# HX and temperature control



## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

After trying my first ever dark roast and getting nothing but sink shots I decided to invest in a HX grouphead thermometer. Only had chance to play with a few shots but I'm struggling with the amount of water I've having to run to get the head down to 190-5F. Its killing my small tank. It gets down to 205 quickish but then it takes a while.

Any tips on this. Is 190-195 the best general temp for dark roasts? Is the number of the group head therm the exact number of is there some lag?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

What machine?


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## catpuccino (Jan 5, 2019)

Remember there's an offset between what the group head thermometer will read and what the actual temperature in the puck room be (usually 3-5c)


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## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

DavecUK said:


> What machine?


 Vivi. Took 8oz + to get to 195


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## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

catpuccino said:


> Remember there's an offset between what the group head thermometer will read and what the actual temperature in the puck room be (usually 3-5c)


 so aim for 94c/201f on the therm?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

GazRef said:


> Vivi. Took 8oz + to get to 195


 Yeah, your overflushing it. I will have to check the user guide I wrote but I think it needs a 3 or 4 oz flush. I think aim for 4 oz especially for medium to darker roasts.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Just checked the userguide I wrote....by a long time idle..I mean hours....If I remember rightly it did run hottish.

Run 4oz of water (20 sec) through the
group for the first in a series of shots,
after that (2oz or 10 sec) before each
subsequent shot. If machine has been
idle for a long time increase this to 5 or
6 oz (30 sec). Do these cooling flushes
with no portafilter loaded

Also in the review I did....was the advice below....

Lowering it to an average pressure of 1.1-1.2 bar felt more suitable for the lower volumes in
the domestic environment and reduced the size of the cooling flush required. This is a 6 c
drop and doesn't seem much, but does help more than would be apparent.

Annoyingly, I've just realised you had already been given all this information by me in another post you made asking the same sort of question.


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## ArisP (Dec 17, 2019)

Don't speak in ounces or farenheit, but in my E61 HX I had the same issue of almost a pint glass worth of water to bring the temperature down to about 95C. Changed the pressure of the boiler down to 0.9 bar, and now it idles around 97-99C, so getting to 95 is a small flush.

Then again, don't make milk based coffee, so the decrease in steam is not an issue for me.


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## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

DavecUK said:


> Just checked the userguide I wrote....by a long time idle..I mean hours....If I remember rightly it did run hottish.
> 
> Run 4oz of water (20 sec) through the
> group for the first in a series of shots,
> ...


 Misunderstanding here. I rep'ed you on an old post, a while back, for general cooling flush best practice for the machine. Due to the change in bean and in an effect to get a specific temp got a group head thermometer to get more exact. I'm not asking the same question. I do appreciate the effort you took to help me out though.


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## GazRef (Dec 30, 2019)

ArisP said:


> Don't speak in ounces or farenheit, but in my E61 HX I had the same issue of almost a pint glass worth of water to bring the temperature down to about 95C. Changed the pressure of the boiler down to 0.9 bar, and now it idles around 97-99C, so getting to 95 is a small flush.
> 
> Then again, don't make milk based coffee, so the decrease in steam is not an issue for me.


 For the lighter to med I'm was doing fine with the general 4oz flush but like you its getting on a massive proportion of the tank to get lower. Don't do milk either so could be an option but as per Dave above and the instructions that came from BellaBarista it suggested that 1.2 range. Might be easier to go back to the light roasts


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