# IMS shower screen RA200IM - worth the money?



## greymda

has anyone any experience with the IMS shower screen on a Silvia?


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## Simon_S

I have one, doesn't appear to make any difference in the cup but it does make cleanup a little easier in that the pallo brush doesn't flick water everywhere as the bristles got stuck in the stock screen.....

As a side note, I took the opportunity to do the flat screw mod when I installed the IMS screen.... Well worth it!


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## greymda

tell me more about the flat screw mod!


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## Stanic

I also have one on Silvia with the original screw it really is much easier to keep clean and seems to improve water flow


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## Simon_S

greymda said:


> tell me more about the flat screw mod!


Basically replace the hex bolt in the centre of the shower screen with a countersunk screw, essentially allowing a bit more headroom and not damaging your puck pre-brew.......

http://www.schneordesign.com/Avi/SilviaMegaMod/Silvia9.htm

Super simple to do using a 10mm hss drill bit, a pair of mole grips and a 5x16mm stainless steel countersunk screw, I went with a hex drive (allen key) type as it's easier to remove for cleaning due to limited space to get a screwdriver up there.....


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## Baggysmalls

Simon_S said:


> I have one, doesn't appear to make any difference in the cup but it does make cleanup a little easier in that the pallo brush doesn't flick water everywhere as the bristles got stuck in the stock screen.....
> 
> As a side note, I took the opportunity to do the flat screw mod when I installed the IMS screen.... Well worth it!


@Simon_S how does the countersunk screw sit with the IMS screen? I'm interested in getting the kit, but can't see that it would work with a flat IMS screen. The kit comes with a countersunk shower screen, but would rather keep my IMS.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Doram

As an alternative, you can just replace the screw like this, without making it flush (so no need to drill anything):









I got mine here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M3-M4-M5-M6-A4-Stainless-Socket-BUTTON-Head-Screws-Allen-Key-Bolts-Hex-Marine/272855382495?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It's an aesthetic thing more than anything else, so I would only bother if you care how it looks. It made no difference to the coffee IMO.

As for the question regarding the IMS screen - I got one for my new machine as well, so I guess I think it is worthwhile, though to be honest - I can't see any difference in the cup, and I am not even sure how much easier it is to keep clean. It does look nice though. 🙂


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## Baggysmalls

Simon_S said:


> I have one, doesn't appear to make any difference in the cup but it does make cleanup a little easier in that the pallo brush doesn't flick water everywhere as the bristles got stuck in the stock screen.....
> 
> As a side note, I took the opportunity to do the flat screw mod when I installed the IMS screen.... Well worth it!


 @Doram what length and size would I need? Thanks.


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## Doram

Baggysmalls said:


> @Doram what length and size would I need? Thanks.


 Mine are M5 x 12mm. I think the original screw is a bit longer - maybe 14mm, but the 12mm is long enough to catch the thread on the Silvia (had V1 and V6, and it was fine on both).


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## Baggysmalls

@Doram surely these still disturb the puck, or does the head not protrude as much as the stock one? I wasn't intending drilling anything, just buying the kit. Just wasn't sure that a countersunk bolt would work with the IMS screen that I own.


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## Doram

Baggysmalls said:


> surely these still disturb the puck, or does the head not protrude as much as the stock one?


 The button head protrudes a bit less than the stock screw, but based on a lot of reading + my own experience - neither cause any problem with the puck (you might get an impression of the screw on the puck if you basket is quite full, but if you are getting the screw to disturb the puck before you brew, you probably have too much coffee in the basket to begin with).

Think about it - Rancilio have been making the Silvia for over 20 years. The screw costs a few pennies. Would they really not bother to change it if they thought it causes any problem with the extraction? (And if you don't trust them to make this judgement, how can you trust them to make your machine at all?)


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## shadow745

Doram said:


> The button head protrudes a bit less than the stock screw, but based on a lot of reading + my own experience - neither cause any problem with the puck (you might get an impression of the screw on the puck if you basket is quite full, but if you are getting the screw to disturb the puck before you brew, you probably have too much coffee in the basket to begin with).
> 
> Think about it - Rancilio have been making the Silvia for over 20 years. The screw costs a few pennies. Would they really not bother to change it if they thought it causes any problem with the extraction? (And if you don't trust them to make this judgement, how can you trust them to make your machine at all?)


 Likely typical Italian thinking in that most espresso enthusiasts 'ruin' things by overdosing, changing extraction pressure, etc. I normally stick with OEM parts as I know lots of time/money/testing is invested for those parts to be utilized, but I draw the line at a point. I bought the Rancilio 18 gram basket and aftermarket flush mount screen kit and the extractions drastically improved. I have always like to updose and the stock setup seriously caused issues. I wasn't willing to stick to their standards with subpar extractions. The rest of the machine is simply a solid workhorse that does great and will do indefinitely.


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## Baggysmalls

Not knocking the machine at all. But I have a 20g competition basket and the screw does disturb the puck and most likely is causing some sort of channeling.


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