As part of my Rancilio Silvia mid-life overhaul (noise damping, group head maintenance, PID temperature controller installation, etc.) I decided to insulate the boiler. There's some debate about doing this on the internet, and there are insulation kits available from various sources, but these are the reasons I decided to do the boiler insulation:
- Faster group head warmup (head has to travel down from the boiler to the group head, and a warmer group head permits better and more consistent brew water temperature at the portafilter)
- Energy efficiency - particularly when considering the addition of a warmup timer which turns the machine on about 45 minutes to an hour before first use in the morning
- Protection of the PVC wiring and terminal insulators from excessive heat
I had some thin, fibreglass piping insulation available in my project bin, and this turned out to be perfect for doing the boiler insulation.
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| The naked boiler prior to insulation installation. Note the group head below and forward of the boiler - heat has to move down and forward to pre-heat the group head. |
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| I used Climaloc Fibreglass Pipewrap Insulation for the Boiler |
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| Wrapping the boiler with fibreglass pipe insulation |
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| Boiler wrapped with fibreglass pipe insulation |
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| Boiler wrapped with fibreglass pipe insulation |
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Insulating the wiring from the top of the boiler
simply cut out openings for the steam outlet,
boiler heater element and temperature sensors. |
You can see that I wasn't too fussy with the insulation installation - there are some small gaps around the top of the boiler and I wanted some heat loss to heat the top cover / cup warming tray.
Conclusion
In terms of performance, I've definitely noticed that the front and top covers of the machine do not get as hot as they used to - and I was careful when installing the noise damping mat not to cover any air vents or gaps around the top cover. This preserves the ability for air to move through the machine to manage the internal temperature. The group head warms up well, and a 45 minute pre-heat time seems to work very well for optimal brew water consistency in operation.
Sources and Links
I hope you found this post useful. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section below. I answer all questions. If you're interested, you can help support this site by using the following links to Amazon.com in the United States. My go-to place for Rancilio Silvia parts in Canada is Espressotec.com.
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