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The first full cleaning
Barrie
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Posted on 06/28/2013 5:21 PM
The HT arrived here on April Fool's Day and has since delivered fifty-four 252 gm batches of good-looking and tasting beans. It seemed time for a full cleaning as per the manual, and so I bit the bullet today. As expected, I found all the information I needed in Randy's manual, together with the supplementary info on the website (also Randy's I think).
For any other new owner, who is wondering if it is necessary yet, I have two words: DO IT! Grin
When the machine first arrived, I thought I had looked it over carefully, but really did not know what to check. Today's cleaning has produced a fully-functioning fan after removing a bucket-load of accumulated fine debris from the blades. Had I noted what the output of the fan felt like to the hand at the start, I would have observed its waning function, and would probably have done the cleaning a month ago. There was no way it would have rotated well with all that weight of guck on it. So, that is one major observation - the main one, as the amount of chaff that had collected was not great. In fact, I may have found one place where chaff rarely goes (other than the chaff tray). I knew I would find it eventually. Roflmao

My two other observations are that those twelve screws are not exactly user-friendly and, second, that it is informative to see the innards directly as opposed to the many excellent photographs that are available. It helps my ponderings as to whether to complete the log/control mod.

This is turning out to have been a very worthwhile purchase, especially when one takes advantage of the advice that is available here.
Great stuff!
Barrie (San Diego, CA)
"So much to learn, so little time."
Hottop 2K+., Artisan, Jura Capresso ENA 3 (i.e. espresso).
 
snwcmpr
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Posted on 06/28/2013 6:12 PM
Good to hear your good news.
Yes, be careful with the screws.

Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
Randy G
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Posted on 06/28/2013 7:22 PM
There is a trick not documented- The top stainless cover is a serious pain to get back on. Those two tiny screws at the rear that hold it can easily strip the threads. The truck is two-fold:
- get someone to assist
- those 6(?) screws at the front, on the bezel, it says not to remove? Loosen them all, one at a time until each is out of its threads then turn them back in one full turn. This will allow the front bezel to move forward just enough to make it a lot easier to align the two top-cover screws.

And in regards to the fan. Even a light coat of dust is enough to interrupt the fans efficiency. It will cause turbulence at the surface of the blades and disturbs the laminar flow.

And, yes, the repair files on the USA website are all of my creation from start to finish. But kudos to Hottop for even allowing that as most manufacturers are ridiculous about allowing folks to work on things with their "permission." Many items now come with hidden magnetic internal locks or security screws to discourage entry. A sad statement since what use to be easy to repair now ends up in landfills or crushed at a recycling center. So much lost energy .

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
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ginny
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Posted on 06/28/2013 7:43 PM
The fan, the fan

I take the back cover off all the time, remove the fan and clean since it gets really dirty fast, easy to pop off the back and clean fan...

I use a tiny shop vac and/or damp cloth.

makes a huge difference.

-g

beach
 
snwcmpr
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Posted on 06/28/2013 8:43 PM
So true Randy. A lot of things on the market now are not repairable, but are designed to be replaced.
Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
Barrie
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Posted on 06/29/2013 9:43 AM

Quote

ginny wrote:

The fan, the fan

I take the back cover off all the time, remove the fan and clean since it gets really dirty fast, easy to pop off the back and clean fan...

I use a tiny shop vac and/or damp cloth.

makes a huge difference.

-g

beach


If one is getting down to the nitty-gritty, in addition to my vacuum and damp cloth, I have a cheap 1" paint brush that I use for cleaning and, in this instance and with one thumb on a fan blade to stop it rotating, I brushed the whole thing off. That only gets one side of it, so I used compressed air to get through the fan grid on the other side. Came out pretty well.
Edited by ginny on 06/29/2013 9:50 AM
Barrie (San Diego, CA)
"So much to learn, so little time."
Hottop 2K+., Artisan, Jura Capresso ENA 3 (i.e. espresso).
 
ginny
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Posted on 06/29/2013 9:51 AM
I take the fan out...

coke
 
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