Had to change my original gasket and this guide was perfect. Thanks! Also if anyone out there has a Lelit Elizabeth, the 8.5mm gasket is a better fit than the 8mm if you're going to replace it.
I have now bought two Elizabeth's largely based on your reviews and I am very pleased with them. I have set both up with your recommended advanced settings and use 6 secs preinfusion for steam with a total pull time of 38 secs with 16G of coffee. This seems to work well producing about 60ml of coffee for a cappuccino with 150ml (prefrothing) of milk. The only problem I have is that the puck often sticks to the shower screen when I remove the portafilter. It's rather irritating as I have to drop it into a separate jug with a short flush. I also find that even if it stays in the cup there are usually a few " blobs" stuck on the sides of the basket. Can you suggest a solution? This happened very rarely with my older Ascaso Duo which did have a smoother shower screen which might be the reason.
Using a "puck screen" prevents the puck from sticking to the shower screen. Also has other benefits, but then you do have to deal with an extra metal mesh to clean after every shot.
@@DaveCorbey Thank you Dave. It seems fine on the machine in France both are now using the VST basket and I put a little silicone on the gasket from time to time. The UK machine was certainly better with the VST basket as well and I don't tighten the retaining screw of the brass disc more than snug so it can move slightly to make sure it's centred on the basket. If it remains a problem on that one I might spin the disc in a drill an just kiss the bottom edge with fine sandpaper to ease it a little.
Thanks for sharing Dave. Have you ever noticed water leakage from the sides of the bottomless portafilter due to gasket issues? Also, which bottomless portafilter are using, is it a Lelit brand? And how often do we need to replace the red O ring?
I have not noticed any leakage, you might get this if the portafilter "ears" are the wrong size....I think they have to be about 6mm thick, or use an ECM/Lelit one. As for mine, I'm not sure what brand it is...some no name brand from one of the factory suppliers. I have had it for a long time and use it on all my machines.
Dave, it is amazing. Thank you so much. Very informative. What about the black ring, is it coming out too? I had a difficulty starting rotation of portafilter after I inserts it, but next day suddenly it rotated much easier... like I pushed something into place. Basket was ok in both days.
The black ring is just a standard sized E61 group gasket....It will need replacing after a year or so as they go hard. To get it out you can gently lever it from the side using the lip of the spoon a bit from each side Be gentle so you don't damage it. I think it's a good idea to prise it out every 3 months and put a bit of vaseline on the sides only so it goes in easy. This means when you do come to change it after a year or so, it's not jammed in solid as a rock.
I have tried the Elizabeth with both IMS showers CI35WM and CI200IM. The latter doesn't fit very well, because the shower is super thin and therefore the screw still stands out a bit. The CI35WM has a shape that is bent and the screw fit perfectly. The dispersion of the water is far better with the CI35WM
I think I was using it with my IMS competition screen...I've had it a long time, so I think all the code numbers have changed. If you see videos with a wooden handled bottomless portafilter in, it's usually my IMS screen....I use the VST sometimes, but mostly in my black handled bottomless now.
Hi Dave, thanks for your videos and review of the Elizabeth. Did you sold the machine because this is the last video it appears? And if so, what are the reasons? I'm thinking of buying the Elizabeth as my first espresso machine. For me the only thing the Elizabeth doesn't has is a possibility to do flow control. I know it is something for more experienced users but it would be great to have such a feature on hand rather then missing it in near future. Did you ever think about adding a modification to the Elizabeth to achieve this functionality? Greetings from Germany!
I still own the Elizabeth, it's a very cleverly programmed machine and although the pump could be controlled by PWM for limited flow control, it might interfere with the programming.
@@DaveCorbey Hi Dave, Thanks for your reply. I decided on buying the Elizabeth because of the clever programming. I think it is easier to use compared to a classic E61 without all those features.
Hey Dave... sure I'll have this worked out before you get back, but when removing the group, the red oring just dropped off. Video mentions just pushing it back in... but for me it doesn't stay in place, just drops out. Worried that if I just place it on the backside of the brass head and tighten it back up it may not sit properly. Any tips here?
Hello, thank you Dave. Very informative. Mandatory to subscribe if an Elizabeth owner. I have a brand new Elizabeth and have had an issue with water leaking from the grouphead while pulling a shot. I called 1st line equipment and they felt the issue was likely a grind fineness issue. The recommended that I grind courser. I did grind courser and there was less leaking. However, my shot pulled quicker (obviously) and may result in a suboptimal shot for that reason. Have you had or heard of this issue? Seems that you should be able to have a shot pull in 25-30 seconds without water leaking. I use the correct bottomless portafilter and pull the handle slightly past 6:00 lock position. I measure 18 g doses and use a Eureka mignon specialita grinder. Any thoughts on the matter? Thank you in advance.
Check that your group gasket is clean, coffee ground might have stuck in there that disrupt the seals. If its still leaking.. Is your bottomless portafilter from Lelit? It could be the portafilter doesnt sit properly, probably the ears are slightly thinner than the original Lelit ones, so it doesn’t really fully sealed in lock posisition? Most E61s use 8.5mm thick gasket, Lelit Elizabeth use 8mm ones. Or there is some issues with the basket, maybe slightly dented? I have ground waaay to fine that it choked the machine, no liquid comes out.. yet no leaking. So I doubt grinding too fine is the issue.
You need a well fitting Allen key, as a bit on a largish diameter screwdriver, so he can get enough torque. When replacing it doesn't need to be too tight.
@@DaveCorbey sorry I didn't fully understand your answer. I'm having the same issue with the shower screen remaining attached to the dispersion plate, therefore I'm unable to clean it
Had to change my original gasket and this guide was perfect. Thanks!
Also if anyone out there has a Lelit Elizabeth, the 8.5mm gasket is a better fit than the 8mm if you're going to replace it.
Thanks, I like the Vaseline trick, I was having a lot of trouble getting the O ring to stay in place.
Glad it helped!
I have now bought two Elizabeth's largely based on your reviews and I am very pleased with them. I have set both up with your recommended advanced settings and use 6 secs preinfusion for steam with a total pull time of 38 secs with 16G of coffee. This seems to work well producing about 60ml of coffee for a cappuccino with 150ml (prefrothing) of milk.
The only problem I have is that the puck often sticks to the shower screen when I remove the portafilter. It's rather irritating as I have to drop it into a separate jug with a short flush. I also find that even if it stays in the cup there are usually a few " blobs" stuck on the sides of the basket.
Can you suggest a solution?
This happened very rarely with my older Ascaso Duo which did have a smoother shower screen which might be the reason.
Using a "puck screen" prevents the puck from sticking to the shower screen. Also has other benefits, but then you do have to deal with an extra metal mesh to clean after every shot.
@@Komputiker I understand this. Happily by increasing the dose a bit to 17.5 G the puck is a drier and no longer sticks to the screen
I also think a slight downward pressure as you release the portafilter can help...the reality is with some machines it happens more often.
@@DaveCorbey Thank you Dave. It seems fine on the machine in France both are now using the VST basket and I put a little silicone on the gasket from time to time. The UK machine was certainly better with the VST basket as well and I don't tighten the retaining screw of the brass disc more than snug so it can move slightly to make sure it's centred on the basket. If it remains a problem on that one I might spin the disc in a drill an just kiss the bottom edge with fine sandpaper to ease it a little.
Thanks for sharing Dave. Have you ever noticed water leakage from the sides of the bottomless portafilter due to gasket issues? Also, which bottomless portafilter are using, is it a Lelit brand? And how often do we need to replace the red O ring?
I have not noticed any leakage, you might get this if the portafilter "ears" are the wrong size....I think they have to be about 6mm thick, or use an ECM/Lelit one. As for mine, I'm not sure what brand it is...some no name brand from one of the factory suppliers. I have had it for a long time and use it on all my machines.
@@DaveCorbey Thanks for the info.
What is the size for your Allen key?
I don't know, I just bought a tiny set with a handle for £5. it has around 20 or 30 bits of different types. Something like this tinyurl.com/22lgec43
Dave, it is amazing. Thank you so much. Very informative. What about the black ring, is it coming out too?
I had a difficulty starting rotation of portafilter after I inserts it, but next day suddenly it rotated much easier... like I pushed something into place. Basket was ok in both days.
The black ring is just a standard sized E61 group gasket....It will need replacing after a year or so as they go hard. To get it out you can gently lever it from the side using the lip of the spoon a bit from each side Be gentle so you don't damage it. I think it's a good idea to prise it out every 3 months and put a bit of vaseline on the sides only so it goes in easy. This means when you do come to change it after a year or so, it's not jammed in solid as a rock.
@@DaveCorbey Thank you !
I have tried the Elizabeth with both IMS showers CI35WM and CI200IM. The latter doesn't fit very well, because the shower is super thin and therefore the screw still stands out a bit. The CI35WM has a shape that is bent and the screw fit perfectly. The dispersion of the water is far better with the CI35WM
I think I was using it with my IMS competition screen...I've had it a long time, so I think all the code numbers have changed. If you see videos with a wooden handled bottomless portafilter in, it's usually my IMS screen....I use the VST sometimes, but mostly in my black handled bottomless now.
@@DaveCorbey both IMS showers I mentioned are from the competition series ;-)
Hi Dave,
thanks for your videos and review of the Elizabeth. Did you sold the machine because this is the last video it appears? And if so, what are the reasons?
I'm thinking of buying the Elizabeth as my first espresso machine. For me the only thing the Elizabeth doesn't has is a possibility to do flow control. I know it is something for more experienced users but it would be great to have such a feature on hand rather then missing it in near future. Did you ever think about adding a modification to the Elizabeth to achieve this functionality?
Greetings from Germany!
I still own the Elizabeth, it's a very cleverly programmed machine and although the pump could be controlled by PWM for limited flow control, it might interfere with the programming.
@@DaveCorbey Hi Dave,
Thanks for your reply. I decided on buying the Elizabeth because of the clever programming. I think it is easier to use compared to a classic E61 without all those features.
Hey Dave... sure I'll have this worked out before you get back, but when removing the group, the red oring just dropped off. Video mentions just pushing it back in... but for me it doesn't stay in place, just drops out.
Worried that if I just place it on the backside of the brass head and tighten it back up it may not sit properly.
Any tips here?
It can just be fiddly. The O ring can be persuaded to stay in place with a smear of vaseline...don't use silicone paste or it will swell the o ring
Which thing is the group head gasket? The little red ring or the big black one?
Big black one
Where should the dispersion plate line up with the hole in the grouphead?
It doesn't matter
Any reason not to soak the shower screen and brass dispersion disk in some puly while soaking my portafilter and basket?
No, I am sure it would be OK
Would you happen to know what kind of screw to use as a replacement. I seemed to have stripped it trying to take it off
Ouch, the screw thread or the thread in the group?
Hi Dave, it's a good idea to change the original shower screen to a IMS?
I'm too mean to buy them...so I don't really know.
Hello, thank you Dave. Very informative. Mandatory to subscribe if an Elizabeth owner. I have a brand new Elizabeth and have had an issue with water leaking from the grouphead while pulling a shot. I called 1st line equipment and they felt the issue was likely a grind fineness issue. The recommended that I grind courser. I did grind courser and there was less leaking. However, my shot pulled quicker (obviously) and may result in a suboptimal shot for that reason. Have you had or heard of this issue? Seems that you should be able to have a shot pull in 25-30 seconds without water leaking. I use the correct bottomless portafilter and pull the handle slightly past 6:00 lock position. I measure 18 g doses and use a Eureka mignon specialita grinder. Any thoughts on the matter? Thank you in advance.
Check that your group gasket is clean, coffee ground might have stuck in there that disrupt the seals. If its still leaking..
Is your bottomless portafilter from Lelit? It could be the portafilter doesnt sit properly, probably the ears are slightly thinner than the original Lelit ones, so it doesn’t really fully sealed in lock posisition? Most E61s use 8.5mm thick gasket, Lelit Elizabeth use 8mm ones. Or there is some issues with the basket, maybe slightly dented?
I have ground waaay to fine that it choked the machine, no liquid comes out.. yet no leaking. So I doubt grinding too fine is the issue.
What size of O-Ring to replace the original, red, one, AKA a boiler gasket? Size in OD and thickness, pls. Source?
I honestly don't know?
Have you tried replacing stock shower screen with IMS shower screen?
I have not, I have a friend who did, but I believe they went back to the stock screen, there were some issues with the IMS one.
What size gaskets do these take?
Same one as an E61, 58mm
Just received mine and it’s leaking water around the porta. Not even made one coffee 😢
You need to lock it in quite tightly when it's new
My husband can't remove the shower screen. So tight. I told him not to strip it.
You need a well fitting Allen key, as a bit on a largish diameter screwdriver, so he can get enough torque. When replacing it doesn't need to be too tight.
@@DaveCorbey sorry I didn't fully understand your answer. I'm having the same issue with the shower screen remaining attached to the dispersion plate, therefore I'm unable to clean it