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Post by darrenw on May 21, 2023 0:56:20 GMT -5
Hello Anyone having problems with the ECGC-12SQSS melangers wheels not spinning? What an absolute nightmare! I have had the machine for 4 or 5 months now and have not successfully made a single batch of chocolate despite about 10 attempts with different amounts from 1.5kg up to 3kg batches. Trying different techniques like adding the cocoa butter and nibs and letting it grind for 24 hours before adding sugar. Same result everytime. Either one or two of the wheels stops spinning. Each time I have had to transfer the contents to my premier tilting grinder to finish the batch. I have the conical wheels and the problem seems obvious that the chocolate is getting in between the axle and wheel cavity stopping the wheel from spinning. Have never had this happen once with the premier grinders despite making several hundred batches. Yes cocoatown melanger is more powerful, but it makes now difference when the wheels stop spinning. With the price, shipping and import duty I could have bought at least 8 premiers and saved myself this headache. Anyone have any clue how to stop the chocolate seeping into the axle cavity? And as I said, i havent been doing anything like trying to grind 4kg...maximum of 3kg but mostly trying 2.5kg which is what I generally grind with the premier. Thanks
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Post by darrenw on May 21, 2023 10:07:50 GMT -5
Actually after some motivation to try again, Im not so sure it is the chocolate between the wheels and the axles. After 8 hours of a 2.5kg batch both wheels stopped rotating as expected so i took out all the chocolate and cleaned the drum, wheels and axles and attempted to start again. After starting the machine and adding a small amount of the couveture one wheel stopped rotating immediately and after 5 minutes both wheels stopped despite there only being about 300g in the drum. This machine really is the biggest pile of rubbish I have had to deal with. Sorry, its late night and I have to clean one of my other machines to transfer the chocolate into.
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Post by Ben on May 22, 2023 10:32:53 GMT -5
Hello. This is an issue that has come up several times with various machines. There have been a few suggested fixes. IIRC, there are several threads in the refining and conching forum dealing with this.
I don't think it's an issue of chocolate getting into the axle shafts (which happens to some degree with all stone grinders), but more that there's not enough pressure to keep the wheels down when the chocolate gets refined to a fine enough point. I haven't used one of those specific grinders in 9 or 10 years, but I think I had some success by increasing the pressure on the stones.
Another thing to try would be to keep the chocolate as viscous as possible for as long as possible. I'd try just adding the nibs at the beginning and then add the sugar once the nibs are liquid. Then, only add any extra cocoa butter at the very end of the refining process.
I also seem to remember someone saying something in one of the older threads about adjusting the scrapers.
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Post by darrenw on May 26, 2023 8:25:50 GMT -5
Yes, thanks for the input Ben. Does seem logical that there is not enough downward pressure. Will search the threads and see what was suggested. Cheers
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