Rancilio Silvia Mega-Mod part 14 Insulated wand
Index of Silvia Mega-Mod posts:
Introduction | Disassembly | PressureGauge | Brew+Steam Control | Brew Timer | Pre-Infusion
Water Level | Light | Boiler Insulation | Grouphead Shower | Drip Tray | Pump Drain
Power Timer | Insulated Steam Wand | Acknowledgments
Buy Silvia Mega-Mod eBook
Avi's Silvia Mega-Mod
My way to a better coffee...
DISCLAIMER - Important!
The provided rubber sleeve is small and is not solving the matter as much of the wand is still unprotected.
Even adding 2 more rubber sleeves (as I did) still leaves unexposed hot areas.
Improving the insulation of Silvia’s wand was inspired from the wand design of high-end coffee machines.
It involves a double tube design in which an internal Teflon tube is inserted into the external metal one.
The internal tube is held in both sides of the wand with the help of O-rings that both centers and seals the ends. Adding the internal tube to Silvia’s wand is easy to do and in this page you’ll learn how I did it step by step.
1. 190mm (for V3 wand) Transparent FEP Teflon tube ID=2.0mm OD=4.0mm
2. 4x O-rings ID-3.1mm OD-6.35mm (any ID of 3.1-4.0mm will work)
3. 1x O-ring – ID-4.0mm OD-9.0mm
Tip: Pay attention to a spring with its concaved part that meets the wand ball. It might fall out while you disassemble the wand.
Drill just ~3.2mm (1/8”) or less in depth, this drill creates a recess for one O-ring.
Tip: Rinse the wand after drilling to wash out any debris. Use water sand paper to smooth the drill edge.
Make sure the tube end flattens with the last O-ring.
My 1 hole tip internal diameter is ~9.0mm, thus I have used the OD-9.0mm O-ring to center the tube.
When done installing the 4x O-rings, reassemble the metal tip.
G. Use a sharp knife to vertical cut the tube excess that protrudes out of the O-ring.
Tip: Pay attention to the spring with its concaved part that meets the wand ball. Tighten the nut till you feel that the wand moves with your desired force.
As a result of using a smaller diameter internal tube, you got a better steamer. Pressure increases and steam supply duration got longer.
Enjoy your Cappuccino
Index of Silvia Mega-Mod posts:
Introduction | Disassembly | Pressure Gauge | Brew+Steam Control | Brew Timer | Pre-Infusion
Water Level | Light | Boiler Insulation | Grouphead Shower | Drip Tray | Pump Drain
Power Timer | Insulated Steam Wand | Acknowledgments
Buy Silvia Mega-Mod eBook
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The wand modification works great. I used ID/OD 3mm/6mm for the small rings, ID/OD 4mm/9mm for the large rings and a 6mm drill bit. I see no noticeable loss of steam power. The froth wipes off easily with a soft cloth now, and one fantastic benefit is that the deafening noise my wand/milk pot combination makes while foaming is almost entirely gone. Thumbs up!
P.S. What we may want to see is how rubber o-rings do with the heat over long time.
Thank you Ingo, I’m glad it helped you.
As for thr “O” rings, don’t worry, it will hold for several years…
Enjoy your coffee
No inquiries, just thanks for the Silvia steam wand modification instructions. Works great and saves time from the laborious task of cleaning the wand daily.
Thank you Adam, enjoy it.
As for cleaning the wand, since we are dealing with milk, I strongly recommend to wipe the wand thoroughly with a wet cloth after each frothing to avoid bacterial growth.
Enjoy your coffee