# Oracle grinder issue



## Philealing (Sep 18, 2017)

I have had my Oracle for 16 months and have enjoyed the results. I have always used the same beans with the grinder in the mid 20s.

Recently the grinder stopped working. I cleaned it thoroughly as per Sage instructions but now I have the grinder set at 36 and the machine dispenses very little coffee. It can take up to 11 seconds before it dispenses. I can't set it much coarser (!).

Any suggestions as to what might be wrong? As I say I've always used the same beans.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Might seem to be a daft idea but are you sure that the beans are falling out of the hopper onto the burrs? In many respects the grinder on the barista express is the same. I had a problem due to a film of oil building up on the hopper. Unlikely to be your problem but may be worth checking that the beans are falling down onto the burrs.

The other area to check is the exit from the grind chamber. It can be seen by removing the outer burr. Make sure it isn't blocked - all of the way to the exit into the portafilter. You may have a blockage somewhere and if so you'll probably find that the exit from the grind chamber is blocked - again if that's what you found when you cleaned it.

Past that sounds like it may be a warrantee issue. You can check that the burrs are spinning by removing the hopper and pressing the hopper detection switch in with a pen or screwdriver etc to make the machine think it's fitted. There are 2 depressions use to latch the hopper in position - one of them has the switch.

John

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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

@Philealing what did you do when you cleaned it ?

Did you just take out the top burr, or the bottom one as well ?

Did you disturb the top burr setting ?

As john says have you cleaned the exit Shute from the grind chamber and from below ?


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## Philealing (Sep 18, 2017)

Thank you for your suggestions.

When cleaning the grinder I took everything out and cleaned thoroughly including using the grinder pipe-cleaner-type-of-thing to push all the way through from the grinder chamber into the portafilter. I also inspected the felt washer to make sure it was not damaged. I had a point by point procedure from a Sage.

Whereabouts is the top burr setting that you think I might have disturbed? That's sounds like something I should look at. Strange that Sage have not suggested that option.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Not being cheeky, but going up to 36 suggests moving the burrs anti clockwise which to me sounds like you are tightening...I am probably wrong s I do not know the machine but take it back to your original setting, try it then adjust slightly the other way.....then report back and tell me how wrong I am!

I am wrong! forgot it was a dial linked to an LED!


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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

I think you would know you had done it .. You take out the spring clip that you turn and pull out the top burr with , then you turn the plastic collar on the top burr and replace the spring handle . There are numbers on the top burr..

It sounds like the lower burr is closer to the top burr than it should be , have you tightened the lower burr enough against the felt washer ?.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Nicknak said:


> I think you would know you had done it .. You take out the spring clip that you turn and pull out the top burr with , then you turn the plastic collar on the top burr and replace the spring handle . There are numbers on the top burr..
> 
> It sounds like the lower burr is closer to the top burr than it should be , have you tightened the lower burr enough against the felt washer ?.


It would be rather difficult to change the burr setting without noticing. Sounds more like warrantee to me and grinder isn't adjusting.

John

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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

@ajohn if you read my post I said " I think you would know you had done it " zzzzzzzz


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Nicknak said:


> @ajohn if you read my post I said " I think you would know you had done it " zzzzzzzz


I know I was simply stressing that before the op adjusts it.

John

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## Philealing (Sep 18, 2017)

Sorry for not responding earlier. I have not been getting the notifications to tell me someone has posted something. Thank you all for your input.

It seems unlikely that I have accidentally changed the top bur setting, from what you have said.

I had a fairly generic reply from Sage about different coffee beans perform differently, the "ground on" date is the important one etc etc. None of which seemed to acknowledge I had been using the machine successfully for 16 months with the same beans.

They have finally said that they will send an engineer to look at it.

The funny thing is that I have recently had some of the best coffees ever from it. The first coffee dispensed each time is just far to low on quantity. Double shot gives me less than one shot. Each coffee after that seems ok.

I will hold off calling out the engineer.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Philealing said:


> Sorry for not responding earlier. I have not been getting the notifications to tell me someone has posted something. Thank you all for your input.
> 
> It seems unlikely that I have accidentally changed the top bur setting, from what you have said.
> 
> ...


Its hard to quantify as we dint know what you class as a single or double shot or how you are measuring it , if the coffee is far too low you can coarsen the grind or run the shot for longer.

I may be wrong , but you give the impression that the machine is a little bit plug and play, but it isnt, adjustments in grind and or ouput ( via running the shot longer ) will be required.

Are you weighing out the espresso or jsut letting the machine stop the shot . The pre programmed double shot or single shot button will vary quite a but in what they do, even with the same coffee, that's why i always weight my output using a sage.


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## Philealing (Sep 18, 2017)

Maybe I won't hold off on that engineer visit.

This morning I couldn't even get my portafilter to fit/lock into the grinder unit.

Time to dust off my Pavoni for a few weeks I think.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Philealing said:


> Maybe I won't hold off on that engineer visit.
> 
> This morning I couldn't even get my portafilter to fit/lock into the grinder unit.
> 
> Time to dust off my Pavoni for a few weeks I think.


OK can you answer some the questions posted please.

Not being able to lock the pf may well be a result of too coarse a grind as in theory the dose is fixed.


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## Nicknak (Aug 10, 2018)

@Philealing the portafilter not going into the grinder can be the activation switch in the grove where the portafilter lugs ride in is stuck . You can normally wiggle it free ..

Before you overhauled it Did the grinder stop working as in not grinding or was it in need of a clean ..

Or is the problem in the extraction after the grinding ?


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## Philealing (Sep 18, 2017)

Thank you. I will check that out. I will also see what Sage say. As they had offered an engineers visit it might be worth following up on that and getting the machine thoroughly checked.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Ah misread the grinder unit , thought you meant you couldnt lock it into the brew hear . apologies

To get to the original point again , if you cant provide some info on weight out what you are classing as a double shot , then in all honest we cannot help you very much . I feel like I am yelling into a empty void on this thread


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