# Inside the L1



## NickR (Jul 1, 2011)

I've just taken the panels off my machine for the first time in well over a year. What I've found pleases me a lot.

I was initially uneasy about buying a machine with no boiler insulation and no ventilation in the top panel. However, both of these design decisions have been vindicated. The lack of holes in the top of the machine means that no dust, coffee, water etc. has fallen in. Its spotless inside. The antivac valve obviously hardly spits at all, the boiler and plumbing still beautiful.

The type of wire used was obviously taken with care, still flexible, colours still bright. The plastic used for the reservoir shows no sign of ageing.

The contrast between this and my last machine is huge. This was a typical Italian made HX machine. I had to take this apart at regular intervals due to problems cause by a spiting anti vac valve. Apart from the mess and corrosion this had caused, the boiler insulation started to perish after about 2 years. I had electrical problems due to the ageing of the poor quality of the wire used in the loom. Despite the insulated boiler the reservoir plastic started to turn brown.

An L1 may seem expensive, for less money I could have brought a dual boiler machine, but for me longevity is important. I didn't want to own another shiny box with a dark secret inside, just ready to go bang after a few years of use.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Expensive, but, as you say, well built and virtually bullet proof which is what Reiss had in mind when designing LI.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

No pictures ???

What at Italian made hx did you have before


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## dsc (Jun 7, 2013)

There's a few annoying bits on it though:

- stacking cups on the top panel can be risky as there's no 'rail' around to stop from them from dropping right off

- installing the top panel is a pain as you have to align the hole with the plastic reservoir and it's easy to get those two jammed, I'm also not a massive fan of the reservoir cover

- my boiler has a few fittings installed at an odd angle, as if they've been hammered into the body of the boiler, not sure whether it's normal or if the boiler has been dropped at some point

- the heater gasket is / was leaking on mine, got a new gasket sent over straight away (thanks Reiss!), but it's not super easy to remove the heater in the first place as you need a 38mm wrench

- proportion-wise the insides are a bit odd, there's a lot of empty space, the pstat takes loads of room on the top of the boiler, there's vent cuts in the back panels, but they are practically all covered by the plastic reservoir, but this is all rather minor issues.

- vibe-pump - probably the most annoying thing on this machine, especially at 6:00 in the morning when it wakes up pretty much everyone in the house

I know it's probably way above what you can find on Italian made machines and I'm being picky, but here's to making the next models better and to making the model I have a bit more silent through modding!









T.


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Plumb it in its silent, Reiss never intended cups to go on top.


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## CamV6 (Feb 7, 2012)

No more or less loud than any other vibe pump, and certainly the same volume level as a fracino cherub.

You're not really meant to keep cups on top of it. It doesn't have a cup tray as such. I do, however and use a piece of glass cut to size to protect the finish on the top. It wouldn't be beyond the realms of even my ability to make a proper cup tray to go on top however. The lack of cup tray I believe was at least in part an aesthetic decision.


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## risky (May 11, 2015)

dsc said:


> - my boiler has a few fittings installed at an odd angle, as if they've been hammered into the body of the boiler, not sure whether it's normal or if the boiler has been dropped at some point


How do the fittings attach? Are they brazed?


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## dsc (Jun 7, 2013)

Yes plumbing it in is certainly an option, although not for me at this point as the machine is miles away from the sink / pipes. I do get the top isn't meant to be a cup warmer and I also agree that one can easily add a railing of some sort. Vibe sound is simply annoying for me, end of, especially when it's random or ever time you turn the machine on. Almost everything on my list was annoyances rather than design faults, so all you L1 lovers out there don't get rubbed the wrong way









As for fittings, I'm pretty sure they are brazed, but at least one looks like it's been fitted at an angle (due to the angle of the boiler) and then simply pounded from the top to be horizontal. Not sure if this was intentional or someone dropped the boiler straight on the fitting and it got pushed in a wee bit.

T.


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## Tewdric (Apr 20, 2014)

It's very easy to run a length of John Guest 3/8 inch blue pipe from the nearest pipe under your kitchen units. You can get push fit adaptors to plumb one end into a washing machine feed (which you can get as screw on self penetrating units if you want to keep it ultra simple and tool free) and the other to the coffee machine hose. Best to put in a push fit water filter and isolator tap too but it's all easily available and simple to do.

Once you've gone plumbed you'll wonder how you managed before..


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## dsc (Jun 7, 2013)

As I said the machine is meters away from the taps, so not really doable at this point. I'd prefer to have the machine closer to the sink as it's easier to rinse / clean PFs, jugs etc. but moving stuff around would simply cause more grief. I've had my Elektra T1 plumbed in and it was indeed much easier to use, especially with a rotary pump.

T.


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## sjenner (Nov 8, 2012)

coffeechap said:


> Plumb it in its silent, Reiss never intended cups to go on top.


I keep my cups on top, never had one fall off yet...

As CC says if it is plumbed in, it is a case of "the silence as the plumbs"...

It's the way ah tell 'em.

Better get me coat.


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## CallumT (Aug 23, 2013)

Plumbed in L1 is the dream, I'd even full endorse an accumulator / flojet setup. Espresso hitting the cup is an unreal sound


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