# Grinder noise suddenly became more high pitched



## NickDa (Dec 14, 2019)

Had my Niche for probable around 5 months now and been using it to grind maybe around 50ish grams a day ( 3 coffees ) , anyway this morning as it was grinding it the noise suddenly became noticeably more high pitched . Any ideas what this might be ?

I did clean it last week but will clean the burs again but have a suspicion it might be motor related .


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

NickDa said:


> Had my Niche for probable around 5 months now and been using it to grind maybe around 50ish grams a day ( 3 coffees ) , anyway this morning as it was grinding it the noise suddenly became noticeably more high pitched . Any ideas what this might be ?
> 
> I did clean it last week but will clean the burs again but have a suspicion it might be motor related .


 If you look at the Niche Zero owners experience thread (search for Niche high pitch) you find it's a common occurrence it seems. Don't think it's anything to worry about, but worth a dig around based on others experiences.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

There is a high speed motor inside and a gearbox. Gearboxes are never that quiet and you are probably hearing that. Bean grinding noises usually hide it and you may not have noticed before.

A loose burr retaining bolt might cause noises but all it really needs is tightening with a jerk.  Mentioned just in case.


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## NickDa (Dec 14, 2019)

So I just gave it another clean and this time was a better clear ( there was a part I hadn't removed before had which I didn't know you can remove) and the noise is back to normal now . Hopefully will stay as is

Update 3 hours after above post : While grinding some coffee the sound went high pitched again...


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

@NickDa Any chance of Photos of the part you removed, which you had not before....and also a video showing the sound. We may be able to give a quick answer to resolve or let you know whether you need to contact Niche.


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## NickDa (Dec 14, 2019)

hi @DavecUK

I emailed Niche explaining the issue and they got back to me the next day saying basically it's not an issue. Here is their full response:

This is not something to be worried about unless you're seeing any other effects on your grinder.
The sound of the motor can change occasionally and usually goes back to normal after a few days / a week.

As for the the extra part i mentioned i have been cleaning the grinder by following this video :






What i didn't realize is that if you fast forward to about 2:34 , that silver things with the 3 'arms' that moves the coffee to the exit shoot also comes out ( the guy in the video doesnt remove this) . So i removed it and it did need a proper clean .

Anyway except for the sound haven't noticed any issues with the grinder so not too worried...


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

NickDa said:


> hi @DavecUK
> 
> What i didn't realize is that if you fast forward to about 2:34 , that silver things with the 3 'arms' that moves the coffee to the exit shoot also comes out ( the guy in the video doesnt remove this) . So i removed it and it did need a proper clean .
> 
> Anyway except for the sound haven't noticed any issues with the grinder so not too worried...


 Probably didn't remove that silver thing because it's quite fiddly to get a grip on it as it's close fitting and shiny....I like to give it a good polish and get any oils off. For sure if the grinders working fine, don't worry. Niche have always had their customers backs (for the very few problems they have had)....so no reason for concern.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

I'd disagree with the part about moving the calibration ring. You can really torque that ring down and gain a few notches or you can make it comfortably finger tight and have a zero that isn't quite zero but not where you'll be grinding anyway....the best thing IMO is to avoid touching the black ring completely and to simply turn the silver ring back to its previous position and the setting will be exactly the same as before disassembly, but if you move the calibration ring it won't be.


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## CoffeeTim (Nov 23, 2020)

> On 04/04/2021 at 23:56, NickDa said:
> 
> hi @DavecUK
> 
> ...


 The calibration ring is to ease the manufacturer life. Cause we can't get the exact same thread always in machining. So, a "calibration"ring can help. Afterall, the dot and the marking is only for personal reference more than an actual value.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

CoffeeTim said:


> 1. I remember @DavecUK mentioned in one of his video to avoid the RDT technique because the burrs are coated with some non stick coating and water will erode that. But in this video, he actually told viewers to soak the burr in hot water. Care to clarify this @DavecUK??
> 
> 2. Regarding the sweeper piece, I also remember Dave's video it was mirror polish and it's not the case in the production unit. DId Niche stop polishing it or it was Dave who polished it..?


 1. I don't believe I would have said to soak the burrs in hot water??

2. I didn't polish the sweeper, arms, that's how they come


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

CoffeeTim said:


> I remember @DavecUK mentioned in one of his video to avoid the RDT technique because the burrs are coated with some non stick coating and water will erode that. But in this video, he actually told viewers to soak the burr in hot water. Care to clarify this @DavecUK??
> 
> Regarding the sweeper piece, I also remember Dave's video it was mirror polish and it's not the case in the production unit. DId Niche stop polishing it or it was Dave who polished it..?
> 
> The calibration ring is to ease the manufacturer life. Cause we can't get the exact same thread always in machining. So, a "calibration"ring can help. Afterall, the dot and the marking is only for personal reference more than an actual value.


 They are mirror polished in the production unit. Dave didn't say the burrs had a coating, iirc the coating mentioned was on the chamber, and I've never seen a video in which he tells people to soak burrs in hot water. The calibration ring is only there to provide the user with a point of reference, that was my point. You find the point the burrs touch and then turn the calibration ring to whatever point you want to mark (for most people this will just be the calibration dot but there's no reason you couldn't use any other point). There's no need to move it when cleaning the grinder. Not sure why you felt the need to respond to my point with that...


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## MarkHB (Jun 12, 2020)

DavecUK said:


> I don't believe I would have said to soak the burrs in hot water??





Rob1 said:


> and I've never seen a video in which he tells people to soak burrs in hot water.


 I think he's referring to the video above. The guy mentions running the burrs under hot water.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

@CoffeeTim - No one in their sane mind would soak burr grinders in hot water for cleaning, even more so if they are just steel burrs without coating. Steel and water don't get on. You know that. 😉

I take you are referring to the guy in the video rather than DavecUK? I doubt Dave would ever say such a thing.


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## CoffeeTim (Nov 23, 2020)

DavecUK said:


> 1. I don't believe I would have said to soak the burrs in hot water??
> 
> 2. I didn't polish the sweeper, arms, that's how they come


 Not you Dave, the person i. the video said run it under hot water at 1:53. U mentioned not to practice RDT with Niche in a video of your if I am.not mistaken.



Rob1 said:


> They are mirror polished in the production unit. Dave didn't say the burrs had a coating, iirc the coating mentioned was on the chamber, and I've never seen a video in which he tells people to soak burrs in hot water. The calibration ring is only there to provide the user with a point of reference, that was my point. You find the point the burrs touch and then turn the calibration ring to whatever point you want to mark (for most people this will just be the calibration dot but there's no reason you couldn't use any other point). There's no need to move it when cleaning the grinder. Not sure why you felt the need to respond to my point with that...


 The video 1:53 told to run it under hot water. Sorry, I don't know why I heard soak. But still running through hot water.


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## CoffeeTim (Nov 23, 2020)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> @CoffeeTim - No one in their sane mind would soak burr grinders in hot water for cleaning, even more so if they are just steel burrs without coating. Steel and water don't get on. You know that. 😉
> 
> I take you are referring to the guy in the video rather than DavecUK? I doubt Dave would ever say such a thing.


 I meant Dave said not to practice RDT in his video.

@Rob1, sorry if u felt offended when I reply to your point. It was merely for discussion. Have a great week ahead.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

CoffeeTim said:


> Not you Dave, the person i. the video said run it under hot water at 1:53. U mentioned not to practice RDT with Niche in a video of your if I am.not mistaken.
> 
> The video 1:53 told to run it under hot water. Sorry, I don't know why I heard soak. But still running through hot water.


 Dave did say not to practice RDT in his video. The guy in the video....who cares? You should never run burrs under hot water. If you must clean any burrs with a liquid, isopropyl would be a lot better at getting the oil off, won't cause rust, and will completely evaporate in a few seconds.

I wasn't offended I just didn't get it.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

@CoffeeTim Cleared it up for me too...yeah never use hot water to clean your burrs, don't put them in the dishwasher, the washing machine or soak them in boiling water and Puly Caf.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

PS: The author of the video has updated the video to remove the "using hot water" part. 👍

From the comments on his video:


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## brewslew (Aug 8, 2019)

FWIW I had a high pitched noise (sounded like a high pitched clicking noise) from my NZ which didn't go away after removing all the burr parts. Turns out that the mounting screws for the motor had come undone and stuck to the bottom of the motor and were rubbing against the cooling fan. Easy fix, but mine didn't come with loctite from the factory.

Home-barista forum outlining the problem: https://www.home-barista.com/grinders/caution-niche-zero-owners-t71627.html


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

brewslew said:


> Turns out that the mounting screws for the motor had come undone and stuck to the bottom of the motor and were rubbing against the cooling fan. Easy fix, but mine didn't come with loctite from the factory.


 Yep - Seems to be a common occurrence on the latest production batches unfortunately. As you say, an easy fix - annoying nonetheless.


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