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Clear Water Dripping around Portafilter

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  • #16
    Re: Clear Water Dripping around Portafilter

    Hi
    I am thinking somehow there may be some scale or something under the seal especially on the LHS as per photo.  I am reluctant to say this as I would not like you to remove the seal to check.  My PF handle goes round to about 5:55 or just to the right of centre.  If I over fill the FB then I will get clear water dripping down the PF. ( the seal may be too thin or hardened past its usefulness)
    I usually roll a paper towel into a pencil shape and clean the seal and above the lip of the filter which is often really dirty with grinds.
    Practical
    Try putting a piece of paper across the top of the lip (cut round to fit) of the FB and gently fit the PF into the group and turn it until it touches the seal then remove to see if the seal has marked it evenly all a round.    There may be variations on this to get a visible check to see whether the pressure is even.  Try tightening it a bit more until there is a clear impression of the seal basket contact.  It may be the basket is warped or the seal is deformed.
    I will also experiment with this to refine the test
    Dumiya


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    • #17
      Re: Clear Water Dripping around Portafilter

      Thanks dumiya,

      I tried the paper thing and got a mark all around the paper. The machine seems to be sealing a bit better now, so maybe it was a matter of letting the seal get used to the new aparatus.

      Im a bit paranoid about scale...should i descale my machine or use non-tap water in her? are those marks in the photo on the previous page scale??

      Cheers
      -S

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      • #18
        Re: Clear Water Dripping around Portafilter

        Hi Sanch,

        Frequency of de-scaling depends a bit on where you live and the quality of water there, I live in Tassy where water quality is good, and I use filtered water, 6 monthly should be adequate for me, some other places would need more frequent de-scaling, and if you dont use filtered water maybe as often as 2 monthly.
        Many of us use the Brita filter jug or similar to filter the water we put into Silvia, which helps a bit.

        I cannot see how de-scaling will make any difference to the GH seal leak that you have described, however,
        it might cause the three way solenoid to malfunction if some scale gets stuck in it, which is relatively easy to disassemble and clean out, and should probably be done anyway about each 12 months or so.

        I had similar problem to what you are describing when I replaced the GH seal on my Silvia, which turned out to be a thinner seal, which I could tell because I had to turn the PF further to the right to lock it in.
        Refitting GH seal it with a spacer behind it fixed the problem,
        (You can buy spacers from coffeeparts), however if your GH seal hasnt been replaced it doesnt really explain how the the problem started.
        The PF should lock in somewhere close to near straight out, if you have to turn it too far to the right, it is highly likely that the GH seal is too thin, and leaks will occur even with underdosing.

        If GH seal is OK, then overdosing of basket can also cause the type of leak you are describing.

        No the OPV can not self adjust on most Silvias. Later ones with the adjustable OPV could in theory self adjust IF they werent properly locked up, but this would be unlikely.

        In regards to the difference between the the two PFs I have found similar with the standard silvia PF and a standard Rancilio commercial PF that I prefer to use, they both lock in at slightly different location.

        I guess it is possible, although highly unlikely, that the service guys had two silvias in at same time, and you got a different one back, can you check the serial number, and do you have the serial number on any paperwork from original purchase?

        Regards
        Bullitt

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