Water pressure for plumb in?

mininova

Hi all, does anybody know the required water pressure required for plumbing in a Wega MiniNova (vibration pump). I have read somewhere that 10 psi is all that is required but just wanted to confirm that this is actually correct before I purchase the walter filtration install kit from  Genovese.

Regards
Doug.

FreshCoffee2

Hi Doug, there are 2 types vibration pump.     a) Those with simple "push on" flexible hose fittings are not suitable for plumbing connection direct to the inlet side of the pump (no matter how restricted the water pressure feed is...), and,     b) Those with the "screw on" fittings.  If you want to plumb in directly to the pump, you need this type of pump.     OR, you can get water connection kits that actually dont connect direct to the pump at all, but act like a kind of refiller direct to the water tank of the machine i.e. as the water level in the tank drops, the kit refills the tank (kind of like a toilet cistern). In this way there is no direct connection to the pump itself. However, as I dont know nuttin about the model, suggest you actually ask Genovese as last I heard, he is the agent for that brand and will be able to confirm what's required.     Goodluck with it. FC.

mininova

Thanks for you quick response FC. My Wega Mininova actually has the screw in connector as you described above (b) and has an internal switch to use as either pour over or direct connect to water supply. Ray from Genovese was helpful but didn't actually give me the actual pressure the water-limiting valve should be adjusted for. Being a vibration pump I don

FreshCoffee2

Hi Doug, the plumbing connection will most probably not affect the quality of the coffee one bit. The object of reducing mains pressure (for any espresso machine with a plumbing connection) is so that the pump can then boost it back to the pressure it has been set to operate at for optimum coffee production. So mains or tank, the pump will do the job, albeit with a slight change in the operating pressure. If the pump is actually failing, the "boost" from having it connected to the mains will mask a faulty pump for a little while longer (but not much longer). If the pump is healthy, you probably would not notice any difference. A service tech might *if necessary* readjust the set pump pressure due to the boost mentioned. A householder would not know that it could be done, indeed a householder should not be getting inside the machine! Many people think a water connection makes for a better coffee and ask specifically for water connection machines when hunting for an upmarket model, but they are mistaken. Particular machines and models make great coffee, others make crap coffee. It is not dependant on whether the things have a mains plumbing connection or not, just whether they are well designed espresso machines that do a good job. They all "work" (i.e. pump hot water through a group), its just that some make much better coffee than others....just like some cars give greater levels of performance and satisfaction than others. For your information we always fit 350 kPa water pressure limiting valves to the mains for connection of espresso machines with mechanical impeller pumps, but I dont know whether that's ok for a model with vibration pump. Goodluck with it, and enjoy the difference that real fresh coffee will give you over what you were using before. The other big difference ofcourse, is that you now have the choice of indulging in whatever blend you like instead of being limited by one brand of pods. FC.