BCG600SIL Dose Control Pro Coffee Grinder - Jamming due to Worn Impeller

Geschrieben von: Ben Gottemoller

Kommentare: 83

BCG600SIL Dose Control Pro Coffee Grinder - Jamming due to Worn Impeller

Schwierigkeitsgrad

Moderate

Schritte

Zeitaufwand

15 - 40 Minuten

Einleitung

Many users of the Breville BCG600SIL (and BCG400) Dose Control Grinder experience jamming / clogging issues. After bogging down either it just stops and flashes the button light, or makes a clacking sort of sound and little coffee comes out.

This is usually either a worn out impeller or stripped drive gear.

The main symptom of a worn impeller is the motor will bog down even at a coarse grind settings (which should be easy on it) and after a few seconds, after too much coffee gets compacted beneath the burrs, the light flashes, or it begins making a stripping / clacking sound. When the hopper is empty and no beans are in the burrs, it all sounds great. You can hear the latter in this video (with a similar grinder). The unit starts out sounding normal, but under load, up until the clacking sound. Often, incorrectly, the coffee beans get the blame.

On the other hand, a stripped drive gear will sound bad nearly ALL THE TIME, even with no coffee beans. Each revolution of the damaged gear teeth will make a bad sound. If the teeth are really wrecked, you sometimes won't even get rotation anymore and you'll just hear the motor spin up like a jet engine. Thankfully this failure mode is much less common; typically occurring in an obvious manner, such as if you got a rock or pebble jammed in the burrs during grinding.

Now, why does the BCG600 Grinder's impeller matter? It sits underneath the steel burrs and receives the ground coffee. Its purpose is to push those grounds out the chute that leads to the basket (or espresso portafilter). When the plastic blade fins wear down over time, the grinder begins to clog up because it can't properly expel the grounds anymore. This often gets mistaken for a problem with the main drive gear when a stripping sound comes from a torque limiter mechanism. You can examine your impeller if you simply remove the burrs, and look at the gap between the cylinder wall and the impeller blade tips (See the good vs bad pics in step #1 below). If that gap is more than 1 mm, then it's probably worth replacing. If you can take the impeller out without dis-assembly, then it's definitely worth replacing (A good impeller is wider than the hole and can't just come out).

Breville unfortunately doesn't sell parts, so this tutorial has been made possible only recently by 3D printer technology. I've designed an improved impeller for the BCG800XL that also fits the BCG600SIL and made it available here: Shapeways Impeller Source

This guide will walk through impeller replacement to fix the most common cause of jamming with the BCG600SIL (and likely the BCG400) Dose Control Pro Grinder from Breville.

If you have a BCG800XL (not a BCG600) go here instead.

Werkzeuge

Ersatzteile

BCG600SIL Impeller

Schritt 1

First let's verify you have the problem this tutorial is designed to fix. These images show what a bad / worn out BCG600SIL impeller looks like and then what a good impeller looks like. If your grinder has similar wear to the bad picture (and is jamming) then this tutorial will be able to help you.
Unplug your grinder. Remove the hopper and take the upper burrs out. Empty out any coffee grounds (An air gun or vacuum helps) and then inspect the impeller blades.
If the impeller can fit through the hole (ie: be removed just by taking out the lower burr) then it definitely needs replacement. A good impeller should not be removable without dis-assembly and the tips of the impeller blades should not even be visible. If yours is between bad and good, make a judgement call using the pictures as a reference.
FYI: If your impeller is made of stainless steel rather than plastic (like the picture), your model is NOT the BCG600SIL. In that case, you likely have a different model with significant design changes. Stainless steel should not wear out and so your problem is elsewhere.

Hi I got a Breville Grinder BCG600SIL too. I already checked my impeller following your steps but I’m pretty sure its doesn’t wear out. Are there any issues possibly happen to make the coffee beans stuck inside and the blade cannot grinde properly?

Thank you for your help :)

Chacha - 14/10/17

If the impeller is not worn out, and there are no gears stripped, it may just be the beans. See here: Störung an der BCG800XL Mühle wegen abgenutztem Flügelrad

Ben Gottemoller - 15/10/17

Great instructional video. If the product is as good as the video I will be a happy camper. Your video made the repair very clear with no questions unanswered. I look forward to getting the part, thanks.

rocinroc - 02/05/18

Thanks for the kind words!

Ben Gottemoller - 02/05/18

Is it possible to receive the 3D printer design file to print it locally?

Thanks, Cliff.

cliff sobchuk - 25/02/21

Hi… I have disassembled my BCG600SIL and it only had 1 washer under the burr, there was 2 on top and the nut but only one below…..should be ok to reassemble the same way?

Bruce W Mitchell - 27/02/21

Hi @steadymouse is it possible to access a copy of the print file? shipping from the US to Australia is incredibly slow and expensive because of COVID. Much appreciated

Oliver -

In my BCG400SIL dose control grinder the grind setting ring is jammed. It doesn't rotate in any direction. What's the problem? How can I fix it?

Mamunur Rahman -

Schritt 2

Once sure your impeller is worn out, you'll need a replacement part. I ended up modeling it and 3D printing it several times at the local library. I've made the final design available for printing at www.shapeways.com (See link below). Of course, you can also model your own design if you wish to spend the time.
Shapeways BCG600SIL Impeller Shop
Optional video of the ShapeWays part with a little background from when this was originally designed for the BCG800XL (The impeller is the same for both the BCG600 and BCG800 models): https://youtu.be/zB5F9ha1-zs
For a look at how well the new design holds up in a similar grinder (the BCG800) see my 2-year teardown here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/868a5ReyM2XAyj...

Hello there!

It is possible to get a copy of the design schematics so I could print it locally? I’m from Argentina and sadly the shipping costs of the manufactured product are way too expensive.

Thanks very much in advance.

Renzo Perasso - 07/05/21

Schritt 3

You'll need a 10mm socket with ratchet (or a 10mm wrench).
A #2 Phillips screwdriver with 7 inches of shaft or longer, and preferably with magnetic tip (FYI: You can rub a magnet against it to magnetize it if it's not already).
#1 Phillips screwdriver
A knife or something with a sharp edge.
Sandpaper and a file are likely optional but are occasionally necessary if the 3D printed impeller isn't a perfect fit.
FOR SAFETY THE GRINDER MUST BE UNPLUGGED DURING DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY! THERE ARE HIGH VOLTAGE CONTACTS INSIDE THAT ARE DANGEROUS AND EASY TO ACCIDENTALLY TOUCH WHEN THE UNIT IS PLUGGED IN! Please unplug your coffee grinder before continuing!

Schritt 4

Remove the hopper and the upper burr and set them aside.
Use a 10mm socket to remove the nut for the lower burr. Note the threads are backwards! Rotate CLOCKWISE to loosen. You may have to jerk your wrist to break the nut free without the motor turning.
If the motor starts turning, try snapping your wrist quickly to break the nut free.
Set the acorn nut, lock washer, flat washer, and lower burr aside preserving the order.

I purchased the impeller but my Breville coffee grinder, BCG450XL, does not have a top nut nor a handle for removing the hopper basket. Except for the burr, everything looks plastic from the top so Im not sure how to proceed. The comment box will not allow me to paste/attach a photo here, Help would be very much appreciated. I watched the video for disassembling the 450, but mine doesn’t seem to have the hopper basket with the handle to remove it.

Merritt.joanie@gmail.com - 26/10/20

Schritt 5

Turn the grind-adjustment all the way as fine as it goes. This just makes things easier later.

Schritt 6

There are three plastic blocks that must be pried out and set aside using a knife edge. Be careful and take your time prying them up and out.
Underneath you will find 3 screws.

Schritt 7

Using a #1 Phillips Screwdriver remove each of the three top screws and set them aside.

Schritt 8

Flip the unit over
Using a #2 or #3 Phillips Screwdriver, remove all four of the bottom screws and set them aside.
Carefully lift the bottom cover off, taking care not to place stress on the wires.

Schritt 9

Carefully lift the cover while pulling up on the control card.
Flip everything gently to the side so we can get at the internals of the grinder.

Schritt 10

Using the long #2 Phillips Screwdriver (7 inches or more) remove the 4 inside top screws and set aside.
Next VERY CAREFULLY turn the grinder over to be right-side-up again. You want to avoid stress on the wires.
Perhaps place the unit on a towel so there is minimal stress on the wires while we work on the top. As we continue remain aware of the wires so they do not get stressed.

Schritt 11

Carefully lift off the top and flip it to the side. It will hang from the few wires going to the control knob.
Take note that the chrome grind adjuster is set to fine and the stop-screw in the third pic is up against the plastic stop pointed to by the bottom yellow arrow.
Finally, take a photo of the gap between the lip of the "upper burr holder" and the internal "grind adjustment cylinder" illustrated in the third picture by the green arrows. At reassembly later it will be very important we get back to this gap. Having a photo will help you know you have succeeded.

Schritt 12

Back the adjustment limiter "stop-screw" out HALF WAY. Leaving it partly in insures we don't lose track of what hole it belongs in!
The stop-screw should be out just enough that you can rotate the grind adjuster freely past the stops.
Rotate the grind adjuster clockwise (second pic) until the upper burr holder cylinder backs all the way out.
Remove the upper burr holder, noting the slot orientation for later.

I can’t rotate the grind adjuster clockwise at all. I was able to rotate it anticlockwise about 200deg with some effort but, as you’d expect, this only tightened the upper burr holder cylinder. Could there be an extra step I need to allow me to turn it clockwise? My model number is BCG400.

Matt - 09/03/21

It turns out the thread was clogged with coffee grounds which. I eventually managed to free it up but it wasn’t easy.

Matt - 02/04/21

I had the same problem as Matt - was worried I would break it. Really think this should be explained in the main steps. If you can’t easily rotate it, put the top back on and use the leverage from the outer chrome dial (go anti clockwise a bit maybe 45 degrees - fine to coarse, then back and forward to work the thread loose)

Chris Morgan -

Schritt 13

Lift out the old impeller
Remove and discard the felt ring. It is usually pretty ratty and the new impeller hugs the pedestal more closely and doesn't need it.
Clean the grounds expeller chute in case it's clogged.
Make sure you still have BOTH washers on the drive shaft.

Schritt 14

Before installation, I recommend giving your new replacement impeller a quick rinse in the sink followed by a pat down with a towel until dry. This helps to prevent static charge later during first grinding.
Press the impeller onto the shaft and check that it's a good fit. If it's too tight to go on, you can file it very slightly to make it fit.
Install the lower burr on top of the impeller.
Use the 3rd pic as a reference for optimal height of the burr. If the burr is too high above the lip on the shaft (higher than in the pic), try putting the nut+washer on, tightening hard, and then taking it back off. The top of the burr should be within 0.5mm of the lip on the drive shaft as illustrated by the pic.

Schritt 15

Put the conical lower burr in place making sure it sets on the pegs of the impeller properly. Then place the washers on and tighten the 10mm nut. Remember the threads are reversed.
IMPORTANT: Tighten the nut pretty hard. The impeller, being plastic, has a small amount of springiness to it and must be squashed hard so that the height of the lower burr does not vary. If you find that the burrs are too close after you're all done, then this is the reason. Tighten until the motor begins to move, and then give it an extra wack.

Schritt 16

Rotate the grind adjuster until the stop-screw in the first pic is near the switch pointed to by the yellow arrow. This helps the upper-burr-holder threads pickup at the correct spot.
Set the upper-burr-holder in place with the slots matching the illustration in the first photo.
CRITICAL: Study the second photo. While pressing down with one hand, begin to rotate the grind adjuster in the direction shown by the arrow.
Continue rotating the adjuster until the upper-burr-holder is all the way down. The stop-screw should be about where it is in the 3rd pic at this point.

Schritt 17

With the upper-burr-holder all the way down, reverse direction on the grind-adjuster and rotate through 50% to 75% of a rotation.
Stop when the stop-screw is right above the plastic stop shown in the first picture.
The lip should be about the height shown in the first and second pic. That's critical for your grind to match up with the labeling on the chrome-adjustment wheel after this is all done.
Compare the lip height with the photo you took in Step 11. Make sure the gap looks the same.
Screw the stop-screw back in.
Optional Modification: If you desire a finer grind capability than normal, mark the original stop-screw hole, and then move the stop-screw a few holes clockwise. Then rotate the upper-burr-holder counter-clockwise till the screw hits the stop again. Make extra sure the burrs do not touch if you do this!

Schritt 18

Set the top back on, while making sure the chrome adjuster ring is still on the 'fine' setting.
Put the 3 hidden screws back in.
Try rotating the chrome adjuster ring through the entire range before proceeding. It is very important that all is correct there before moving on.
Gently turn the unit upside down, taking care not to stress the wires near the base.

Schritt 19

Reinstall each of the 4 inside screws with the long Phillips #2
Gently slide the card back into it's slot
Guide the colored wire groups into their respective slots as shown by the third photo.

Schritt 20

Carefully press the bottom cover back on and then screw it into place with the 4 screws.
Flip the unit over and check that grind adjustment still works well be rotating through the entire range.
When satisfied, reinstall the 3 plastic blocks that hide the top screws. Take note that they have an orientation as shown in the 3rd pic!

Schritt 21

Look things over one last time and then reinstall the upper burr.
Install the hopper WITHOUT COFFEE.
Plug it in and run the (empty) grinder briefly to make sure it all sounds OK. Try both coarse and fine grind settings. If it sounds wrong, investigate or comment below.
If all is well, add some coffee to the hopper. Dial in the grind and try it out!
Tip: There is a bit of a break-in period the first week where the new impeller builds up a protective coffee coating. I recommended using a medium to light roast during this period.

Schritt 22

This is the FINAL step! The steps that will follow are troubleshooting tips. Enjoy your coffee!
Congrats on using 3D printing to repair something! Godspeed! Deus tecum.
If you thought this guide was thorough, you should see our primary work. SteadyMouse LLC helps folks with Parkinson's disease use their mouse again. Come check us out anytime at https://www.steadymouse.com and perhaps help us spread awareness. Cheers!

Schritt 23

If you encounter ground coffee escaping the chute and getting on the counter, it may mean your coffee is too dry, humidity is too low (static charge), or even that the grinder chute is too clean.
To fix this, try placing a tiny dab of vegetable oil on your finger and rubbing it high up inside of the coffee chute. This will allow a fine layer of grounds to coat the walls of the chute.
The added friction of the grounds on the wall of the chute should slow the velocity of the grounds down enough that the overspray stops.
FYI: This whole step happens naturally with oily coffee beans, but takes a little longer than with the vegetable oil trick.
Also for static charge issues in general, this is a good tip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0Dh1W40...

Abschluss

The steps should have taken you all the way through re-assembly. Provided that impeller wear was your issue, everything will work again. If you have other issues see the troubleshooting steps or post below for further help.

Tinte & Feder

Ben Gottemoller

Mitglied seit: 15/05/16

2670 Reputation

70 Kommentare

I just ordered the part from Shapeways, they ship to Canada! Hopefully it's made from some food safe material. I'll try the iFixit instructions and post my observations and results when complete.

Blue Note - 21/08/17

Cool, I'll look forward to hearing back! Based on the BCG800 results informing the creation of the BCG600 guide, this should be pretty smooth for you. FYI material is "Polyamide PA 2200" (A.K.A. Nylon plastic). A similar company Sculpteo took the time to check out PA-2200 [1] with the key quote being: "[...]are in compliance with EU Plastics Directive 2002/72/EC for the use with all types of foods except high alcoholic foodstuffs[...]".

That said, there is an unavoidable porosity with 3D printed parts and consequently dry coffee coats the impeller and sticks to the surface right away. Would be a problem if in contact with dairy, meat, liquids, etc. but shouldn't matter for dry coffee.

If interested, I did a wear study on my own impeller after a year of heavy use. Seems to be much tougher than Breville's design as wear is minimal [2]. Will likely outlast the machine.

[1] https://www.sculpteo.com/static/0.30.0-4...

[2] https://imgur.com/a/cVgST

Ben Gottemoller - 22/08/17

Installation successful.

I had 2 small issues during installation.

1) The impeller wouldn't fit on the shaft (or I wasn't pushing down hard enough but it seemed the hole was a bit off). So, using a small pocket knife, I shaved a bit of material out of the hole and I got it just big enough and it went on no problem with a bit of pressure.

2) At first the grinder was really loud , a sort of high pitched whine, at the finer (0-13) setting grind setting. I think the top of the impeller was slightly touching part of the grinder but the problem seems to have mostly subsided after about a minute or two.

I ran some beans through it and we're back in business. I make my wife and I a latte every morning so we're glad this manual and 3d part were available, buying a new grinder would have cost 4-5 times as much and is incredibly wasteful.

Blue Note - 01/09/17

Great to hear it worked out for you Blue Note, and thanks for being the first to try the new guide! It could be that the printed impeller elevates the lower burr ever so slightly more. Based on the slight whine you heard, it sounds about at the limit of how close those burrs should ever get, and I suspect (0-5) is finer than you will ever need even for espresso. Probably decent enough for now, however time will tell if any further adjustments are worthwhile. If so I have a few ideas regarding Step 17 if more tuning turns out to be necessary. Enjoy your coffee and if you have any further comments after a few weeks I'll be here! Cheers!

Ben Gottemoller - 01/09/17

Thank you for a great upgrade for my grinder. It’s a good feeling to be able to fix a machine like this and keep it out of the landfill. Your instructions were excellent.

Bill M

Bill M - 30/09/17

Thanks Bill! Enjoy your espresso!

Ben Gottemoller - 01/10/17

Ben thank you so much for the impeller design and repair walk through.

Prior to this replacement my impeller was so worn that i could not grind below the 40 grind setting without it starting to clog and strain the motor. I bought the grinder for making espresso which obviously became impossible at such large grind settings. I was pretty upset as i have not even had my machine a full year yet. I just performed the replacement last night. I followed your steps to a “T” and everything went perfect. This morning I was finally able to pull the first decent shot of espresso since the first few months of owning the grinder.

Cant thank you enough for this

Nathan - 17/10/17

You’re welcome Nathan, and thanks for writing up your experience. I love hearing stories like this.

Ben Gottemoller - 18/10/17

Great guide, replaced the impeller no trouble, but I can’t get a fine enough grind as I used to. All the tolerances seemed OK so I went back in and set the stop screw back one hole. Is there an easy solution? My ideas are set the stop screw back further, or remove one of the two spacer washers, or shave a bit of depth off the impeller.

Thanks again,

Clive

Clive Taylor - 26/11/17

Hello Clive,

If you need it to go finer, moving the stop screw is a really great idea. I would move at least 4 to 7 holes at a time though to make a reasonable difference. Before doing so, mark the original location with a marker so you can always go back. FYI, to go finer will require moving the screw a few holes in the CLOCKWISE DIRECTION. If you watch the video here, you can see that moving the screw a few holes clockwise will result in the upper-burr-holder being LOWER when the screw returns home against the plastic stop. A lower upper-burr-holder is FINER since the clearance to the lower-burr is reduced. For anyone else reading, moving the screw in the opposite direction will go coarser if necessary as well.

When all said and done, make sure there is enough clearance that the burrs do not touch. If you install the upper and lower burrs early, you can use your 10mm ratchet to manually rotate the mechanism counter-clockwise (tightening) and make sure it’s smooth and the burrs are not catching on eachother.

Ben Gottemoller - 26/11/17

MUch obliged Ben and a very quick response - I’ll try that when I get home.

Thanks again.

Clive Taylor - 26/11/17

Hi Ben, got my fine grind range back - moved the stop screw back seven holes and also (having just found out about it) moved the top burr internal adjustment back two stops.

Thanks again,

Clive

Clive Taylor - 28/11/17

Nice work Clive! Glad to hear your grinder is all fixed up. Enjoy your espresso.

Ben Gottemoller - 28/11/17

Hi Ben,

My old impeller was so worn it actually fell out when the bottom 4 screws came out while still upside down. Advice for others attempting this is be very patient removing those bottom screws - especially the two on the control-card side. The screw-heads are very shallow and most Philips-head screwdrivers have quite a deep point - so it is easy to burr the screws. Keep downward pressure and slow incremental turns until it frees up.

New impeller fitted like a glove and is working nicely. Thanks for your efforts!

Steve

Steve Bruce - 09/12/17

Thanks for the tip and glad to hear it went well Steve!

Ben Gottemoller - 09/12/17

Thanks for the guide, just finished installing my new impeller in my grinder without running into any issues and it’s now working perfectly!

Garrett Denton - 29/12/17

Glad to hear it Garrett!

Ben Gottemoller - 30/12/17

Thanks for the fix and the video. I found it very easy to follow and install. However, after installation, my coffee is still jamming up inside the burr and not coming down through the chute. The course grind is ok, but finer, espresso grind is still getting clogged up. Suggestions? Thanks.

Rose John - 06/04/18

Hi Rose, I have seen that occasionally with some ultra-dark oily roasts, that tend to clog any grinder out there. See here: Störung an der BCG800XL Mühle wegen abgenutztem Flügelrad

and here:

https://youtu.be/lVzEDN5LW6M?t=42s

If that’s the case for you, try cleaning it out and running a lighter-drier roasted bean to see if the problem goes away. From there you can move darker until you find the limit, and then back off a bit.

Ben Gottemoller - 06/04/18

Thanks. We’ll give it a try.

Rose John - 09/04/18

There is a special place in heaven for you.

We may just have to settle for a Nobel prize.

Colin Chau - 14/04/18

I am totally honored.

Ben Gottemoller - 15/04/18

It’s because this is available that I am now willing to buy a brand new BCG600SIL second-hand (her mom bought it as a gift thinking it was a coffee maker) for $120 CAD I was hesitant as it is currently on sale in most stores for $180 CAD after taxes, which I would be willing to pay for since I’d have that 1 yr breville warranty plus extra 1 year purchase protection extended warranty from my credit card.

However, I need your advice - should I wait until my impeller has worn down before replacing it, or should I just replace it from the get-go to get ahead of the problem?

Thanks

From Canada

Colin Chau - 15/04/18

Hi Colin, Most folks get at least six months to a year with the stock impeller. You might as well use it up first and take advantage of the full warranty period. The 3D printed replacement will be here for you when it gives out and the warranty is up.

Ben Gottemoller - 15/04/18

After getting nearly zero grounds I discovered this page and ordered the part. I just received and installed the new impeller on my 600. Installation went smoothly and it seemed to fit properly without any sanding or filing. After reassembly I put in normal medium dark beans and started it on coarse (60). The grounds seemed to flow nicely until I turned the dial. The grounds slowed and weren't flowing consistently. The more I turn it towards fine ground it gets worse. I cannot get ANY fine grounds or much of anything even lower than French press setting(40). I switched to a lighter bean and still no improvement. The grinder has never had any problems with dark or oily beans, let alone medium. I disassembled and reassembled the unit 2 more times, tightening/loosening the bottom burr to make sure it was seated correctly and washing impeller to prevent static, to no affect. Any input would be appreciated as this purchase did not fix the problem… I use the grinder for espresso between settings 10 and 20.

Bry guy - 09/06/18

Very odd and unfortunately not a common issue either. I would clean it out (vacuum or air gun) and then try to investigate the flow of just a few beans (ie: less than 10 beans) on a coarse grind setting (you can try finer later). Follow the beans starting at the hopper, grinding between the two burrs, falling onto the spinning impeller, and finally out the chute. Make sure the chute is clear too! Finally, inspect the grounds to see if they are clumping more than expected, or overly sticky. Also make sure the impeller is actually spinning! On very rare occasion, if the acorn nut on the lower burr was/is not tight enough I have seen where the drive pegs shear off the impeller and then the lower-burr ceases to spin! That would be pretty unfortunate, but also an explanation. The trick is to find out what stage the flow is getting stopped up.

Ben Gottemoller - 13/06/18

It’s obvious that you know these machines inside and out. Breville must really want to hire you. The way you impart that knowledge is exemplary. It’s more than just clear prose and straight-forward illustrations- you gave me a sense of understanding my grinder with style and a light humor. Are there awards for the best on-line instruction? I nominate you.

P.E.McKee - 14/06/18

Aww, shucks. Thanks for the great compliment. Taking stuff apart is a passion of mine —and not having my morning coffee tends to be an additional motivator.

Ben Gottemoller - 14/06/18

Superb instructions. Replacement impeller works well.

After installing the impeller I didn’t have a fine enough grind so disassembled again and took my time checking burr clearances etc.

Rather than just move the stop screw, I installed the upper burr, then tightened the adjustment ring until the burs just touched each other. Then I backed it off until they just cleared. Installed the stop screw at that position against the stop and reassembled.

That seemed to do the trick as I now have a much finer grind available when I need it.

Many thanks for the great replacement part and excellent step-by-step instructions!

Stewart Powell - 19/06/18

Ah, that’s a good trick! Thanks for posting your method, and I’m glad it all worked out for you.

Ben Gottemoller - 20/06/18

Hi Ben,

Last night I changed the impeller to my BCG600. Thanks for this post, realy well explained. Sadly my issues were only solved by half. Maybe you can give me some advise.

The grinder was used daily for over 6 months until I grinded realy dark coffe with it, which it clogged the grinder. After cleaning it throughfully and making the mistake of running the grinder without the upper burr with grindtz on it the problems started. On any grind setting the coffee wasn´t going through the burrs, jamming them. On coarse settings it kind of worked sometimes but not consistently. I decided to buy the shapeways impeller as I thought that the grinds were not being expelled correctly. After the impeller change above grind setting 35 it works great but on 30 it starts to sound a bit loud and grinds dont come out consistently. On setting 25 it definetly jams again. Tried by changing the inner burr adjustment to 10 but the issue only moved about 10 settings finer.

I will apreciate any suggestion! Thanks!

Ignacio

Ignacio - 02/10/18

Hi Ignacio, Does it sound more like this: https://youtu.be/PcQcbHIPqx8?t=1m17s or like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tCumd7M...

(Those videos are with the bcg800xl however there are enough similarities for comparison purposes). The first video would indicate damaged gear teeth on the drive gear in the gearbox. A sound similar to the second video means the torque limiter is still slipping, because friction is still too high for some reason. Drive gears are hard to come by — there is frequently an ebay source but it is way overpriced for some reason. If the torque limiter is slipping, it can be made less likely to slip by taking it apart and stretching the springs as well as removing grease and putting a drop or two of honey between the slip plate and the gear face.

Ben Gottemoller - 03/10/18

Hi Ben,

The sound im telling you is more a skweak, as if the impeller was having friction with something. I tríed adding few beans and see where the y are clogging and it seems that the y are a le to pasas below the upper burr but the grinds stick to the lower burr making short of a cake around the burr and stopping further grinds to Go through the burrs. I tríed these without the hopper to have a better look. Seems as if the beens were too dark but they are a medium roast tending to the dark side. Could it be that the lower burr is a bit higher than it should? Thanks

Ignacio

Ignacio - 03/10/18

I would try cleaning it out and then rotating the lower burr using a ratchet and 10mm socket in the counter-clockwise direction. This should force everything to spin in the drivetrain, and allow you to feel if it is smooth. You might also try removing the upper and lower burr, and inspecting.

Ben Gottemoller - 05/10/18

Hi Ben,

I cleaned it several times already and now I tightened the lower burr but the problem remains. I made some experiments with it, tried GRINDZ cleaning material and the grinder grinds it perfectly on the finnest setting. Bought the lightest roasted beans I could find to try it out but there was no difference frome my meddium/dark roasted beans which are grinded ok at setting 30 but get clogged on setting 25 (coffee sticks to the lower burr and cloggs upward). The grinder seems to be working fine, the burr rotates fine without any noticable mecanical issue. I dont get it, why would it work fine with GRINDZ but coffee will clogg it on the finner settings? Do you think I could have dameged the burrs with so little use (or when I accdientaly runned it without the upper burrs)? Or could have damaged someting mecanicaly which isn´t so noticable? Could a static problem be doung this (Ill try soap washing the lower burr)? It definetly doesn´t seem as the videos you suggested me.

Thanks again!

Ignacio

Ignacio - 08/10/18

Hi Ignacio, I think I have it figured out, based on your comment: “and making the mistake of running the grinder without the upper burr with grindtz on it the problems started”. Without the upper burr, the GRINDZ would create very large torque on the impeller. The blades are long which gives anything that jams at the edges a lot of leverage. I bet when this happened, the torque was too great and it rounded out the keyed drive shaft hole in the impeller. I bet the squeaking sound is the drive shaft slipping inside the impeller. Perhaps there is enough friction to make the lower burr still spin, but not enough to grind efficiently when there are beans feeding in at certain grind fineness levels. As a next step, I would remove the upper and lower burr and use a vacuum to clean it out. Inspect the hole in the impeller to see if the flat edges got rounded out. Good luck!

Ben Gottemoller - 09/10/18

Hi Ben,

Would it be possible for you to share the shape file for the impeller with me. I have access to a 3D printer and would print my own. The cost at the shapeway site is reasonable by the postage to Canada (15$) is a bit too steep.

Thanks for you help with this.

Best,

Andrew

Andrew McCann - 09/10/18

I wish the postage was more reasonable — that is unfortunate. I want to keep my design private for the present, however there are a few alternative impeller models on thingiverse if you do a search. I cannot vouch for how well they work, however you can always iterate on the design until it is good.

Ben Gottemoller - 10/10/18

Hi Ben,

I managed to print my own impeller and, using your instructions, got my “broken” grinder working like new. Thanks so much for your help. Do you have a Patreon or other donation site where I can make a small contribution to thank you for saving me 150$ and saving a perfectly repairable machine from landfill?

Thanks again,

Best,

Andrew

Andrew McCann - 08/11/18

Hi Andrew,

Glad you were able to get your grinder fixed up, and I appreciate the sentiment. You can pay it forward to someone else who can use a hand and that’s good enough for me. Enjoy your coffee!

Ben Gottemoller - 09/11/18

Hi! I followed the excellent instructions and replaced things. Thanks Ben! Your video and instructions were very well done.

After assembling, I got a nice grind through maybe one or two portafilters full at around 15. Then, all of a sudden, the next portafilter the flow slows down rapidly and then stops. The burs are still grinding and when I remove the hopper, I find the upper burr is surrounded by ground coffee (not whole beans) , but nothing is coming out. I have found that if I move the grind to coarse (40 or so) then back down to 15, it clears rapidly, until the same behavior occurs again in another portafilter or so.

I have found I also have static buildup that I never had before (grinds making a mess). Perhaps the static buildup is creating something like surface tenison in the grind chamber and it’s not dropping down correctly?

Any ideas what could be going on? I did follow the washing instructions and have tried slight bits of water in the beans.

David Britton - 21/03/19

Hi David,

Thanks for posting. Any chance this is a really dark roast? These can be super oily and cause issues. I have a writeup on this over on the BCG800 page here:

Störung an der BCG800XL Mühle wegen abgenutztem Flügelrad

In that case it’s not static but momentum, since the high amount of coffee oils cause large clumping and these tend to maintain their angular momentum when exiting the chute. In that case water might even make the issue worse. Perhaps try a medium or light roast to evaluate if this idea is on track. Cheers.

Ben Gottemoller - 21/03/19

One other thought also: Check the fineness of the grind. Could it be finer than you had ever gone before? If the grind is ultra-fine, it can become like a paste and clog the grinder that way. If it’s tough to tell by feel or look of the grounds, you can probably tell this way too: Fill your portafilter, grinding by weight (eg: 18g for a double shot). Then tamp normally, and attempt to pull a standard 9-bar shot. If it fails to give more than a trickle then it is probably too fine.

Then it becomes a question of whether the lower burr is too high or the upper burr needs elevation ring adjustment.

Double check that the lower burr is not sitting too high using the images here:

BCG600SIL Dose Control Pro Coffee Grinder - Jamming due to Worn Impeller

Ben Gottemoller - 21/03/19

Ben,

Superb instructions. My impeller arrived sooner than anticipated and fit perfectly. I noticed that the grind is not as fine as before and was very careful in following your instructions. Do you think it may have something to do with not having the screws as tight as before? I was careful not to over tighten them.

Miles Mushlin - 25/03/19

Hi Miles,

It may just be tolerance stack-up that occasionally results in this. Even a <0.5mm difference in burr spacing could do it. I think the comment here will help you make the adjustment to get the grind you want:

BCG600SIL Dose Control Pro Coffee Grinder - Jamming due to Worn Impeller

Ben Gottemoller - 26/03/19

Ben,

Great article and mine is now better than new with a replacement impeller. It fit exactly as described and was simple and easy. One thing to mention regarding adjusting the grind, I tried moving the stop screw to achieve a finer grind as instructed in the video, but the burrs always ended up making contact.

I happened upon the Breville instruction manual where they tell you to remove the wire bail from the upper burr holder and gently twist the plastic housing one number at a time in either the coarse or fine direction depending on what you want. I moved mine one number to the left (finer) and the result was outstanding.

Thanks for writing such an in-depth and easy to follow repair .

Miles Mushlin - 21/04/19

Big THANK YOU to you and Shapeways. We got our impeller more quickly than we anticipated, and our Breville grinder is now better than new!

Donna Davis - 10/08/19

Thanks so much for your support …so grateful to be able to replace the impeller and give the grinder a second life. Your diagrams were exceptionally clear and helpful. All the best,

Ben Johnston - 09/11/19

Hi my grinder has been struggling for about a year and have been hitting it and every now and then it works. Before i took this machine apart the machine would not work continuously - so im wondering if the motor has now gone on it? is it worth replacing the impeller if the machine cannot spin when empty of beans?

Aaron Johnston - 12/01/20

I would investigate the cause of it not spinning first. If the drive gear is stripped, then it is not worth it — unless you can find a replacement gear ahead of time. One way to check: Unplug the grinder, empty it out, and put a 10mm socket w/ ratchet on the lower burr acorn nut. Slowly rotate counterclockwise. This will spin the shaft, gears, and internal motor. Keep going around and make sure it feels smooth through at least ten revolutions. If you have stripped gear teeth in there it should manifest at some point during the rotation.

Ben Gottemoller - 12/01/20

Its pretty incredible how well the upgrade fits. My BCG400SIL is one less machine in the landfill thank you for all your hard work on this. The instructions were very easy to follow and the grinder works better than ever.

Anyone with a grinder mentioned above should buy this part. Even if your not having clogging issues the factory part is slowly flaking plastic into your coffee! I’m very disappointed in Breville for their design decisions. I go out of my way to eliminate plastic from my familys food and I was disturbed to see the condition of the factory impeller.

Mark Sawlor - 11/02/20

I installed the impeller replacement part last night. The initial installation went really smoothly. The impeller fit perfectly into its housing unit. However, when I went to reassemble, I realized I only had one washer that sits beneath the impeller. I took the entire grinder apart slowly and carefully, so am pretty sure I only had one washer to begin with. Perhaps I have a newer unit that only has one washer? It was purchased mid-2017. Is the second washer really that critical? Why?

After putting the grinder back together and doing a trial run, I realized that even on the fine grind setting, the coffee was coming out coarse. When I ran the coffee in my espresso machine, it barely registered any pressure. So I took the machine apart and, as others suggested herein, put the stop screw back a good 10 spots. The coffee is coming out much finer and is ideal on the 3 ground setting. Any finer (i.e. 0 - 2) and the grinder quits halfway through and blinks. Could moving the stop screw fix the lack of second washer?

Matthew McDonagh - 24/04/20

Hi Matthew, It could be that some units only come with a single washer. Breville may apply some sort of shimming step at the factory for calibrating the burr spacing. Regardless, you are correct that moving the stop screw back will compensate your calibration with the new impeller. Usually the grind is slightly finer with the new impeller, however tolerance stack-up can sometimes shift the other way. In your case since 0-2 is non functional after moving the stop screw, ~8 spots instead of 10 is probably a little closer to perfect, however it’s up to you if it is worth the trouble. I think your approach is a good one.

Ben Gottemoller - 25/04/20

Thanks for the superb impeller part — it fit great and your directions were to the letter.

I have one problem, though. At step 15, when I reattach the acorn nut, the motor turns as I try to tighten it, so I don’t think it’s secure

Is there a way to keep the motor from turning?

Thanks, Charles

charles.malkiel - 05/05/20

Wow! Just wow! Fantastic product! I was so disappointed when my £160 Sage BCG600sil stopped working after only 2 years (with regular cleaning) of domestic use and was told by Sage that parts were not available for it. The impeller was worn to a circle with no teeth at all so I was surprised it had kept going that long! I started researching replacement grinders and all the reviews suggested the Sage grinder pro at £180 was the best out there for that budget. To be honest, I would have been reluctant to buy Sage again anyway under the circumstances but then I found this website. I ordered the processed impeller which worked out at about £37 inc delivery (which even in the CONVID 19 world, arrived within 10 days ) and followed Ben’s fantastic step-by-step instructions. It was a tricky job but the results are fantastic!! Not only do have to no longer part with £180, I have great coffee once again and the satisfaction of knowing my old grinder is no longer going to land fill. Great work Ben. You are a STAR!

Guy Haveron - 06/05/20

Hello from Quebec, Canada,

I just finished installing the new impeller for my Breville BCG600. I had to file the central hole of the Impeller, which was much too small. It took a good 15 minutes with my old files for it to slide without too much pressure on its axis. I didn't want to force it for fear it would crack. I admit I grumbled a little after you wondering why the hole was too small and why you didn't provide a good file on purpose for this task if it wasn't possible to make it less tight. ;-)

But hey, the mill is working fine now ! Thank you !

Now, seeing the condition of the original Impeller, I'm worried about what it might have done to brew plastic every time I ground coffee for a cup of espresso ...? Thanks Breville !

Thank you Ben for your initiative and your excellent tutorial.

Happy New Year! Viva espresso!

Michel

Michel Elie - 06/01/21

Gah, great idea, but $20 shipping to Australia kills this for me. $50 for a spare part when I get a whole new machine on special for $150.

Brendan - 15/01/21

I originally thought the same, but then when I logged in to take another look the next day they gave me free rush production and express shipping. Maybe they’d do the same for Oz. I’m in Canada

Nikolas MacLean - 11/03/21

Thank you so much! Nik from Canada here and this was an awesome resource. With the shapeways impeller that you designed and made the how to vid and instructions for I was able to swap it out without any real problems. Had a bit of a break in period where it still bogged down, but now I have fluffier better grind than before! Thanks a million.

Nikolas MacLean - 09/03/21

Hi. I ordered this replacement part for my BCG400 . It looks good and was delivered to Australia in good time but I can’t complete the install. I can’t rotate the grind adjuster clockwise at all. I was able to rotate it anticlockwise about 200deg with some effort but, as you’d expect, this only tightened the upper burr holder cylinder. Could there be something else I need to do to allow me to turn it clockwise?

Matt - 12/03/21

It turns out the thread was clogged with coffee grounds. I eventually managed to free it up but it wasn’t easy.

Matt - 02/04/21

This worked great, thank you!

In my case the entire area around the impeller and the inside the chute were completely jammed with coffee grounds. The impeller was definitely worn down, so I'm guessing that was the root cause.

Kiran Sachdev -

Hey Ben,

I ordered and installed the part from Shapeways. Instructions both here and on Youtube were great for a non-DIY guy like myself.

My grinder was relatively new/unused but sat in an office for a year so I wasn’t sure what the issue was. Anyway after replacing the impeller, I’m having the same issue now as I had pre-replacement.

Basically, the beans only grind on the coarsest setting. At the lower espresso ranges they seem to grind for just 1 second, then get stuck and clog up the grinder. Also, when I run the grinder with no beans at finest and coarsest settings, there are 2 distinct sounds. Is that normal?

Thanks!

Ian -

I was this close to buying a Niche Zero until I saw this guide, bought the part and replaced the impeller after 5 years of regular use. I've now got super fine grinding for espresso (ridiculously fine - enough to only get one drop out at 9 bar in 30s(!)) with no strain on the motor and best of all, there's no clumping, which has improved distribution. The grinder feels better than new.

Thanks a lot!

Rupen Hargreaves -

Instructions were spot on - no installation issues at all. My only concern is the longevity of the 3-D printed piece compared to the original, which has a stainless core and post that engages with the bottom of the lower burr, but I can print a bunch of these for less than the cost of a new grinder. Thanks Ben!

David

David Ley -

I got stuck on step 10. Got one screw out. One just stuck on its last threads, and the last two were on so tight the new screw driver I ordered for this job completely stripped the head.

Colin Chau -

Thank you for your guide. In my case, someone pressed the start button too hard, causing the button plate to shift, which led to a only flashing LED ring and the timer did not work well. This was rather difficult to see, and your instructions helped a lot to get to the board.

VauWeh -

Hi Ben,

Thanks for creating this part and for the great tutorial. I hope you're still on here and able to respond.

I put in the part, and everything works with grind above 30, but below 30, the grinds get trapped in the upper bur and don't fall down to where the impeller is. At 30, the grind is still much coarser than what used to be able to get at 5, so I don't think the chrome adjuster ring is not out of proper alignment. When I rotate it while running w/o beans, it sounds the same through the whole range of motion. Do you have any ideas on what the problem could be?

Thanks,

Katherine

Kat -

Ordered the upgraded impeller and was pleasantly surprised with how well made it was. Not that i doubted the craftsmanship but it fit my BCG600 perfectly. The old impeller was quite literally disintegrating and I was not optimistic about the future of my grinder. I'm excited to see more results but as of now the replacement has proved to be well worth the investment.

A piece of advice based on similar comments above: readjusting the screw in the hopper mechanism for tuning the grind was also an issue for me. If left as is and not removed as in the video above, my grinder produced inconsistently coarser grinds way out of the 'normal' range. I had to disassemble again and move the screw at least360º counterclockwise to adjust the "lip" as described in the video to sit much lower. If the lip of the grind adjust mechanism and the inner burr cavity are flush, the burrs will touch- bad. But if the inner lip is adjusted to sit .5-1mm higher, my grind sizing adjustment returned to normal. 10/10 product & instruction.

Noel Zamot -

Hi there - thank you so much for this! I've done all of this, but the grind is now so coarse. I tried again and again with the little screw placemtn, but can't get the grind fine again. Any tips ?

Christo van der Walt -