ECM Synchronika: How to Adjust Brew Pressure and OPV

[@dangibson3960]

Brian and Marc, thanks for the great set of videos on the Synchronika! I have an ECM Barista (HX) with rotary pump and my pressure was running very high 14bar with blind basket. Attempts to adjust via bypass valve resulted in no change with screw position. It took a descale to free the adjustment valve and achieve 9 bar. Will be looking into filter options going forward to prevent the need for excess descaling.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Dan, You are welcome and thanks for the comment. You can have water which will not scale using calcium to magnesium ion-exchange filters from BWT. When used as directed, no scale yet you'll get the mineral level needed to prevent over-extraction, support flavor and prevent corrosion of metals in the machine. For reservoir fed machines check out their Penguin Pitcher: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-penguin-2-7-l-water-pitcher or Their Bestasave pad filters which drip into your reservoir: www.wholelattelove.com/products/bwt-bestsave-s-anti-scale-filter Marc

[@philgoogle1535]

Thanks, Marc & Brian. Your support for these machines is very much appreciated.

[@whitewaltz]

Thank you. I have been adjusting the pump pressure every year and this video has been very helpful.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

You're welcome!

[@JoshuaParks]

This is really helpful. I had my brew head gauge at 8 for two years and recently it’s slipped to around 6 bar. Now with this easy adjustment I’m back to 8 bar at the brew head!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

HEY JP, Happy to help!

[@bigwave_dave8468]

Thanks for the video. For those of us who have never done it before, It would be nice to see your hands while you're adjusting that pump to know which way you were turning the adjuster screw (clockwise/counterclockwise) to increase/decrease the pressure.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi BWD, You are welcome for the video and thanks for the comment. On most machines it's clockwise to adjust to higher pressure.

[@petercaddy]

Bought an ECM Synchronika with flow control here in Australia based on your videos and recommendations. Big thanks for all the detailed reviews and service videos like this one.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Peter, You're welcome! Thanks for taking a moment to leave a comment. It's appreciated a whole latte!

[@1989cranston]

Where did you buy it from and what price did you grab it for. I've been looking around recently aswell, I'm in QLD.

[@pb3662]

@@1989cranston If you are still looking, I got mine from DiPacci coffee

[@vessk000]

Finally I got an answer for the brew pressure gauge on my Synchronika. I've been experiencing this climbing pressure up to around 12 bars with the blind filter basket since I've put the flow control kit.

[@oracla]

Me too, I found it super weird :)) No I'm happy I have the answer.

[@petercaddy]

Like wise, thanks Brian & Marc from Australia - love these videos.

[@AndyT]

Just for added info. Anticlockwise will lower, and clockwise will raise the pressure.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Thanks!

[@cdnmember]

Thanks Brian for the quick response. Look forward to the Technika reviews!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

You bet!

[@SecurityDivision]

It's really cool here on Synchronika as you don't need to open the whole chasis.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi SD, Thanks for the comment.

[@davecahill2]

Thankyou so much! Totally needed this video

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Dave, you’re welcome a whole latte!

[@rogeliorojas603]

I used to have a M&V pressure profiling Vesuvius machine, one of the preset profiles started with 4 bar pre-infusion and it took the pressure all the way up to to 12 bars. The shots were perfect taste (not bitter) with lots of crema. I read that you can not expect to get too much crema in your shots unless the group head reaches at 9 bars of pressure. If this is true then why everyone here seems preoccupied on decreasing the group head pressures to 8.5 or even lower? Is it because they lack the pressure profile valve? I recently got my Synchronica with the manual pressure profile valve and I am learning to emulate what the M&V Vesuvius did automatically for me. I use excellent quality coffee (Onyx or Verve) and I grind my coffee using an Eureka Helios grinder. I adjusted the brew pressure to 10 bars, should do one more adjustment to reach 11 bar which is the highest pressure recommended to pull expresso shots or should I try to keep adjusting to reach 12 bars for more aggressive extractions like the ones my older machine featured. Am I risking my Synchronica doing that? What are the pros and cons? Will appreciate your comments

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi RR, I've pulled shots with lots of crema and pressure never exceeded 8 bar. There's no magic that happens at 9 bar. There has been a recent trend with some using lower brew pressures but I too have pulled excellent shots at much higher pressures - even 12 bar. Lower pressures and flow rates are often used on fresh from roast specialty coffees to reduce brightness. Due to the variables involved there's no right answer for brew pressure or flow rate. A lot depends on the coffee used, grind size and personal taste! You will not hurt your machine running at 12 bar. A lot of entry-level vibration pump machines run at that pressure without issue and you've got a big ole rotary pump pushing the water in your Synchronika. Then with the flow control you can emulate the Vesuvius profiles to your heart's content!

[@wiljo748]

Thanks for the video. Mine does not have an adjustable OPV. My machine has dropped to around 5-6 bars. I can lower it to around 3 but can not get it above 6 even turning all the way. Any ideas what is causing it?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi w, It could be a restriction in water flow somewhere. Here's a video for diagnosing flow issues in the Synchronika: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpTdlmhvgbqab6csi=1mQdzVU0sKfw2mig If you continue to have issues and purchased the machine from us please contact out Tech Support staff here for additional assistance: www.wholelattelove.com/pages/contact-us

[@mjmjersey]

You guys are great

[@cdnmember]

Thanks for the review. Would really like to see a similar review on the ECM Technika Profi V.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AM, We will be doing videos on the Technika V Profi in the coming weeks. Until then the procedure for adjusting brew pressure on the Technika is about the same. Access to pump pressure adjustment is a little tougher to get to as it's through a hole underneath in the middle of the machine.

[@jensebu78]

Hello Guys. Thank you for that great video. I have a question. Is there a reason why the pressure is going up to around eleven bar by itself? It was around 9 all the time and now i realised it's much higher and when i brew a shot the lowest valve is letting water out... I wonder why that started suddenly...

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey j, The adjustment screw on the bottom of the pump can eventually adjust out due to the motor vibration causing the pressure to increase. If adjusting the screw back In doesn’t reduce the pressure, the bypass valve on the pump needs to be cleaned. Brian

[@jensebu78]

@@Wholelattelovepage Adjusting the screw worked perfectly. I hope that this was the main problem and not the bypass valve. But it looks like everything is fine now. Thank you for helping!!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

@@jensebu78 You are welcome! Glad to hear it worked out by working it back in!

[@LittleOlie]

The pressure gauge needle are shaking. Is this a sign of opv failing?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi LO, A little shaking is normal. On rotary pump machines it's the bypass on the pump which controls brews pressure. OPVs on rotary pump machines function as safety valves and are set to a pressure that's higher than the bypass.

[@carinef1288]

is more pressure counterclockwise or clockwise

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi c, Clockwise to increase pressure.

[@millennialg]

I am getting blind pressure of 10.5 bars on my ECM synkronika from whole latte love I bought a year or two ago and I never made any adjustments or modifications to my machine other than increasing brew temp to 205 F and steam to 271 F. Does this mean there is something wrong with my machine or that it wasn't calibrated correctly? 😳

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi d, Nothing is wrong with your machine. Pressure can shift a bit depending on variables like boiler temperature when it was set. I know people focus on the brew pressure but it's highly unlikely anyone would taste a difference between an extraction made with a machine set +/- a bar or so.

[@kas4751]

Without resistance (ie no blind basket) i got it down to 8 bar from 10. But with the blind basket on, the pressure increases to around 12-13 bar as it builds up. How come yours remain at the set pressure with the blind basket on? Is there something wrong with mine? Mine's an ECM Mechanika IV Profi. What do I need to adjust?

[@kas4751]

So I took off the panels to find what else I could adjust. Found a flat head screw towards the center back of the machine. I loosened the screw a bit and now the pressure with blind basket reads around 10 bar. Without portafilter on it reads my target 8 bar. Am I doing this right?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi kas, I'd only set brew pressure with the blind basket in place. Pressure reading without the blind basket has no bearing on actual pressure when brewing. It's just reading system pressure from behind a one-way valve in the system.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Not entirely certain what flat head screw you're adjusting - maybe an overpressure safety which can change pressure but should not be adjusted. Only adjust brew system pressure using the bypass screw on the pump.

[@kas4751]

@@Wholelattelovepage Yeah I am quite certain now that it's the OPV screw adjuster at the back, after stumbling upon your other videos on other models, looks exactly like it. I've tweaked the screws again now with the new information you've provided, and hopefully I'm doing it correctly now. I've now made sure that with a blind basket on, my brew system pressure could only get pressurized up to 8 bar. And the OPV has been adjusted to 1 bar higher at 9 bar. So with this configuration, when testing with a blind basket, the brew pressure gauge reads 8 bar, and I can see little beads of water droplets forming and dripping at the release port thingy near the drip tray.

[@400080vikkash]

When my machine is on the water reservoir it's at 9 bar when I plumb it in it goes to 10 even though I installed a 2 bar pressure regulator.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey vk, Slight differences in static pressure based on water source is normal. Even though you have a 2 bar regulator the pump increases the pressure when machine is operating. As it's a rotary pump in the machine some pressure on the line prior to the pump increase overall pressure slightly. Feel free to adjust brew pressure on the rotary pump as shown in video.

[@adriansagana9786]

Does adjusting the OPV lead to slower build up of pressure ? Trying to rule out my OPV since i've adjusted it to about 10bars from the factory hitting around 13. But my Shots with same puck prep seems to get up to pressure longer than it used to.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi a, Rate of pressure build should not change up to the set pressure of the rotary pump bypass. Surprised your machine was set to 13 bar. Guessing you did not get it from us?

[@delapansetengah]

Damn so love it many thanks mate

[@marcmarion3164]

On an ECM Puristika is the expansion valve knob sitting on the front directly connects to the OPV?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Marc, yes it connects to the OPV. More Puristika info in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4utp3yNjLV_n7c

[@marcmarion3164]

@@Wholelattelovepage Your great! Thanks.

[@T1D_Nydox]

Hi Brian! Is it normal to rely on the OPV, or would it be ideal to have most of the pressure limited by the puck? I ask because my OPV on my vibratory hx is constantly in use (pressure rapidly moving around OPV set point). Is that okay?

[@AngelInTheDesert]

I’ve been seeing the pump pressure higher than the flow control pressure. 10ish bar at the pump vs 8.5 max at the group gauge. I have the flow set to 1.25 turns for roughly stock. I also noticed that at fully closed on the flow control, I still get water very slowly dripping out. Is that normal?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AG, Normal for pressure to be lower at the group gauge than on machine gauge - especially during an extraction. A small drip means the valve is not fully closed - the sleeve with the control knob may have dropped down. To correct loosen the control knob and raise the sleeve up the width of a credit card or so and tighten the control knob to hold sleeve in the slightly higher position. Other potential cause is the valve is not fully closing internally due to an obstruction with scale build up. Here's a video with everything you need to know on E61 Flow Control Maintenance and Calibration kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKnLYpyhYtSlfKM

[@AngelInTheDesert]

Absolutely phenomenal customer support yet again by the lovely folks at WLL. Easy peasy fix in a couple minutes. Just needed a quick recalibration.

[@martydee755]

Quick question. What difference does it do to a shot thats running on 9bar vs one on 7bar?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi MD, Thanks for the question. Not an easy question to answer due to variables like coffee type and grind size. But I can generalize a bit. A 7bar extraction will have a lower flow rate if grind size is the same. So brew water has longer contact time with the coffee and could have more body due to solids removed and increase the bitter balance. Bitter is not necessarily a bad thing. You want a balance between sweet and bitter. And slightly more bitterness can help balance out the sweetness of milk in milk drinks. For darker roasts or less than fresh coffee higher pressures/flow rates and shorter extraction times can be beneficial. You get the good flavors out quickly and cut the shot (reduce contact time) before digging too deep into stale or over-extracted flavors.

[@anotherguycalledsmith]

@Marty When I tried to finish off my coffee left overs that I bought for filter coffee, I had no luck using it in the _Synchronika_ . It was high quality arabica coffee, yes. Not even to lightly roasted, but these 9 bars from the _Synchronika_ resulted in a heavy over-extraction and undrinkable sourness. The coffee was ground correctly, 18 grams in with 40grams out in about 30 seconds… But this specific roast actually was not meant to be used in an espresso machine. It might have come out fine at a lower pressure like 3 to 6 bars. But because of _not_ having a _Flow Profil Valve E61_ I could not give it a try. Since I do not dare - being a total beginner - to fiddle around with the default machine brew pressure, I just took decent espresso coffee for ”normal“ results. Very interesting that you cannot really tell by looking at roasted coffee beans right away whether they would work as an espresso coffee. This also seems to be a bit of a problem with roasts from larger coffee companies that try to offer ”one size fits it all“ blends for different brewing methods (E61 vs. full automatic machines)…

[@whazzat8015]

Any leads or links for vibe pump OPV adj. I have a 2004 S24 rancilio. Way different OPV

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi W, here's a link with leads: www.home-barista.com/repairs/opv-brew-pressure-adjustment-rancilio-s24-t80574.html

[@whazzat8015]

@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks , but you linked me to my own thread. LOL

[@Wholelattelovepage]

@@whazzat8015 super LOL! Well I tried... If I had an S24 here I'd open up and have a look!

[@gjhunter9326]

Another informative video Mark and crew. My non flow control equipped Synchronika, purchased from WLL, reads 10.5 bar pump pressure while brewing and I have never adjusted it. I wonder why it is 2 bar off? What is the optimal pressure, 8.5 or something a bit higher, say 9 or 9.5. We”re at 3400’ elevation.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi GJ, Thanks for the comment. The pressure difference may be due to your elevation - but I'm not certain. IMO there's little difference in extractions with 1 bar difference in pressure but YMMV. 9 bar is the espresso brewing standard - mostly because many years ago that was the pressure used and it just stuck. In modern espresso extractions much lower pressures or often used and you can have higher pressures as well - think manual lever machines which start high and ramp down as extraction progresses. No reason you couldn't adjust your brew pressure to 9 bar and taste. If better, maybe that's the place to be for the coffee you are using. Marc

[@gjhunter9326]

@@Wholelattelovepage thanks for info Marc, much appreciated. I think I’ll drop it one bar and give it a try when I get a chance.

[@oracla]

Is it OK to do descaling by putting cleaning solution (citric acid) and flushing the whole system like on some other machines?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey o, Thanks for the question. Manufacturers do not recommend home user descaling of dual boiler machines. Your best solution is to use source water that does not cause scale in the first place. Check out BWT water treatment options including Bestmax premium in-line filtration for plumbed machines or their pitcher or in reservoir pad filters for reservoir fed dual boiler machines. BWT options use patented ion-exchange process which replaces much of the scale causing calcium in water with magnesium. This makes for water that will not cause scale when used as directed yet has the mineral level needed to prevent over-extraction and protect your equipment from corrosion which is a possibility if one uses water with very low mineral levels like pure RO or distilled water. Hope that helps. Marc

[@oracla]

@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks for the kind and indepth reply. I'am using BWT filtered water but can't help feeling there is still some scale buildup.

[@eclexian]

Okay, now I have a question. My brew-group gauge consistently reads almost 1 bar (like 0.8 bar) LOWER than my pump gauge. (I put a picture of it on Facebook, but (sorry to say) I'm not very FB-savvy, so not sure how to link to that here. Or maybe someone can tell me how to post a photo here? Or I suppose I could take a quick video of it next time, and try to post that. Sheesh!) Thanks...

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi David, If you are not running in a closed system with backflush disc inserted or the flow control closed that would not be unusual and normal depending on how you have the flow set when reading. If you are seeing that in a closed system that could be odd but likely nothing concerning. Marc

[@eclexian]

@@Wholelattelovepage: Thanks, Marc. I guess I wasn’t exactly concerned, but as an engineer, I’m just wondering how that could happen. Have a nice weekend!

[@pb3662]

That's completely normal. You would normally aim around 1 bar at the pump higher than desired brew pressure. That will change a little based on elevation etc. Once you are comfortable with the machine/grinder/coffee combination you may also wish to tweak it based on what type of coffee you are purchasing (age and roast) as you will get different flavours.

[@eclexian]

Thanks, @@pb3662. I guess the thing that confuses me is that water cannot be compressed, and therefore, I would expect the pressure at one end of a sealed water pathway to be the same as at the other end. But perhaps it has to do with flow rate, so that at the exit point of that pathway, the porosity of the coffee puck tends to reduce the pressure where the pressure gauge reads it.

[@mjmjersey]

When you guys sent me my machine I'm not sure what how many bars it was putting out but when I have coffee in the basket the flow pressure gauge is reading 10 is that too much I never touched it

[@oracla]

That's strange, I do some very choked extractions and never get above 9. I use a flow of 5ml/s (half turn from zero flow). The pump pressure reads 9,5 at all times.

[@mjmjersey]

@@oracla I go 1/4 turn to 1/2 turn back to a 1/4 turn.Does that hurt the machine?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey Michael, that will not hurt the machine. Also, normal for the group gauge to read higher than guage on the machines face as there's a one way valve after the point at which the machine reads for the face gauge in cold water just after the pump. Cold water heats in the boiler and expands which increases the pressure. Pump pressure is set to to 8.5 bar at the pump as Brian describes in the video. Marc

[@mjmjersey]

@@Wholelattelovepage thank you guys

[@oracla]

@@Wholelattelovepage But 10 bar on the brew heat while brewing... that shouldn't be normal? It's one thing to see 10 bar on the blank filter, but while brewing? If the pump pressure is 8,5 bar then it's impossible to have 10 bar on the brew head (and maintain flow).

[@slappadabass1977]

Doing this by yourself? Yeah, not fun lol. At all hahaha. Trying to slot a screwdriver into that little thing from underneath without bringing it to the edge like you did is about impossible haha. But, dropped mine down to 9 bar following this as it was at 10 and all working good. Lost a few lbs adjusting it HAHAHA

[@4rdzlla]

My machine is 10bar and I haven't changed it. Maybe a tad higher. Should I drop it to 8? That's 10 bar with the blind filter like u did. It's not 8-8.5

[@4rdzlla]

Well I just changed it to read 8.5bar with blind filter in. Now my question is with my flow control 1 full turn open. I'm only getting 7g/s. Is that right?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Mike, On a machine with rotary pump like the Synchronika we usually set to 9 bar pressure reading with the blind filter basket in place. 7g/s is about right with the flow control open 1 full turn. You'd get stock flow rate of 10-11g/s with the FC open 1.25 turns and 9 bar of static (blind filter in place) pressure.

[@4rdzlla]

@@Wholelattelovepage I set it back to 10. And when pulling a shot it hits 9.5bar. Should I lower it? I was told 9bar is what it should be at when pulling a shot?

[@slappadabass1977]

Could they make it any harder to adjust it? :)~

[@Wholelattelovepage]

At least it's easier than machines which require removing the housing to get at the OPV.