How to disassemble the horn of DeLonghi coffee machine

Coffee machines self-repair, tips, hints

If the coffee machine breaks down in some cases, by and large you can figure it out yourself, you do not even need to be a master in related fields, not to mention a specialist in coffee machines. Although, everything is relative and with some faults of coffee equipment without training can not cope. We will try to outline what to look for when the coffee machine breaks, possible malfunction or just inattention during operation, and it happens, and what. often. We will consider failures so far in general, which are typical for all coffee machines, in the future, if there is time and desire, we will try to develop this topic more specifically on the types of mechanisms, devices and models, but for now the most basic. What to do, how to fight and add links where you can quickly find what you need to repair. We hope this will be helpful to someone.

• The coffee machine does not turn on

• damaged cord, defective outlet. Check the outlet with a tester or plug in another working appliance.
• There was a power surge in the electrical system.Power grid burned out and protection elements in the electronics unit.
• Switch or micro-switches that cut the power supply to the control board are broken.
• The primary winding of the low-voltage transformer of the electronics is burned out. Replace transformer.
• One or more parts in the electronics: heatsinks, Zener diodes, diode bridges, resistors up to the CPU/controller. Without knowledge you can only exacerbate the failure. Contact a professional for repair.
• The thermal protection device on the boiler has triggered and is disconnecting the entire coffee machine. Check all the safety elements on the boiler / heating element
• Coffee is leaking from one spout of the dispenser/holder

• Low pressure / slow coffee delivery. Check the pump, do a complete maintenance of the coffee machine
• The coffee machine is not level. Straighten horizontally
• Dispenser is clogged with coffee deposits. Remove and flush dispenser with water. If dispenser is not demountable. Replace with a new one.
• There is a suspicious crackling/squeaking noise in the brewing unit when the coffee machine is in operation

• The brewing unit if removable should be regularly removed and cleaned of ground coffee and other buildup.
• It is desirable, but not obligatory to lubricate exactly the rubbing parts with a thin layer of silicone grease. As for lubrication, this is one of the cases where you can spoil your porridge with oil. If there is an area where there is too much grease, it will stick to it ground coffee and it will be something close to an abrasive material, which hinders the movement of the mechanism. For this reason, it’s better when the gears are simply unlubricated than improperly lubricated.
• Based on the point above. Inspect the brewing device, its inner guides, if there is old grease mixed with coffee, remove this fouling in any convenient way: disassemble and clean with napkins, without disassembling with a cotton swab and other convenient means at hand. It is useless to wash with water as the grease is silicone, thick and does not fear hot or cold water.
• Another source of crackling, if it’s in the brewer, is the loss of elasticity, or the shape of the piston o-ring seals. The ring just need to be replaced with a similar ring designed for coffee machines
• Coffee grinder doesn’t grind much coffee / not a strong drink

• Clean the coffee grinder of old coffee buildup
• Replace the dull millstones with new ones, sharpening them is a thankless task and a waste of time. You will eventually change them anyway.
• Replace the auger with a more efficient one, which increases the rate at which the coffee passes through the grinders. Increase by an average of 20%
• Replace the millstones with a more productive one and set it correctly so that at the maximum setting it would not overflow from the chamber of the grounds in the waste tray
• Waste coffee is not a pill, it falls apart to mush

• Insufficient amount of coffee, depending on the coffee strength this parameter is 7-10 grams of dry coffee per cup. If the amount is insufficient, there is no way to compress such a small volume in the brew chamber.
• Grinding too coarse. With a coarse grinder it’s not just the waste that falls apart, but the coffee strength won’t be. Consumption can be high but the efficiency is minimal. Set grinding to approximately the size of semolina, this is a zero reference point and from this point you can adjust within small limits of a little more fine or coarse, it will not only change the coffee intensity, but also disclose the taste differently. And as a bonus, the waste briquette will fall out in a nice flat washer.
• The coffee machine requires descaling / decalcification

• Water hardness can be set in the service menu of the coffee machine. The descaling procedure is described in the instructions for each machine.
• If decalcification is indicated, it is advisable to carry out this procedure. The descaling process usually takes around 50 minutes and is done automatically with the descaler.
• The message to decalcify can be ignored if the machine does not block the supply of coffee and does not give audible signals. You should then be sure that you are using clean drinking water which is free from minerals, salts and calcium. Otherwise limescale and other deposits may completely block the water tank, in which case it will be necessary to replace it, and also the operation of the electromagnetic valves may be adversely affected.
• Coffee machines, which are connected to the water supply, decalcify by removing and disassembling the boiler, usually professional and super-automatic coffee machines for cafes and restaurants. There are office coffee machines with water connection, usually without any signal to decalcify. Descaling of such machines is performed according to the instructions of the particular model.
• The coffee machine requires cleaning of coffee deposits / Clean

• In coffee machines with a built-in cleaning system for the coffee path, when the CLEAN indicator appears, you must start the cleaning program using special cleaning agents to remove coffee fats and deposits.
• Coffee machines which do not have an internal cleaning system, but have a removable coffee spout, should be regularly removed, disassembled and rinsed from coffee deposits. In regular operation once or twice a month.
• Do not ignore the signal! Otherwise it will lead to clogging of the dispenser, and to disassemble the coffee machine for cleaning, and possibly to replace the dispenser.

Automatic coffee machines. The basics of diagnosis and repair. Part 1

Good afternoon all, I mentioned not long ago that I was a master of coffee machines and I got a barrage of questions. I decided to break down some of the problems, so that if you are not even a master. Were able to determine the fault and fix it. If the post goes well, I will do more.

So, my dear coffee addicts, to begin with let’s understand what kind of coffee machine (CM) we have. There are several types, but we’re interested in the homemade non-professional CM, which can be broken down into four subspecies. Carob, automatic, drip, and capsule. Drip coffee makers. This is a simple and cheap design that will allow you to make an Americano. Can not be repaired normally. It’s better to throw it out and buy a new one. If you have a broken capsule. They are not repairable and can only be thrown in the trash. If someone says they are repairable. it’s skewed) So that leaves the other two subspecies. With a carob, you put the ground coffee in the carob and you run the coffee through the carob. The automatic ones. You put the beans in, the magic happens and you get the finished coffee. The advantage of carob type coffee machines (coffee makers, to be exact). simple and cheap. A carob coffee maker will last you the rest of your life if cared for properly. Basically. Carob coffee makers can be repaired, but there’s not much point in it. It is easier to buy a new one. But if you really want. If you’re looking for a coffee maker, you’re welcome, there are basically only two elements that can break down: the boiler and the pump. The pump costs a thousand dollars and can be replaced in an hour. The boiler costs four times as much and can be replaced in a couple of hours. There are semi-automatic coffee carob makers paired with a grinder (like Bork). there are also electromagnetic valves. Also all can be repaired, but I do not recommend Bork, too overpriced.

So, let’s deal with the automatic coffee machine. The first malfunction we’ll look at is. the coffee isn’t coming. What it means? We pressed the button to make coffee, something clicked (or didn’t click), buzzed (or didn’t buzz), but no coffee poured into our mug. First a little bit of theory. Here is a schematic diagram of how a CM works

This is a simple espresso machine. There are coffee machines with two pumps, with two boilers and so on.

So there’s something wrong somewhere. Let’s look at it one by one.

Checking the pumpFirst, turn on the hot water. If the water is running, it means that the pump is fine. If it doesn’t come, but you hear the pump rattling and there is water in the tank, let’s have a look. Pour the water out of the drip tray, wipe it dry. Turn on the hot water again. The water isn’t even pouring into the tray, but the pump is rattling? There may be an air lock in the system. How to fix the problem: disassemble the machine (almost all disassemblies are on youtube). We make sure that the pump runs on 220 volts AC (90% of all pumps), it may come in handy. We take a medical pump, let’s take some water, disconnect the bottom pipe of the pump from the flowmeter, we put the pump into the pipe and squeeze with all our heart and turn on the hot water. The water is leaking? Great, problem solved.

The second variant. we turned on the hot water, the pump does not rattle. Or you hear this faint, labored whirring noise inside the machine. What to do this time? Disassemble the machine, test the pump. How to do this? Remove the pump. Make sure it runs on 220 volts AC. Lower tube of the pump into the water. Squeeze the top nozzle with your finger. Connect the two leads of the pump to 220 volts. Wear dielectric gloves when doing this or it will fuck you up. If the pump is good, the top spigot will, ahem, squirt so that you can’t hold it with your finger, after all, it’s 15 bar. If you have held it, and from the top spigot water is pouring out as unconvincingly. The pump should be replaced. If all is normal, then the fuse is blown, usually a thing on the pump itself, burns from overheating the pump usually. If you pour hot water into the tank, it will also burn, that’s how it works. So, everything works, and the fuse is not punctured, and you initially heard a persistent buzzing. It means that the solenoid valve is out of order. The problem with EM valves we will consider further. And that’s all for today, I’ve written a sheet of paper.)

Replacement of the o-rings on the coffee machine Delonghi

Puddle of water under the coffee machine, water leaking from under the horn, the amount of coffee in a cup is much less than normal. such failures can occur during the operation of any coffee machine. One common cause is the failure of the o-rings.

Consider how the replacement of the o-rings on the coffee machine, taking a specific model Delonghi Magnifica. The model shown here was leaking, so we decided to replace the o-rings in the brewing unit of the coffee machine. What we need to prepare for this:

• Two original o-rings (Art. 5332149100).
• Food grade lubricant (Art. 911911).
• Spatula for dismantling the coffee machine (Art. 202010126).
• A small piece of clean cloth.

Let’s start by removing the caster piston, pre-washing the outside of the caster assembly itself:

• At the bottom of the assembly, find the latch (staple) and carefully pry it off with a spatula (Art. 202010126) on one side and remove it on the other side.
• Take out the lower part of the brewing unit.
• Then remove the piston, by squeezing the lower part of it up.
• Remove old worn out O-rings by washing the piston from the grounds. Wipe it dry with a clean cloth.

Take both O-rings (Art. 5332149100) and lubricate with food grade silicone grease (Art. 911911). to avoid rapid wear and distortion of the seals. Lubricate only the seals! Now gently slide them onto the piston.

Assemble the infill assembly by taking the base of the infill block and inserting the piston so that the “notch” of the piston corresponds to the “notch” on the outside of the infill block base. Insert all the way in, so that the piston and base surfaces are flush. Next insert the lower part of the brewing unit and gently slide the bracket “teeth” down until you hear a distinctive click on one side and on the other.

The o-rings on the DeLonghi coffee machine have thus been replaced, and now the brewing unit with the new set of o-rings moves much more easily.

Simple problems and solutions

Each coffee machine comes with instructions for use. It describes typical problems of a given model and gives ready-made recipes to solve them. Often these are instructions of the type “the coffee machine does not turn on. check the wire”. Yes, the integrity of the power cable, no abrasions, fractures, mechanical damage. it is necessary to check.

However, the general principle of repair boils down to moving from simple to complex. Something does not turn on. check the functionality of the button, cleanliness and reliability of the contact. The parameters of work do not match the expected. the regulators and sensors are closely examined, cleaned, lubricated, if necessary, replaced. To fix common coffee maker malfunctions, you need to act on the principle of carefully inspecting parts for damage, complete maintenance of all filters, tubes, contact groups and sensors.

Cleaning the coffee maker horn with special products

Store descalers are very good at cleaning the internal circuits of the machine. For such means will have to spend 1000-1200. They come in the form of tablets, concentrates or liquids. Many well-known appliance manufacturers have a line of care products. You can use these to clean the coffee maker’s cone, filter and sieve with little effort.

The procedure in this case is as follows:

• Place the cleaning agent in the main tank and pour water into it. Check the amount of liquid with the instructions.
• Continue by turning the machine back on in the normal brewing mode, without the need to add ground coffee beans.
• Two to three cups of liquid should be ejected, so the machine needs to be switched on for just a couple of minutes.
• Then you have to completely fill the entire container with a mixture of water and cleaning fluid, go through the whole cycle again.
• After emptying the tank, the owner of the coffee machine need only run clean water through the system.
• The final stage of the cleaning cycle will require a few cups of coffee. The drink must not be consumed, this batch will have to be drained.

Using improvised means for cleaning the appliance

To reduce the frequency of cleaning procedures, you should use filtered water or special filters in your coffee machine. Carob type of coffee machines can be cleaned not only with specialized compounds. You can use home remedies that have the same effect, but are not directly designed for this work.

In fact, the main ingredient in store cleaners is citric acid. Therefore, you can apply for decalcification improvised means, which can be found in any kitchen in every home. To clean the strainer, horn, filter of the coffee maker will help the following components:

Start with citric or acetic acid, but the main thing is not to overdo it. If the limescale does not come off, you can apply a chemical compound for a couple of minutes. The properties of Coca-Cola have been known for a long time, so this drink will do the trick. It is important after all manipulations to rinse the system well and run a cycle for brewing coffee.

Repair valve for De’Longhi coffee machines

I have a De’Longhi ECP 33.21, I did a review. Has been running every day for a year. And then. suddenly the water stops flowing. Thought at first it was the water tank valve. But no, the water comes from the tank, but it doesn’t go to the boiler. Subtle engineering! Exactly one year and the warranty period. Googled the symptoms. everything points to a broken valve from the water pump. There are not many typical breakdowns, the machine is relatively reliable. Found out how much it costs to repair it in the service, so I decided to order the valve and change it myself. I studied engineering for five years for nothing.

Finding these valves on the internet is not a problem. Even on Ali there is with delivery from Bought, delivered by mail this part has a part number (7313286129 or 7313260161), it is easier to find it.

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104108

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104107

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104106

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104109

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104110

Bifinett CPA450 RP32521 BIFINETT 132104111

The valve looks like this: The same as the one in the coffee machine, even the same plastic. It is installed on the water pump, from it comes out the water hose to the boiler and the second. the discharge in a tank with water. I want to note, the rubber ring one of the seals of the hose is not included, it must be put from a broken valve.

The machine to disassemble, as it turned out quite simple and logical. You will need a torx bit. And to be convenient to change the valve, it is better to remove the boiler, that is, pull all the guts out. The process of removing the pressure valve: Installing the new: when I put the valve the second time, I managed in 5 minutes.

Faulty valve interior: The fault was this red rubber gasket, it came apart in two pieces. And the cylindrical part is pulled into the bowels of the valve. But damn, it is possible to strengthen this rubber, but it is not in interests of the manufacturer, and then the service technicians will be bored I tried to glue this rubber mushroom, but such repair was enough for one cup of coffee. As it turned out, the right solution is to buy a new valve.

After replacing the valve, the first turn on the coffee maker:

Oh yes! Everything works. And let me tell you, the coffee machine has been running for two months now, the report is a year old. So, if you have a breakdown with similar symptoms. it is quite possible to fix everything yourself.

How to disassemble

Part of the answer to the question of how to disassemble the coffee machine looks like this: be sure to stock up on a screwdriver with a long thin slot, various bits, if available. tips for unscrewing hexagons, also useful thin pliers. In general, the process is as follows:

• The back wall is free of the fixing screws. They can be very different. for a cross, hex key, star, recessed, with a semicircle or flat head.
• If you can not free the back panel, it is worth examining the design for locking latches. They bend out with a long slotted screwdriver.
• After releasing the wall can be disassembled further, the process depends on the specific model of the product.

Some coffee machines allow you to access most of the components even after you have removed the back panel. The others will need to be disassembled more thoroughly. For example, for Saeko machines, the complete process looks like this

• First open the front panel, and pull out the grounds container and the coffee spout.
• Dismantle the mug stand, it slides forward along with the tray.
• The water tank is removed from the back, and once removed you can access the cereal compartment lid.
• To dismantle the coffee storage compartment, you need to unscrew all the fixing screws and gently pull it out.
• Under the grounds container you need to remove another retaining screw.
• Disassembly continues from the front panel, you will find a couple of other fasteners there, which are accessible from the bottom.
• Behind the coffee bean compartment, there’s a final, deeply recessed fixing screw.
• When removing the top panel of the coffee machine, you need to disconnect the water supply hose.
• The disassembly is completed by removing the front door.

After such disassembly you can get to all components of the device. This will allow you to inspect, clean and lubricate the mechanism of the mill, and check for voltage at key points in the electrical circuit of your Saeco coffee machine.

Typical problems and troubleshooting

It makes no sense to be tied to specific models of coffee machines. Each brand and model has its own characteristics, and repair of a particular coffee machine may have unique steps. For example, Gaggia Syncrony Logic machines use strictly roasted coffee beans to work, and a number of problems are due to their insufficient quality. Repair Delonghi most often occurs due to the use of unfiltered water, the lack of procedures for periodic decalcification. Krups sometimes gets permanently stuck in the capsules in the feeder. So it is worth considering typical malfunctions that are common to all coffee machines.

The machine does not turn on

The first thing to do is to check the condition of the power cord, look for fraying, presence of sharp bends, kinks. If damage is found or suspected, it is worth replacing the power cord.

Water leaks in the horn area

The O-ring is no longer hermetically sealing due to calcination. It is worth unscrewing the horn, wash the rubber part with special agents to remove calcium plaque. If the ring has lost its elasticity or is cracking, it must be replaced.

Appliance won’t start

Display errors, unclear initial start-up behaviour can be caused by clogged contacts. If the machine is equipped with a button panel, it is worth trying to carefully remove the decorative panel with a thin screwdriver and check the condition, clean with alcohol, brush if the plates are open to access.

In cases where the machine is controlled by the touch panel, it is worth to contact the service center, the problem may be in the control unit, and in the multi-layer contact group itself.

The reason why the machine does not start and displays an error may be contamination of one of the sensors. If the particular model of the machine allows complete disassembly and access for cleaning. it is worth doing this, also does not prevent decalcification with special agents.

Coffee does not brew properly

A whole group of causes (decreased water flow, unintelligible sounds, hissing, dosage failure) is associated with the accumulation of impurities and calcification. The first step is to run water through the cappuccino maker. This removes any air s. If it does not help, you should decalcify, followed by cleaning the sieves with a stiff brush, the tubes with a needle, removing all clogs, coffee residues and grease. But the cause can also be a failure of the pump. then you need a specialist to intervene, it is worth contacting the service to replace.

No coffee grind

Take the machine apart, use a vacuum cleaner and a brush to remove any blockages from the grinder, then reassemble and put the machine on maximum grind. For control and final removal of residual impurities, it is worth brewing a few cups, and then set the machine to normal mode. If it did not help, it is best to contact experts, it may be due to mechanical damage to the structural elements of the mill.

There are problems, for the elimination of which you will need to replace individual parts. If you have the necessary technical skills, you can do it at home. for most modern coffee machines spare parts can be found in stores, on the market, in service centers. But if water has appeared under the machine, and the skills for disassembly, replacement of tubes and checking leaks are simply not available. it is worth immediately disconnecting the device from the mains and call a specialist.

Signs of a clogged coffee maker

If you use water containing hardness salts, limescale will inevitably form in your coffee maker. Both simple drip and capsule or carob coffee makers are prone to clogging.

The more bends and the smaller the diameter of the water passage tubes in the coffee maker, the more likely it is that limescale will form. Limescale particles clog the water passages.

Not all coffee makers are equipped with a built-in indicator (counter of the number of cups of coffee brewed), so you need to be able to recognize the signs of limescale inside the machine:

• it takes longer to prepare one portion of the drink than before;
• When the pipe and outlet are clogged, the stream of ready coffee becomes thin, making it take longer to fill a cup;
• The taste of the beverage deteriorates;
• There is a strange odor;
• The appliance in operation begins to make an unusual noise;
• a light gray sludge can be seen in the cup;
• increased electricity consumption during the operation of the coffee machine.

According to experts-repairers, the most subject to overgrowth of the heater and clogged tubes are capsule and horn-type coffee makers of boiler type. Machines with a thermoblock do not stagnate water, and the process of scale formation is slower.

If there is lime scale, it should be removed, and descaling can be done at home as well.

In very bad cases, the coffee machine will have to be disassembled

Professional and popular remedies for cleaning coffee machines

Coffee machine manufacturers have long ago created a separate source of income for themselves: they produce and sell agents for cleaning devices from scale. The latest generation models have an auto-clean function and always use the original cleaning agent. After making 200-300 cups of coffee the smart machine signals that it’s time to clean. Professional products come in the form of tablets, powders and liquids.

Every coffee machine manufacturer claims that you can only use brand-name products. This is nothing more than a marketing ploy. If you read the composition on the label, it is clear that the main ingredient is citric acid. Is it worth spending a lot of money (from 1000 to 1200 ) to buy a brand-name descaler, when a sachet of citric acid is times cheaper and can be purchased at any grocery store?

Using a food-grade citric acid to descale a coffee machine has a number of advantages:

• citric acid does not cause environmental pollution, does not emit toxins;
• the process of dissolving lime formations is soft, without allocation of dangerous chemicals, harmful to health;
• a small amount of acid in the form of a crystalline powder (30 g per 1 l of water) is needed to dissolve even long-standing formations.

Living room: 17kw.m functions. Or what can be squeezed out of the hall of a typical khrushchevka. Part 1

Good day to you! It’s been a long time since I wrote a post about my repairs. It dragged on slowly, it required a lot of money, but many people wrote to me, they say. when you finish the sequel, and? Well, here I am writing 🙂

I want to warn you right away. there will be two posts because there are so many photos and text piled up. And in fact, probably. there will be a third post when, or if, I finish all the decor and beauty. Actually, I wanted to write this post at the full completion of the process, but times are so restless, when it is not clear when in general there will be this bright moment. So I write to 95% readiness.

So, meet. grandma’s old living room. Room 5.6m x 3.1м

Uncomfortable room proportion. corridor, elongated. Has a door to the balcony, on the plus side. corner, so a lot of light. But on the whole. Uncomfortable to design solutions room. split into two you can’t. too little space, place the furniture. also difficult, the door to the balcony requires a through passage. Before the repair, the interior was typical Soviet. on the wall (not visible in the photo) the carpet, a huge, heavy and dark Czech wall, crystal chandelier. Just the way we like it.

This was the last room in the renovation. As follows from the posts in my profile, had previously been done all the other rooms and the balcony. Repair in the room was chosen as the most budget-friendly option without relocating during the repair.

As usual, I’ll start with the TOR, so that the outcome is not HZ. I wanted to get the following:

1) Large. BIG. Desk. I’ve always lacked a work area for work and hobbies.

2)Plenty of storage space for tools and materials, electronics and plastics.

3) a place for 3D printers, of which I have 3.

4)Resting place. sleeping place for guests, sitting, watching movies.

1)Simple room geometry by floor. robot vacuum cleaner should not have inaccessible areas.

2)Concealed communications. Pipes, batteries. not beautiful.

3) The communication must be maintainable. nothing walled up, everything should be able to.

These are the general wants. The first sketches of the layout showed that what is proudly called a “big room” is actually not such a big room. I took my time, and over a few trials and a few weeks of painting, implemented the design. project.

Let’s take a look at the design. Functionally, the room is divided into two zones. Living room and work area. The separation is realized almost purely by decorative methods. no partitions or screens. Only the color of the floor and the cliff of the work cabinets. Space is scarce, any partitions would turn the room into a closet. The living room area is simple. It has a large corner sofa (2.4 meters), which is both a resting place and a guest sleeping place. as the sofa folds out into a large double bed. On the wall above the couch are 2 segmental lights. Have a decorative purpose as well as a working one. you can use it for reading or as a nightlight. Opposite the sofa. TV. The wall with the TV is supposed to be “green” with the help of ampel pinewood. There are also 1-2 bags as additional seating.

The more complicated part. work area. Its base is a very large corner desk, about 2 by 3 meters, and an auxiliary desk in gray opposite. Corner table is combined with the window sill, for a more efficient use of space, and is a standard Ikeev drawer. as a support, the table top cut out and spliced in place. Drawers under the desk hold things of constant use. paper, office supplies, art things like paints or pastels. Corner table in turn is divided into 2 parts. the left part is intended for office and art work. PC work, drawing, drafting and things like that, and the right. For soldering, 3D printing processing, painting miniatures, sculpting, and anything else that can contaminate or damage the work area. This section of the table is made a separate, easily removable panel. for the purpose of replacement in case of damage. There are 8 Ikea storage modules hanging over this desk, 60 60 40, and 60 40 40. Things of rarer use are stored there. storage of hardware, tools, airbrushes, all sorts of things, and the higher the level. the more seldom used things are stored. The first hinged tier is hand-accessible without lifting from the chair. Also, a lot of outlets. 5 pieces under the table for the PC, 2 pieces on the right work area. for soldering iron, laptop (the right side also serves as a guest workstation). An outlet in the slope on the left. for charging your smartphone. There is also a desk light. Switch is also in the slope on the left.

on the opposite wall. where the gray tabletop. area to work with 3D printers. all lower cabinets under the countertop. A place to place the 3D printers, it is assumed that there will be soundproofing. There are also four power outlets. Tabletop is for printer maintenance, rebuilds, upgrades. Hanging tiers over the countertop. Storage space for products, plastic, spare parts. There is a lighted table with a switch, and a socket just above the table. Can’t say it turned out very spacious. There’s so much to do in a room. I would like a light and airy interior, but pragmatism comes first.

Have managed to get through this whole pile of text? I hope so 😉 And, let’s get started. You know what the worst enemy in the renovation of the room? Dust. It’s a damn shitty substance, it’s volatile, it penetrates the tiniest crevices and spreads everywhere and anywhere. To all who will repeat something like this, I advise to protect the premises with film and temporary doors, gluing all joints and the inside and outside. with duct tape. And try to create negative pressure in a dusty room. roughly speaking, open or close the doors and windows in the apartment so that the film bent inside the dirty room. then you can protect yourself from the 99.9% dust.

The balcony with their own hands

Oh, my goddamn woman. A little tired from all this negative background on world news. dreading opening the ribbon in the morning. In an effort to unwind a little (and, importantly, to unwind all of you at least a little!) decided to remember my balcony repair. Lights out and go.

Sure almost everyone in our apartment has a balcony, but for some reason many people do not give it much importance. Somehow do not perceive the additional space as useful and necessary. After the transformation of my balcony, I can say with confidence. For good reason! Nowadays, loggias often become a full-fledged part of the living space of an apartment. On them, modern window systems are installed, waterproofing is carried out, quality insulation, a lot of attention is paid to decoration.

After purchasing my own home in 2014 and completing repairs to the entire apartment, finishing the loggia somehow stalled at the project stage. My wife and I could not decide. whether to connect it to the adjoining kitchen or leave it as an isolated room. Our motivation was simple enough. to increase the amount of usable space in the apartment. Originally it was a standard loggia, with a bare concrete floor, walls, and ceiling. The windows had single aluminum glazing. The temperature on the balcony during the winter was only a few degrees above the outside temperature. Constant leaks after rain or melting snow at the joints of reinforced concrete slabs were an additional pain.

We planned to set up on it something like a small office, where it would be possible to work remotely and in addition equip it with an additional sleeping place to increase the functionality of the apartment as a whole. The plan was to place here a table, the necessary equipment for work and a small sofa-bed, and the quietness and working environment will provide reliable double-glazed windows and dense day-night blinds. It was unanimously decided that the loggia should be done in the spirit of the kitchen adjoining it: light-colored walls, calm colors of furniture.

So in thought and passed 5 years, because there is nothing easier than to do everything at once normally, but then. In 2019 the window frame was courageously changed. instead of budget aluminum frame was replaced by a solid multi-chamber plastic one with external energy-efficient glass and mesh (and at the same time some kind of protective metal construction in the future window sill was removed), and then the fuse of the initiative ran out again for another year.

In the spring of 2020 I suddenly realized that my time had come, because the of building materials and outsourcing have steadily risen and began to bite even harder (for a ready-made solution for our project demanded from 1800 dollars). Afraid of being bitten quite badly, I, armed with the necessary construction tools, as well as the moral support of my wife, I bravely rushed into action. Since it all started quite spontaneously, I had to learn, study and understand many points along the way. As someone who steps on this kind of rake quite often, someday I will definitely have an epiphany and take into account some points from the beginning, but.

Before getting down to work, was carried out a brainstorming session to determine with the type of insulation, choice of wall finishing material and flooring, as well as decide how the loggia will be heated, because all this will determine the algorithm of installation of all finishing material. When choosing a finishing material or consumables first of all tried to choose the best option in terms of the ratio per unit, then took 40. The option of finishing with wood was immediately recognized as too resource-intensive and time-consuming, as well as morally outdated, and was immediately ruled out. Initially, we firmly decided that we would create all the improvements with our own hands. We acted practically by instinct, luckily the World Wide Web allows us to study all the problematic moments thanks to numerous detailed step-by-step video instructions. Any, even the most well thought out and developed plan cannot make a complete picture in our mind and reflect the reality, so we were not ashamed of some solutions and thought them up as we went along.

All of the loggia upgrades were done with my own hands, except for the stretch ceiling and the window frame replacement. And it’s not that I thought I was some kind of guru of a trowel and a penman. the word was put in by the proverbial amphibian, kvarkav unsatisfactorily and squinted at the rates of masters of specialized sites.

Since the end of March 2020, my week-long marathon at construction stores began in order to do price monitoring on building materials. Not that I’m all Uncle Scrooge or someone with uncut hair in the ears. just did not want to overpay, knowing that the “corner” is cheaper. The whole process of transformation of the room took me about a month of slow work. So, we begin the story!

Before starting all the work the entire loggia was thoroughly cleaned out of the junk that had accumulated there over the years (man, well, really, the skis?!). Then all the small irregularities I removed or wiped with tile adhesive, and then all surfaces (floor, walls, ceiling) treated with a special impregnation of deep penetration with disinfectant properties, because in the future it will avoid the development of mold and fungal growth, as well as prevent possible future decay processes. Then after this tedious (but very necessary. ) session was made a complete waterproofing of all seams waterproofing mastic for pools to prevent leaks during the rain. We pre-filled the gap between the balcony panels and the ceiling with a lot of foam, to permanently exclude options with water leaking through the joints of the boards. Of the disadvantages of working with this bitumen multi-component material. long enough to dry until the complete disappearance of a specific smell. The whole process of getting rid of the smell took about 3 days. Fortunately, at that time the entrance door to the balcony was still present and therefore there were no problems. poured and forgotten.

The floorboard on the loggia, fortunately, we got not very crooked and in additional leveling is practically did not need, and a pair of problematic places was quickly wiped with tile glue. For insurance and unbearable severity of life (or whatever else is called laziness?) under the first layer of insulation we solemnly buried the old linoleum, which for a long time (with difficulty) performed the function of the flooring. And it was carefully and lovingly laid the first layer of extruded insulation Foamplex (20 mm). I laid everything as tightly as possible, then carefully inspected the resulting “work of art” and went through all the joints with assembly foam, smoothing out the remnants with a trowel. To avoid, so to speak. Then we installed the same polystyrene foam as thermal insulation, but 100mm thick, joints between the sheets were also carefully sealed, then laid the elements of Knauf flooring (20mm), and put laminate flooring on top. The advantages in choosing this type of flooring is that it is easy enough to handle, it looks good, there is always a wide range of options even for the most pretentious buyer and there is no need to call experts, because to lay laminate flooring is very simple. elektrolobzik plus straight hands and go! Using two-layer insulation made the floor not only warmer, but also allowed us to raise the level of the floor to the necessary level, so that the step which was previously formed by the doorway disappeared. This finished all the work on the floor.