Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine — Autofilling Silvia, part 2

Espresso |  PID'ing Silvia |  part 2 |  Resetting Silvia |  Steam leak
Autofilling Silvia |  part 2 |  part 3 |  part 4

So, what did I do?

I ordered a "PVC Mini Adjustable Float Valve With 1/4" OD Tubing Outlet", model #23099, from US Plastics for about $6. Actually, I ordered two to be on the safe side. With shipping, this totalled about $18.

I bought two 1/4" brass T's, two 1/4" brass needle valves, and two GE plastic "icemaker water lines" from Home Depot. I already had the 1/4" copper tubing from my old refrigerator's icemaker connection.

I pulled out my handy-dandy copper tubing cutter (about $10), which the only way to go when trying to do something like this. You'll waste lot of time and a lot of tubing if you try to cut with a hack saw. Keeping a good round end with a right-angle cut isn't quite as easy as it ought to be -- clamp it in a vise, and there goes the "round" word.

My 3/4" water line from the wall already had a valve with a 3/8" outlet on it. Some time back, I had found that seating the 3/8" tubing in it for a water-tight seal was not my favorite thing. Sure it was water tight -- until I turned on the water. Or, until I moved the refrigerator. Anyway, my solution back then, which I stayed with now, was to run a 2" section of 3/8" tubing from the valve.

Then, I put a female-female inline coupling in place. This let me use a 3/8" to 1/4" coupling, since the compression nut and fitting were already on the 3/8" tube from my prior setup.

I built my manifold on the kitchen counter, rather than squatting down by the wall, and then mounted it to the water line after it was complete. I started with a 2" piece of 1/4" copper tubing and a 1/4" copper T. One side of the T would go towards the valve at the wall. The base of the T got a plastic GE icemaker waterline ($5) that already had the nuts on each end.

The other end of the T got a 1.5" length of copper tubing, a 1/4" needle valve, and a plastic waterline towards the Silvia. This way, I had a valve at the wall to supply the Silvia and the refrigerator, and a 1/4" needle valve by the wall so I could cut off the water to the Silvia if I needed to do so.

Espresso |  PID'ing Silvia |  part 2 |  Resetting Silvia |  Steam leak
Autofilling Silvia |  part 2 |  part 3 |  part 4

 

Copyright © 2004-2006 Terry A. Stockdale