To keep your Bullet roaster in top shape, maintenance is imperative!
A common error we’ve been assisting roasters on the Aillio Bullet with is error code (ErC) 6864, which suggests that your fan might be blocked by chaffChaff is paper-like skin that comes off the coffee in the roasting process. Chaff from roasting is part of the innermost skin (the silverskin) of the coffee fruit... or debris. It means that the fan takes longer to get up to speed, potentially as a result of poor airflow. Your Bullet’s roast profiles can turn out inconsistent.
Here’s an example of a roast profileRoast Profile refers to the relationship between time and temperature in coffee roasting, with the endpoint being the "degree of roast". Roast profiling is the active manipulation of... that’s symptomatic, or experiencing these issues:
Here’s a healthy roast profile, or what to expect after performing the maintenance we suggest:
During routine maintenance, two steps that you can take to prevent this from happening is to clean the Aillio Bullet’s chaff basket and to clean the IBTS lens. A bit of elbow grease, and your Bullet could be working good as new!
To clean the chaff basket, remove the filter from its rubber seat. Aillio recommends at least knocking off the existing chaff on the basket after each roast, but if you’re cleaning after a roast, run the filter under warm water and use a dishwashing brush or sponge to remove any chaff clumped onto the screen.
For a deeper clean, or when oils accumulate inside, briefly soak the basket in a solution with espressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... backflush cleaner (such as Cafiza or Tabz), and follow with basic cleaning, as described above.
For Aillio Bullet users who roast into 2nd crackAn audible popping sound heard during roasting. In coffee, one refers to "first crack" and "second crack," which come from two different classes of chemical reactions.: An audible... on a regular basis, or after roasting 10kg (22 lbs) and more, the IBTS lens (or IR window) may gather soot and oils faster over time.
The easiest way to clean the window is to open up the front plate and check the amount of dirt on the IR window. If it’s not shiny, like a piece of glass, it needs cleaning! Using a cotton swab or a lint-free cloth, Isopropyl alcohol should suffice to clean it, but you can also use a solution with espresso backflush cleaner.
For more detailed instructions, check out Aillio’s guides on maintenance here.
We’ve also got spare Bullet parts and accessories available in store, in case you need them!
