autofilling coffee machine water tanks.

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richms

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#179163 29-Aug-2015 15:06

Both my nespresso and my dolche gusta machines have pathetic sized tanks, and the big jura is not much better.

Has anyone put a hose into the tank and come up with some form of auto filling mechanisim? Either a little float valve or just a hose and a solenoid valve on the feed to it? Was planning on tapping whatever i come up with off the output of the waterfilter I have finally got around to installing.

Richard rich.ms

Fred99

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#1376170 29-Aug-2015 17:19

Can't be too hard to set up, but take note that fixtures in your house (toilet cisterns etc) using a float valve also have an overflow in case something goes wrong. Makes me think that a gravity or small pump feed system from a 10l bottle might be a good safety measure, 10l of water spilled on the kitchen floor is inconvenient - a few thousand litres rather worse.

Rickles

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#1376401 30-Aug-2015 13:48

Here?

richms

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#1376424 30-Aug-2015 15:04

Ive seen those float valves, and unfortunatly there is no way they will go on the tanks in eiather, as they are all curved. Would work on the jura ok since it has a bigger tank and flat ends.

For now I think I will just plumb thru pipes and get a valve on it so that I can fill it without removing the tank from the machine, on the cheap nespresso compatible one thats a prick to get back on the machine since its on the back and has to be at just the right angle.

Richard rich.ms

frankv

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#1376606 30-Aug-2015 20:57

I don't like the idea of a DIY float valve connected to mains water pressure.

How about something like we used to have in a budgie cage... closed plastic tube with a little drinking trough at the bottom. When the water level in the trough got below the bottom edge of the tube, a bubble of air would get in, and allow a corresponding amount of water out.

I'm thinking of maybe a 2-10L container on a shelf above the coffee machine, neck-down, with a more or less vertical tube leading down into the coffee machine reservoir. When the water level in the reservoir falls below the level of the tube, air will go up into the bottle and water will come out, until the reservoir level is back up to the bottom of the tube.

richms

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#1376609 30-Aug-2015 21:00

It wouldnt be a DIY float valve, there are plenty of off the shelf ones on ebay and aliexpress etc made for water coolers etc.

I had a realization when looking at some aquariums online, that I dont need the float in the tank of the coffee machine, a single hose from that to another container with the float in that will have the water level stay the same between them, so I would only need one container and float, and then just make the coffee machines all at the right height so that the water level is between min and max. Probably just a cheap sistema container would do for the main water tank.

Richard rich.ms