Hot water for Americano's or tea from your HX espresso machine

[Tex]

I've been telling folks for years that it's doesn't make sense to draw hot water from the pressurized boiler of a HX machine to make up Americano's and brew tea: That the  250 degree degree temps are too high to be added to drinks - that it'll just cook a shot of espresso or tea.

Guess what? That's BS - about what you'd expect from me, right? ;-) Having spare time to check things out I did a styrofoam cup test on the hot water wand output. The 250 degree water in the boiler cools to ~210 degrees as soon as it hits the sea-level atmosphere in my kitchen. By drawing the water into a pitcher the temp was exactly 200 degrees, perfect for Americano's & tea.

So, to all of you who believed me, I apologize. If you're curious, do the test yourself. Seems to me there was something in Jr High School science class about water at 1 atmosphere of pressure never exceeding 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Too bad I didn't listen then! ;*)

Tex (never too old to learn, just too old to remember what I've already learned)

[Nucer]

Don't feel too bad TEX. This the same mistake the operator at 3 Mile Island made.  Unless water is under greater than atmospheric pressure it temperature will not exceed 212F or 100C.  It is something all of us nukes (yes that is where my name came from) have been told over and over.

(glad to see that I am not the only one that had to be told that from Pittsburgh, Pa)

[milowebailey]

Don't feel too bad TEX. This the same mistake the operator at 3 Mile Island made. 

Tex, didn't you used to work at 3 mile island??  hmmmmm. :icon_scratch: :icon_scratch:

[Nucer]

Nah if TEX worked at the Island I would see the glow from Benbrook, Texas.

(hang in there Tex we Texans hang together from Benbrook, Texas)

[mp]

So, to all of you who believed me, I apologize. If you're curious, do the test yourself. Seems to me there was something in Jr High School science class about water at 1 atmosphere of pressure never exceeding 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Too bad I didn't listen then! ;*)

Don't apologize Robert ... for every mistaken fact you tell everyone you tell them at least 4 or 5 true fact.

 

[staylor]

I think it's a good practice to get in to for some espresso machines. Drawing off a fair bit of your hot water boiler will help reduce some of the mineralization, etc, etc, add some sciency-stuff in here ________ and here _________ and another etc.

[bobvilax2000]

I think it's a good practice to get in to for some espresso machines. Drawing off a fair bit of your hot water boiler will help reduce some of the mineralization, etc, etc, add some sciency-stuff in here ________ and here _________ and another etc.

A fair bit indeed. I've found that scummy water tends to settle at the bottom of the steam boiler of my Brewt leaving the wand to draw clear water from the top. The only way I can dillute that stuff is to empty as much water as I can, refill it, then empty it again. This disperses the nasties.

- -Barrett

[Tex]

I think it's a good practice to get in to for some espresso machines. Drawing off a fair bit of your hot water boiler will help reduce some of the mineralization, etc, etc, add some sciency-stuff in here ________ and here _________ and another etc.

Although I wouldn't cite it as a reason to buy an ES-1A, it does have a small boiler for a commercial HX - so the stale water is flushed out a lot faster. The boiler water in the NS Mac Digit I had could get to be a bit skunky if you didn't flush it once in a while.