Leak from La Spaziale NEW EK 3000?
Our La Spaziale NEW EK 3000 machine just sprung a leak over my weekend and my boss called in a flurry.
I have NO idea how to fix machines, so thought I would ask here on some potential causes and possible easy fixes. If not, I'm going to call in a guy, but that will end up shutting us down for a few days. I'd rather not have that.
Anyways, it's leaking from the clear tubes. I've yet to see the actual leak, but they said it is leaving a large puddle everywhere. What are the clear tubes and can they just get loose from time to time?
The exact machine is this little baby right here: http://sovrana.com/ek2.htm
I have NO idea how to fix machines, so thought I would ask here on some potential causes and possible easy fixes. If not, I'm going to call in a guy, but that will end up shutting us down for a few days. I'd rather not have that.
Anyways, it's leaking from the clear tubes. I've yet to see the actual leak, but they said it is leaving a large puddle everywhere. What are the clear tubes and can they just get loose from time to time?
The exact machine is this little baby right here: http://sovrana.com/ek2.htm
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Gruska on
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Which clear tubes? Underneath the machine or inside?
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Gebralter on
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Not sure until I can go look at it.
I've also been told that no one that has been working with the machine has any idea what descaling/decalcifying is. We do the flushing with cleaner nightly (well, we're supposed to, it is rarely done by some people).
I'm starting to wonder if this has anything to do with it, though.
Daniel Gruska said:Which clear tubes? Underneath the machine or inside?
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Scale shouldn't be an issue unless the machine is pretty old. I'm guessing that the only issue here is the orientation of your drain tube. It needs to be angled down all the way to the end or liquid can back up into the machine. Its also important that the end is unobstructed and not submerged in any liquid. I've seen lots of machines that seemed to be leaking when it turned out they just weren't draining properly.
As a side note, I would start riding your baristas about cleaning the machine. The things are too expensive to let go like that. It should be thought of as the single most important closing procedure, since no amount of talent or training can turn out good coffee on a machine that isn't cleaned nightly. Hope this was helpful?
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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Clear puddle or brown puddle?
A brown puddle probably means plugged drain line, which is the cause of most puddles under new machines.
A clear puddle is a water leak.
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Ronette Reynolds said:Not sure until I can go look at it.
I've also been told that no one that has been working with the machine has any idea what descaling/decalcifying is. We do the flushing with cleaner nightly (well, we're supposed to, it is rarely done by some people).
I'm starting to wonder if this has anything to do with it, though.
Daniel Gruska said:Which clear tubes? Underneath the machine or inside?
Descaling of a commercial machine shouldn't be necessary if the water conditioning system has been specc'd properly.
Agree with previous poster, what "clear tubes" are you talking about?
The only clear-ish tubes that I'm aware of on traditional machines are: the drain tube, sightglass, maybe an auto-steam line, maybe a OPV drain line, and on some machines the exhaust port from the brew valves.
A leak from the sightglass is a professional repair, as is a leak from an autosteam line, or any water coming from an OPV drain.
If you are talking about water coming from clear tubes coming from the bottom of the brew solenoids inside the machine, this is normal. Sometimes these tubes can pop off of their mounts, causing the water to puddle under the machine instead of flowing into the drain cup. If that's the case, they just need to be put back in their proper place.
More info would be great. Let us know?
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There are two leaks.
One coming from a threaded silver tube at the joint that is clear liquid (coming out of the bottom of the machine), and another coming from a ridged black tube that is brown liquid, also coming from the bottom of the machine.
I looked at it, and it looks more like things are loose, but why would they become loose?
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Permalink Reply by Jared Rutledge on
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turn off your water and machine
unscrew it where its leaking
make sure you're using the right connections (pipe fitting usually, not flare or the other kind)
thread tape the hell out of it
put it back
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Permalink Reply by Mike Sabol on
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Hi Ronette -- Espresso machines leak sometimes. Especially from the water inlet, (threaded silver joint) and the drain line, (ridged black tube). Nobody knows why they leak when they haven't been leaking before. Maybe the machine got moved. Maybe the vibration from the pump loosened the fitting. Maybe the gremlins did it. But the fact is, machines leak sometimes. First best thing to do is to not panic. Next, just look inside to see where the leak is coming from. In the case of the threaded silver joint you might just take a small adjustable wrench and tighten the fitting. In the case of the ridged black tube you might consider using a hose clamp. These are both common leaks and easily fixed by the end user(you). If this is not the case, just PM me and I can help you figure it out.
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Thank you!
I actually had my boss end up calling the company that he bought the unit from because I just did NOT feel comfortable with trying to fix it.
As for the gremlins, it seems we're having an issue with those and our POS. :P
Mike Sabol said:Hi Ronette -- Espresso machines leak sometimes. Especially from the water inlet, (threaded silver joint) and the drain line, (ridged black tube). Nobody knows why they leak when they haven't been leaking before. Maybe the machine got moved. Maybe the vibration from the pump loosened the fitting. Maybe the gremlins did it. But the fact is, machines leak sometimes. First best thing to do is to not panic. Next, just look inside to see where the leak is coming from. In the case of the threaded silver joint you might just take a small adjustable wrench and tighten the fitting. In the case of the ridged black tube you might consider using a hose clamp. These are both common leaks and easily fixed by the end user(you). If this is not the case, just PM me and I can help you figure it out.
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