Reiss, thanks again for the great info and insight. As an engineer type I always strive to understand the hydraulics. I plumbed it i
in yesterday using a 19 L water jug, Aquatec DSP5800 rotary pump making 4 bar, 3/8″ poly line & John Guest fittings. My well water has 335 TDS total hardness, and my low cost ($150) under sink RO unit produces 23 ppm TDS permeate. So i added 1.0 gram baking soda to the 19 L to raise TDS by about 50 ppm to 73 give or take. Works great. Can’t taste anything “off” in the water, and no corrosive water concern. So I’ve pulled 4 shots thus far and I’m still dialing in the grind on my HG1 to develop proper crema.
But i wanted to report how pleased I am with the tactile and audio feedback from the L1 machine. Very satisfying audible clicks as the p-stat and solenoid valve cycle. I adjusted the pressure to 1.3 bar. I am happy with the simple logic and solid function of the Gicar ALC. Love the steam and hot water. But of course the most fun of all is operating the lever, and feeling it engage the water at about 45 degrees lever angle. Thanks for bringing this to market and for your confident and knowledgable support.
Brian *******
Hydrogeologist