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Re: silvia still leaking after replacing gasket seal!
Originally posted by 3325202031333F36363535500 link=1244699584/1#1 date=1244701315
Hi Matt
Are you absolutely sure its leaking from the group head or portafilter?
There is a possibility that the boiler gasket is leaking, and water is running down around the sides of the head. [ch65533]Scale is pretty amazing stuff and can work its way betwen the boiler and base, and then the gasket perishes sufficiently to cause a small leak.
Make sure you dont touch anything electrical while doing the following!
If this is the problem, you will be able to see the leak if you remove the top and use a torch to take a look down around the base of the boiler when the machine is on, and often where the bolts are. [ch65533]There may even be signs of corrosion on these.
Worth a look - again though, just be careful.
I agree with this as it has happened to me and the boiler ended up dying.
Be careful while the cover is off - electricity bites!
Re: silvia still leaking after replacing gasket seal!
Matt
Mine [5+YO] has a similar problem.
I twice replaced the gasket and used a spacer each time, though one of my gasket suppliers said I dont require it.
The original gasket seemed thicker than the new ones.
Interestingly, mine does not seem to leak when I back flush so I think part of the problem may be the top profile of the basket.
I have not tried a 30 sec backflush though
My leak is very minor and only occurs on 3 in 10 shots so Im putting up with it until someone tells me what is going on.
I was eventually going to try another without the spacer, thinking that a little more twisting of the PF may do the trick, after reading your post...perhaps not.
Re: silvia still leaking after replacing gasket seal!
Hi Greenman,
No I didnt use a spacer. I assume they would be available at places like Jetblack esspresso?
I will get one and try to remove my current seal without damaging it (anyone ever done that?).
And thanks for the insight about the other possibility Cuppacoffee. Im pretty sure its the the gasket seal, just because of the variation in the leak after the work I did...
Re: silvia still leaking after replacing gasket seal!
Hi Matt
Are you absolutely sure its leaking from the group head or portafilter?
There is a possibility that the boiler gasket is leaking, and water is running down around the sides of the head. Scale is pretty amazing stuff and can work its way betwen the boiler and base, and then the gasket perishes sufficiently to cause a small leak.
Make sure you dont touch anything electrical while doing the following!
If this is the problem, you will be able to see the leak if you remove the top and use a torch to take a look down around the base of the boiler when the machine is on, and often where the bolts are. There may even be signs of corrosion on these.
A month ago I replaced the seal on my 2nd hand silvia because it had started leaking a bit around the portafilter. I also cleaned it up a fair bit and replaced the shower screen.
The result was a better pour and less leaking... but still some leaking.
I suspected that it was because I had been a little lazy and not bothered to completely remove some of the old hardened coffee oil gunk from the brass behind the old seal. I did a pretty good job, but thought that the little bits of gunk that wouldnt come off couldnt cause too much of a problem.
So when it kept leaking I thought Id get another new seal and try again, this time being hard core and cleaning it thoroughly... Id assumed that the bits of hardened gunk must have been creating an uneven surface allowing water to get out...
I even carefully scrapped away the gunk from the edges using a pointy metal tool (kind of like those horrible dental instruments), trying to avoid actually scratching the brass.
In the end it all looked good and clean and free from gunk ( I used a flat head screw driver with a cloth wrapped over the tip to do a final clean out).
But having put in the new seal and using it over the last day Im still getting leaking around the portafilter!!
And Ive made sure Ive pulled it on far enough (almost 4 Oclock!)...
Not sure what I can do, and Im getting sick of buying $10 seals...
Any advice? Can there be other issues that cause leaking around the portafilter? Should I bite the bullet and let a pro have a look? (I was trying to save the $70 bucks and learn something on the way...)
The only other thing to mention is that the leaking seemed to start when I bought a synesso double basket from Jet black espresso. But then it seemed to still leak even when I tried the old baskets.
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