post over there. It is, though, on my daily read list as there is a ton there for me to soak up -- passively. There is no need for me to jump into the fray. I appreciate it for what it is; an invaluable resource to help fill the chasm I have in the espresso end of the coffee world.

I would hasten to mention that H-B has been very supportive of posts I have made to publicize Coffee Kids auctions over the years that we have held on another site. I am thankful to Dan for that.

B|Java

I find this forum to be very laid back and non-temperamental. CoffeeGeek and Home-Barista is full of wannabe baristas that think they know too much and that helping others is a waste of their time unless the newbies do hundreds of hours of searching/reading before they make one post.

IMHO Dan is a peckerhead plain and simple. Of course I hope he reads this!

[BoldJava]

I find this forum to be very laid back and non-temperamental...IMHO Dan is a peckerhead plain and simple.

Interesting juxtaposition < grins>.

B|Java

[Howdy Mr]

It can take some time to dial in any machine. Main thing is to ensure you have decent water flow and pressure. Also, run a water debit test. To do this remove the portafilter from the group and place a cup under the group. Activate the pump for 10-12 seconds and you should have at least 3 oz. of water in the cup after doing so. If not either the pump is fading or you have some blockage.

10 seconds, about 2.3 oz or so. hmmm

I've used some descaler powder from WalMart and cleaned it out. It seems that maybe that type of descaler is frowned upon? Looks like it's basically baking soda. Ran about 3 tanks of water through it, took off screen and cleaned it as well. I understand you can go deeper into the head? Maybe I'll try that next.

Thanks for the tips. Very helpful.

[Spyder]

That seems a little low. Probably restricted somewhere along the way.

Brew Rite is OK and far better than vinegar. When I first acquired my Cremina lever there was scale blocking the sight glass in the bottom of the boiler. Was about to take it apart and descale manually as all I had onhand at the time was Brew Rite and didn't know if it would do the trick. Mixed it up and let it sit in the boiler for several hours and it was strong enough to get rid of that scale and allow the sight glass to work correctly once again. It was far better than tearing into the machine as that would probably require new seals because those things don't last forever.