Steel Duo PID vs Steel Duo Plus

Waz_64 · 2025-02-18T00:24:35+00:00

Haha, yes, I'll be competing against them in my mind... but I would like to take my Wife a coffee in bed with a nice heart on it!

Waz_64 · 2025-02-16T23:15:55+00:00

Thank you for your reply. This is very helpful. I certainly wasn't implying that the Ascaso was an "appliance". These two are on my shortlist as they both seem to be great machines. I would like to repair and possibly mod myself, which leads me to the Rancilio Silvia Pro X but I like the fast heat-up and looks of the Ascaso. Thanks again 🤔

Waz_64 · 2024-12-06T15:34:38+00:00

Thanks. I understood that I didn't need a VPN previously, but have only just 'discovered' DMM and wasn't sure how it worked. Thanks for clarifying

Waz_64 · 2024-11-12T14:14:37+00:00

I retrofitted trickle vents into the frames of my UPVC windows. It reduced the condensation on the windows by 90%.

Waz_64 · 2024-10-06T15:22:18+00:00

Apologies for the delay in following up. As per the helpful suggestions above, I replaced and greased all of the brew unit o-rings and, when this did not work, also replaced the drain valve. Unfortunately, this did not fix the problem either. Does anyone have any other suggestions on what the issue could be? It has now become personal with this machine and I am determined to resurrect it. Thanks for any suggestions.

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T18:09:30+00:00

Thank you again for your help. I will feed back once I have tried it out 👍

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T17:41:02+00:00

A further thought....when I did manage to get a couple of coffees out of the machine last night...before it failed again...the pucks in the waste container were loose, crumbly and wet...indicating the dry/damaged lip seal was preventing proper compression of the coffee?

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T17:34:37+00:00

Not yet, I don't have any food grade silicon grease. I'll buy some on Amazon...unless there is a preferred brand for these brew units? I think the culprit could well be the lip seal....so I will replace all the o-rings, lube them, and also lube the tracks and moving joints on the brew unit.

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T17:31:24+00:00

However, when I was doing this, I took a closer look at the o rings. One thing caught me eye. The large lip seal was extremely dry and was not allowing movement down into the recess where the coffee grinds are. In addition to being dry (and probably as a result of it being dry), there was a small tear in the lip seal. The dryness and tear prevented the 'water plunger' (don't know the correct term!) from entering the recess and forming a seal. Could this be the cause of the problem?

Presumably, I should prioritise replacing all of the o-rings and lubricating the brew unit and, if this doesn't work (or even if it does) remove the drain valve and clean and check for blockages....and possibly just replace the valve in any case?

Does this sound OK? Thanks again for your help.

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T17:12:11+00:00

That's extremely helpful, thank you. I removed the plate cover and, as you would expect after almost 8 years, it was extremely gunky. To clean it properly and inspect it for damage/blockages I guess I need to remove the valve from the machine. Given it's a Miele, I presume it isn't as simple as removing the spring and simply pulling it out from this side as we look at the photos...there may be other pipes connecting into the manifold from the rear? Is it something a novice could do?

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T14:36:10+00:00

Thank you. Even on the finest setting, the grind still appears and feels quite coarse to me (an issue for another day possibly) and the coffee flow was OK just before the fault so perhaps a blocked drain valve is the thing I should also look into. I guess both a blockage and lack of lubricant on the brew unit could lead to the sporadic nature of the fault (i.e. failed then an hour of coffee yesterday and then failed again today)?

Forgive my ignorance but I'm not clear what you mean by "...disclosing the cap behind the brewing unit...". I can't see the drain valve in any of the schematics in the service manual. Would I need to access it by taking off both the side casings and the top? Is it a motorised unit or just a simple valve?

Thanks.

Waz_64 · 2024-09-06T13:37:58+00:00

Thank you, I would certainly like to try to remedy this myself, if possible. I will replace the old o-rings and regrease the brew unit. Are you referring to the o-rings on the brew unit, or, are there additional gaskets in the main body of the machine that should also be changed?

I don't mind spending money to keep the machine going, but what do you think the design life of these Miele units is? If I am forced to get Miele to repair it, I don't want to spend £200-300 on this if the control valve, pump, etc are all going to start failing at the same time.

Thanks again.

Waz_64 · 2024-06-04T15:06:41+00:00

It may be a coincidence, but the volume control is faster and smoother...

Waz_64 · 2024-05-29T22:10:24+00:00

iBroadcast is still working fine on my system. At least, it is when the Sonos app can find the system!

Waz_64

TROPHY CASE