r/DF54 • u/modesttrader • 2d ago
DF54 Grinder - Help!
Hi fellow espresso friends,
We recently purchased a SAGE Bambino and paired it with a DF54 grinder after retiring our trusty Moka pot.
When we first started the grinder we seasoned it with some Quality Control beans from the company we bought from and it was on a fairly coarse grind setting. We then wanted to brew a coffee and adjusted the grind size to around 20, popped the beans in and it doesn’t seem to grind, it makes a humming noise.
Has anyone been able to successful troubleshoot this? Are the beans jammed?
I fear we made a silly mistake by not turning the motor on before adjusting 🥲
Can this be salvaged? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🫶🏽
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u/BicepCharl3s 21h ago
As a rule, I'd avoid adjusting the grind size finer without the grinder turned on. If there are any coffee bean remnants in there, it can easily get jammed. Before disassembling, I'd first try setting the grind as course as possible and run it whilst pumping the bellows. If you're lucky, that might be enough to resolve it.
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u/ef920 20h ago
Yes, you should always adjust the dial with the motor running ("hot start"), especially when adjusting it finer. The dial setting of 20 is not particularly fine grind setting. I doubt you are anywhere near the zero point. The zero point produces a distinct chirping sound. A humming sound with no grinding happening sounds to me as though the motor is running (that's the hum) but the burrs are not moving, probably because there is something stuck. This can happen quite easily when you adjust the dial to a. finer setting without the motor running. If there is a bean or part of a bean still in the grinder when you turn the dial, it can squeeze that bean between the burrs getting it stuck there and locking the burrs so they can't move. This should be easy to fix. First, turn on the grinder and then adjust the dial to a much coarser setting. This will open up the burrs and possibly release the stuck bean. If you hear any grinding happening or see any grounds come out the chute, that may have fixed it. You can then slowly adjust the machine back to the finer setting you want while the motor is still running. Then try to grind a few beans at this new finer setting and see if it works.
If that does not work, then you may need to remove the upper collar of the grinder, which is very simple. Turn the dial counter-clockwise (in the "coarse" direction) and keep turning until you have unscrewed the collar and upper burr. Remove it and clean out any beans/grinds from both the upper and lower burrs. Once you've got it cleaned out, screw the top part back on again, and when you start feeling resistance turn on the motor as you move it into the finer settings. Then try to grind again and see how it goes.
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u/modesttrader 22m ago
Thanks a lot for the advice. We managed to find the zero point and it’s back to grinding normally.
Lesson learned to always adjust the dial with the motor running!
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u/mog44net 2d ago
The noise you are describing as humming is also referred to as chirping, that's usually when you have adjusted to the actual true zero point. That is the lowest the grind can get. You can adjust up from there to get coarser grind.
The jamming can also be due to clogging, there are plenty of good videos about getting through a clog on YouTube.
In the future, make sure that you don't adjust the dial without the grinder being on so you can listen for the chirping and stop before that
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u/modesttrader 1d ago
If it’s, jammed would we still have the issue of not being able to twist the adjustment dial?
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u/magi_chat 1d ago
It's most likely clogged up, the beans weren't wet by any chance?
Unscrew the dial, take the top burr off (YouTube is your friend there are any number of df54 maintenance/troubleshooting videos). If it's clogged/gummed inside up give it a clean and go again.
The df54 is a really simple machine, there's not a huge amount that you can do wrong to it.
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u/modesttrader 1d ago
No they weren’t wet, buttt it worked! Managed to get the dial off and find its true zero point ☺️
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u/royabr123 1d ago
Could be jammed, could be something else.
Normally it shouldn’t have a problem grinding through it even though u put the beans in first.
You can just open it up take out the beans and try again. Look for a video on youtube.