The espresso machine at that diner in Tucson had a fan taped to it

I stopped at a dusty diner off I-10 last week in Tucson and their espresso machine had a little desk fan literally duct-taped to the side of it, blowing air right onto the group head. The waitress said the owner rigged it up because the machine kept overheating during the morning rush, and honestly the shots came out pretty decent. Has anyone else seen a coffee setup that was held together with pure desperation?

3 comments

3 Comments

anna49111d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that shops in really hot climates do stuff like that all the time. Sounds like a hack that actually works if the shots came out good.

foster.jordan11d ago

Not so fast with the praise. This "hack" probably does more harm than good if you think about it. Those batteries get hot under the hood all day and the cold cycle is what wears them out faster, not helps them. You take a frozen battery and put it back in a hot car, you're begging for condensation inside the camera or moisture damage on the internal parts. Most manufacturers say keep them between 50 and 80 degrees for a reason. People chase shortcuts and end up with a dead battery six months later, then blame the brand. Why risk wrecking a whole setup just to save a few bucks on a spare battery?

lily_torres3111d ago

Right on, Jordan. I had a buddy who tried this exact thing with his GoPro on a road trip through Arizona. He'd freeze it overnight, then slap it back on the dash in 110 degree heat. Worked for maybe two weeks before the battery swelled up and got stuck inside the housing. Took him forever to get it out without breaking the whole camera. So yeah, saving a few bucks on a backup battery isn't worth wrecking a setup you probably paid a couple hundred for. Always better to just buy the spare and keep it in the glove box.