Gene Cafe' heater fail

**Jim** · 10-26-2011, 06:44 AM

Anyone who owns a Gene knows the weakest link to the system is the heater, I have replaced mine several times. This last time I did a necropsy on the victim.

Back to roasting!

**PozzSka** · 10-26-2011, 07:34 AM

Intersting...I should be getting my Gene Cafe in the next day or two...I'll keep an eye out.

Where is that breakdown exactly? I can't tell, as I have no context for the photo.

**global_dev** · 10-26-2011, 08:16 AM

ohh.. i really wanted a gene cafe and was finally thinking i was ready to put down the cash. Is this really a frequent issue? I guess I usually don't seem to find issues in my research until i have owned something...

**Jim** · 10-26-2011, 08:21 AM

I really don't think this is any more of an issue than the other roasters, rather this is the most common failure in this machine-

Here is a another photo-

The heater is located inside a case and its some small effort to get to it.

Here is the heater in place,

**gearchow** · 10-26-2011, 09:30 AM

sounds like the heater element may be under spec'd?

But just to put occasionally changing a heater element into perspective, here is how I roast coffee:

10 oz, just getting to the tan stage

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a roiling first crack, keeping the beans moving and taking a picture with my phone was almost too much for me.

Click image for larger version.

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-jim

**StillShaving** · 10-26-2011, 07:07 PM

Interesting photos. Wonder how difficult it is to splice the wire around the failure... not that I have any idea.

Looks like this center wire would be most insulated and get the most radiant heat, plus be the initial point of high resistance to current flow when the heat gets cranked up, so it would get even hotter than other parts...at least that is what I might imagine.

Glad you are back in business as cool weather season approaches.

**life2short1971** · 10-31-2011, 10:09 AM

That burnt wire could be a fusible link and symptom of another problem with the coil.

**StillShaving** · 10-31-2011, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by life2short1971

That burnt wire could be a fusible link and symptom of another problem with the coil.

Good point, the wire does look different at that point in the circuit.

**StillShaving** · 10-31-2011, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by gearchow

sounds like the heater element may be under spec'd?

But just to put occasionally changing a heater element into perspective, here is how I roast coffee:

10 oz, just getting to the tan stage

a roiling first crack, keeping the beans moving and taking a picture with my phone was almost too much for me.

-jim

Looks exciting. Do you stir with a big wooden spoon or do you get enough agitation just by shaking the pot? I have considering trying this on my gas grill just for fun, but seems like you must be getting consistent results with this method?

**gearchow** · 10-31-2011, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by StillShaving

Looks exciting. Do you stir with a big wooden spoon or do you get enough agitation just by shaking the pot? I have considering trying this on my gas grill just for fun, but seems like you must be getting consistent results with this method?

I shake them and flip, try for continuous agitation, but it is lacking. More often then not, I will get some minor charring on some beans, but I don't think there is ever under cooked beans. Tom at Sweet Marias commented that the pan method does not produce optimal results that a honest to gosh roaster will and he is right. I have bought enough of his roasts to see the difference, not so sure about the taste difference though. I don't have an apples to apples comparison.

On the other hand, I can roast 10 - 16 oz of coffee all without electricity, and I get close to what a decent roaster can do. I smell, see and hear every aspect of the roast. I can coast or push a roast by adjusting the flame. I'm outside (which in Portland during the winter is not a positive and I have roasted in the snow) and I don't worry about smoke or chaff fires, I don't need to clean anything. My pot (a Wagner Ware bought at an thrift store) has never burned out, although the handle screw has fallen out a couple of times. Since I'm so used to doing it, it's incredibly relaxing.

One thing that may give me some lee way is I don't make espresso. Making espresso may highlight the deficiencies in the pan method, or at least I can imagine that.

It's well worth trying it for fun, just don't start with your expensive Gesha! :) A Indonesian coffee is good to learn pan roasting on. It's old school.

-jim