Oct 30th 11 11:35 pm
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IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by kimbot » Oct 30th 11 11:35 pm

Hi all!

I was wondering if anyone else is having this problem with the 2011 IngeniTEAs... There seems to be a seal in the bottom that liquid gets caught it, and I can't get it out no matter what I try. I've tried soaking it in hot water, bleach water and running it through the dishwasher. I attached a picture... honestly, it's kind of grossing me out :/ It's not just a stain, it's actually a liquid. The bubble in it will move as you turn it.

The previous models could be disassembled, but that doesn't seem to the be case with this one. Does anyone know a way to take it apart or clean out that seal?

Image

Thanks!

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Oct 31st 11 9:24 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by teaisme » Oct 31st 11 9:24 pm

so are your able to take it apart and pot out the filter?
Are you able to take those two plastic pieces out (the o ring and one with a half ball looking thing at one end)?

Nov 2nd 11 6:50 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by kimbot » Nov 2nd 11 6:50 pm

I can't figure out how to get it apart at all. The filter can't be removed from the top, and the grey part (what opens/closes the valve when it's set on a cup) is loose, but doesn't seem to be removable.

This is the newest ingenuiTEA; I only bought it 2 months ago. From what I've found only the previous models could be disassembled. If you know how to get it apart please let me know!

Just a note, I think tea got into the seal because the pot will overfill. It doesn't stop when tea/water overfill any cup, so I think it "backwashed" or something like that...

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Nov 2nd 11 6:53 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by Chip » Nov 2nd 11 6:53 pm

Have you contacted adagio? They might have better solutions.

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Nov 2nd 11 8:36 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by teaisme » Nov 2nd 11 8:36 pm

kimbot wrote:From what I've found only the previous models could be disassembled. If you know how to get it apart please let me know!
So how did you go about disassembling the old ones?

I don't imagine that they would not make a new version that is not fully capable of being taken apart.....just doesn't make sense to make it like that unless the company is pure evil which I don't think :wink:

I know a few people who have these, and it took me some tinkering to figure out exactly how to take it apart when they eventually decided to clean the insides well, and even more tricky, to put it back together. What is odd is that on the internet there is no video on this. The instruction pamphlets also have no mention of how to do this, only how to steep tea in it...(duh).

***Warning**** my experiences are from the enjoying tea version, maybe the adagio is made very differently (I doubt it though) so if you decide to give this a go be careful and don't blame me if you can't get it put back together :cry: More detailed pics would be useful to further confirm new version is same as the one I am used to working on.

Take apart
1. Pull the bottom off (part that is loose and jiggles, it should be easy to do, if its not then yours may be different (do not continue!), set this piece aside
2. There should be two silicon pieces. One is like an 'o' and functions like a washer, the other is like a mushroom shape with a half ball on one end, and the other end should attach to the base you just pulled out
3. stick a finger into the bottom hole (the silicone pieces may be loose and jiggling around that's normal once you pull the base off, push them out of way) and then apply FIRM pressure on the mesh filter framework pushing it up. It should pop up and come loose.
4. Everything is apart now, clean clean clean.

Put together
1.Open lid
2.Put o ring washer thing back snug in its place (use both hands one in each end to get it to fit well)
3.place the mushroom piece into the 'o'. (just drop it in don't push anything)
4.Focus!
5.With one hand gently hold the tip of the mushroom down, with the other hand pick up the base you pulled off in step 1. Line up the hole on bottom of mushroom with the point sticking out on the base
6.push base back into slots, if you lined things up well the bottom of mushroom should now be fitted into the base
7.Adjust the tightness of the mushroom. If it is fitted in too tight it will not pour correctly/strongly enough. If its fitted too loose it will leak and pour too fast, you are aiming for in between :wink: To adjust simply very lightly tug at it with your fingers reaching in from top (hence the open lid).
8. Pop filter back in through the top. Make sure it is tightly pressed back into place or else it may eventually come loose during brewing
9. Test and adjust if need be

Hope this helps :mrgreen:

Nov 2nd 11 10:14 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by ChristineAdagio » Nov 2nd 11 10:14 pm

Hello! That seems unusual - we haven't heard of liquid getting stuck there before. Any liquid should be able to discharge when the valve is engaged. Since they're not really designed to be taken apart, we can't promise that it will go back together easily.

We'd be happy to discuss the possibility of a replacement with you if you email info @ adagio dot com.

Nov 3rd 11 12:13 am
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by kimbot » Nov 3rd 11 12:13 am

I never would have thought to pull out that bottom piece, and from doing it I can tell that you're not supposed to... But, now you can tell where the tea/dregs got stuck!

Seal in place:
Image

Seal popped in:
Image

It's underneath the seal which was pretty tight before I popped it in. I'm guessing the seal is expanding/contracting from the hot water going through it and that's how the tea managed to get under it. But at the same time I've only had it 2 months, so I can't imagine it's aged (shrank) much... and if Adagio hasn't heard of it maybe I just got a bad seal?

Anyway, I'm fairly sure it will fit back together, but it's obvious that it's not supposed to come apart much. Even with the seal out it's going to be really hard to get at to clean, too. Assuming I get it back together I hope tea doesn't get caught in there again!

Thanks for the advice everyone! And I'll definitely be emailing about a possible replacement :)

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Nov 3rd 11 8:00 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by teaisme » Nov 3rd 11 8:00 pm

ChristineAdagio wrote: Since they're not really designed to be taken apart, we can't promise that it will go back together easily.
It seems like they are designed to be taken apart. I have repeatedly taken apart 3-4 of these, more then 3-5 times each. They are heavily used and I have had no problems as long as the ball is not too loose/tight around the 'o' seal when you put it back together. There is just a learning curve on how to reassemble them properly. Once you get the hang of it its a cinch.

Nov 27th 11 6:11 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by sstarcher » Nov 27th 11 6:11 pm

I have a IngenuiTEA from early in 2011 the 16oz version. I have popped off the bottom and moved the O ring, but I'm certain that the filter is not removable and I can't find a good way to clean the gunk that has built up under the filter. I have used bleach and boiling water and neither can clean it out.

The hole where the O ring is, is way to tiny to fit anything in. I can't even put my pinky finger and and try to push the filter upward. I have applied heavy force from the top trying to push the filter down and if I put more force it will certainly break.

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Nov 27th 11 7:26 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by nrstooge » Nov 27th 11 7:26 pm

strange. then why do they sell replacement filters for them? I thought they could be taken apart?

Nov 28th 11 10:49 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by sstarcher » Nov 28th 11 10:49 pm

I sent them an email and they confirmed that the new models the filters are not replaceable. They apparently still sell filters for people who have older models.

In the email they asked me why I needed to remove the filter to clean it out, so I have sent them another email and I am waiting for a response.

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Nov 29th 11 2:44 am
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by sencha » Nov 29th 11 2:44 am

I don't know about the newest models, but I have one a little under a year old and I just had to disassemble it tonight to clean it (to celebrate the arrival of some new loose tea I got in the mail :D). It had some gunk under the filter that wouldn't come out in the dishwasher without removing the filter piece. I don't know if this will work for you or not, but I got the filter piece out by pushing a pencil, eraser end up, through the bottom hole (after you take the black piece off) with some force, and it came out. The only issue I ran into was not paying attention to which way the rubber O piece fit in the hole. When I put it back together, I stuck it upside-down, which caused it to leak. Upon fixing it, it's working perfectly again, and it's nice and shiny :mrgreen:

Oh, and make sure you put the rubber O and bottom black piece on before putting the filter back in, otherwise pushing the black piece into place again might dislodge the rubber O, and you'll end up having to take it all apart again to get it back into place.

Hope that makes sense.

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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by bsteele » Nov 29th 11 5:21 pm

A small scoop of oxiclean and some boiling water is your friend. Let that stuff sit for a couple hours and it's like magic.

Nov 29th 11 10:13 pm
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Re: IngenuiTEA Cleaning?

by sstarcher » Nov 29th 11 10:13 pm

bsteele I'll try that thanks for the tip