# Plumbing in an L1



## 4085

Can anyone help me. I am trying to connect my L1 to the housewater supply. The bit it fits onto is a standard washing machine on/off fitting, but I think the braided hose is possibly 3/8th?

I need a step down fitting, similar to this one but the right size

  

Can anyone tell me exactly what I need to ask for and the size, and even better, a screwfix/plumb centre parts number (i know thats a lot to ask!)


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## Glenn

This might answer some of the questions

http://londiniumespresso.com/products/plumb-in-kit-for-londinium-i


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## 4085

Glenn, thanks but i have the kit from Reiss. The problem is the end on display in his blog is much smaller than the wsshing machine fitting so a step down fitting is needed


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## El carajillo

Washing M/ch fittings are 3/4" (old imperial) your fitting appears to be a 3/4 female to 12 or 15 mm compression pipe fitting, I cannot tell by photo.

What is the fitting on the end of your flexi pipe, presumably 3/8" male. PM me my phone No if you require further information/discussion


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## 4085

El C, this is text from the L1 site

The kit comprises 1.5 metres of braided stainless steel hose with a 3/8"BSP fitting on the free end and a bypass wire to take the electric pump out of the circuit. The machine end of the braided stainless hose has a brass adaptor fit to allow you to connect directly to the solenoid fitting, bypassing the electric pump

So I guess I need a step down fitting to screw on to the washing machine end and the braided pipe end. i bought one but the shop only had one size and it was too big!


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## ronsil

When I needed a 'step-down' fitting for my coffee machine I took the supplied flexible braided pipe into 'Plumbworld'.

They were very helpful & searched through their enormous stock & found me 2 fittings screwing into each other which fitted the washing machine tap & reduced down to the braided pipe.


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## 4085

I never thought about taking the braided pipe off!. I will go and have a look now, as I am sure the pipe I had on my other L1 had the correct fitting on it!

cheers Ron!

Having had a quick look I will wait till I get the right info or my plumber comes on monday! The braided water pipe is definitely 3/8ths so it should not be that difficult to track one down!


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## El carajillo

Having looked in my fittings catalogue I do not think you can accomplish it in one fitting. Possibly a 3/4 female to 1/2" female with a 1/2 male to 3/8 female bush to accept your hose fitting.Does your M/ch need a pressure reduction fitting ? You may need a back flow prevention valve as well (local water regs )


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## Callum_T

Dave, ironically your old hose is 3/4Bsp (standard appliance) as I've had a nightmare upsizing from all my current combination of 1/2bsp & 3/8bsp (for a small inline brita)


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## RoloD

You need a 3/4 to 3/8 BSP reducer.

These are rare but they do exist: http://www.pipefittingsonline.co.uk/adapters-/-plugs-/-manifolds-brass/reducer-male/female-bsp/cat_268.html

Prefereably tapered rather than parallel threads.

You are very unlikely to need a pressure reduction fitting as the mains pressure is just filling up the boiler, not feeding a pump.


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## 4085

Callum_T said:


> Dave, ironically your old hose is 3/4Bsp (standard appliance) as I've had a nightmare upsizing from all my current combination of 1/2bsp & 3/8bsp (for a small inline brita)


Hey Callum, if only I had remembered! Reiss says the easiest thing to do is Rons suggestion and change the braided hose fitting. So, I am still sitting looking at mine and not able to use it..LOL


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## sjenner

What nobody has mentioned here is that Dave is connecting this up to his "household" supply...

What a lucky bugger!

The rest of us who don't live oop north, where the water is soft and relatively clean, have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get any sort of decent coffee.









Left assembly: Pumped reverse osmosis system...

On the Right: Calcite remineralisation cartridge with TDS meter for inlet and outlet sides, and storage tanks.

My water, after much experimentation meets SCAA standards... give or take.


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## Kyle548

sjenner said:


> What nobody has mentioned here is that Dave is connecting this up to his "household" supply...
> 
> What a lucky bugger!
> 
> The rest of us who don't live oop north, where the water is soft and relatively clean, have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get any sort of decent coffee.
> 
> View attachment 3259
> 
> 
> Left assembly: Pumped reverse osmosis system...
> 
> On the Right: Calcite remineralisation cartridge with TDS meter for inlet and outlet sides, and storage tanks.
> 
> My water, after much experimentation meets SCAA standards... give or take.


That's like some chemical plant s**** there.


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## 4085

I almost feel guilty now....!


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## idensie

I wouldn't feel guilty. If I get around to changing from the tank to plumbing mine in I'll be using water straight from the tap. 100% pure New Zealand tap water!


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## sjenner

OK Kyle... Here is a slightly more informative pic:

















The number made visible by the loupe is the final output showing in PPM the level of hardness... (It is a little on the low side, and can read around 90 ppm) depending on how much water is being drawn and how long since the last demand. The PH is about 8 (or thereabouts)... Alkaline.









The number on the left (00) is stating that the reverse osmosis unit has removed ALL impurities and has a TDS of 0... Among other toxins, my London water has calcium/magnesium at 300ppm, so you can see that it works very hard. The PH at this point is around 5.8... Acid.


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## Kyle548

Seems expensive to maintain....


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## sjenner

Once the capital cost is overcome (up to £300), the only ongoing costs are a couple of annual filter changes at around £25 to £30. And I did go over the top for the RO unit, my previous system which I used for around 10 years before I had a coffee machine, now retails for around £100.

This is cheaper than an Everpure system...

But not cheaper than Dave or Idensie... Free cannot be trumped.


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## painty

Impressive water system! I guess also the RO system consumes a lot of water which could be a significant cost if your home has a water meter.


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## Glenn

idensie said:


> 100% pure New Zealand tap water!


No filter required

At mum's place the water is pure. Straight off the roof into 2 x 10000 gallon tanks

So clean you can't even taste anything

Will check the TDS when I am home in December


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## 4085

Can anyone help me? I bought a Luxe which was tanked. the chap had an alleged coffee engineer in to fit the plumbed bits needed to convert it, but instead of removing the redundant tanked bits, he left them in. he told me the power supply to the pump was isolated. Now, I have just had the machine on its side so I can see how to take off he braided hose. To me, something looks wrong as I think, the braided hose is attached to the vibe pump, as in the picture. Ami Wrong or does anyone else think this is not set up correctly?


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## Kyle548

dfk41 said:


> Can anyone help me? I bought a Luxe which was tanked. the chap had an alleged coffee engineer in to fit the plumbed bits needed to convert it, but instead of removing the redundant tanked bits, he left them in. he told me the power supply to the pump was isolated. Now, I have just had the machine on its side so I can see how to take off he braided hose. To me, something looks wrong as I think, the braided hose is attached to the vibe pump, as in the picture. Ami Wrong or does anyone else think this is not set up correctly?


The hose is just screwed on, should be easy to unscrew it with a wrench.

Apart from that, I don't see why it would be wrong, I don't think you would need anything between the pump and the inlet.


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## 4085

Agreed, but all fittings between the 2 are different sizes. I think my main question, is if I just connect the braided hose to the vibe pump, will it just work normally, until I can find someone to do the job properly?


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## sjenner

I can't see the rest of the layout Dave, but I would have thought that you connect the braided inlet hose to an available connection just in front of the solenoid... No pump necessary.

My L1 was the first fully plumbed one, so it was supplied without any tank or pump (just a big hole)...









It looks different to the vast majority of dual purpose L1's that have been sold.


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## El carajillo

Not sure but I do not think the intake side of the pump is rated for pressure from mains (could be 3 bar +/_. Personally I would bypass the pump with direct feed to inlet.???


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## 4085

Thanks Stephen et all..I have whipped the sides off and here is two pics. I have disconnected the braided hose. I am presuming I can remove the vibe pump and everything it is attached to, and then reconnect the hose to where my hand is on photo 2?


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## 4085

Sorry, it needs to reconnect to this photo, but I see in your photo Stephen, the braided hose has a angled adapter. I will need this as well as it is a smaller size


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## sjenner

dfk41 said:


> Sorry, it needs to reconnect to this photo, but I see in your photo Stephen, the braided hose has a angled adapter. I will need this as well as it is a smaller size


Indeed Dave... that is the spot.


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## El carajillo

Try Googling WADE fittings they make them for air,water,hydraulics. Many of your fittings look like Wade fittings METRIC &IMPERIAL Hope this helps.


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## aaronb

I vaguely remember Reiss mentioning you could connect the water hose to the pump if you have low line pressure, maybe that's what happened to this one?

What happened to your other L1 dfk? or do you have 2 now?


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## Kyle548

I just realised that this is a lever machine, so you don't even need a pump.

I think fitting the plumbing will be pretty simple, but be sure to insulate the electrical connections for the pump if you remove it.


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## sjenner

sjenner said:


> Indeed Dave... that is the spot.


Sorry Dave, did you not get a braided pipe with a 3/4 female on one end and a 1/2 female on the other end? I think that the fitting that you are pointing to is a 1/2" BSP male, and the original supply pipe should just fit, with a nice messy bit of teflon tape like mine


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## 4085

To explain, I bought this Luxe from the chap in Edinburgh that in turn bought the first L2. He asked me if I wanted it tanked or plumbed. I said plumber so he got someone in to do that. I have never seen inside a tanked one before, and presumed that he would have removed all then non-needed parts, but I was wrong! The initial problem with the braided pipe is easily solved, just fit a new one with the right sized ends (mine were both female 3/8ths). But, in taking the braided pipe off I then realised that the water tank and vibe pump were still there which seemed daft since they are not needed. SO, working backwards (and not really being much use with technical things) I took the braided pipe off the pump, then took the pump and pipes out, then removed the water tank but that has now left 3 small problems. Firstly, the Gicar box was bracketed to the water tank chassis, so I need to find a new way to do that, or just leave it in the bottom of the machine. next, the 2 leads going onto the vibe pump need sorted. I have traced them back and think there are no other cables that colour, so once I have the confidence will unclip them from the other end. And the last problem, is how to fit the new braided pipe back in, but I reckon my plumber will do that bit tomorrow for me!

Thanks for all your help.

I sold my L1 to a forum member as I really wanted a Luxe again and I was lucky in as much as Edinburgh is not far from me.


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## El carajillo

sjenner said:


> Sorry Dave, did you not get a braided pipe with a 3/4 female on one end and a 1/2 female on the other end? I think that the fitting that you are pointing to is a 1/2" BSP male, and the original supply pipe should just fit, with a nice messy bit of teflon tape like mine


Looks more like 3/8BSP to me !!!


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## 4085

Stephen, when you converted yours over, did you remove the water tank chassis? Is so, how did you secure the Gicar box?


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## sjenner

dfk41 said:


> Stephen, when you converted yours over, did you remove the water tank chassis? Is so, how did you secure the Gicar box?


Dave, as I wrote earlier in this thread, I didn't do any conversions... Mine was the first plumbed in L1, it is probably unique because Reiss made them as dual use after mine... so you could have plumbed or tanked as with your new one.

I think that the Gicar device is mounted on a small bracket that has been fixed to the chassis of the L1:


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## 4085

It turns out that if you order a tank version then convert it you have to leave the tank chassis in situ as it holds pipe work and the Gicar box up. Plumber is due Ono!


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## sjenner

painty said:


> Impressive water system! I guess also the RO system consumes a lot of water which could be a significant cost if your home has a water meter.


Painty, this is only used for drinking water... Yes it is quite aggressive in the amount of water that it discards... around 75% I understand, but we are talking pints rather than gallons... Probably less than a couple of flushes of the privy.

I don't have a water meter, but I read the other day that we are all going to get one, whether we like it or not...

Meanwhile Thames Water continue to (temporarily) lose 650 million litres per day... As Oscar Wilde said: "To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."


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## Kyle548

sjenner said:


> Painty, this is only used for drinking water... Yes it is quite aggressive in the amount of water that it discards... around 75% I understand, but we are talking pints rather gallons... Probably less than a couple of flushes of the privy.
> 
> I don't have a water meter, but I read the other day that we are all going to get one, whether we like it or not...
> 
> Meanwhile Thames Water continue to (temporarily) lose 650 million litres per day... As Oscar Wilde said: "To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."


Cant you route waste water into the privy?

Can't imagine the plumbing would be such a breeze though.


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## 4085

Right, all sorted I hope. My problems stemmed from the fact that I thought the internals of the tanked and plumbed were much the same. A tanked machine that is then converted over to plumbed is very different to a plumbed machine that comes from the factory, and this was the cause of my problems. I removed the vibe pump which was not totally necessary since it was disabled bit seemed daft having it. i took out the water tank and chassis, then had to refit the chassis as it lets a couple of things bolt onto it.

The next problem was bolting the 3/4 inch washing machine end to the much smaller vibe pump end, much smaller than 3/8 ths. Eventually it was all cobbled together and I was able to switch her on. She heated up immediately, bled the false pressure out. i am going to leave the sides off for a few days just in case. there are two very small leaks, not really leaks, just a few drops of water but not constant, from 2 joints that I interfered with so am quite hopeful!

This L1 is very different. the way the steam/water taps operate have a completely different feel and the lever action feels very jerky, but I am hoping that will settle down as I know it has not had much use at all.

thanks for all your help in this matter. this is what the inside looks like now!


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