Hello everyone.

I am no longer a home barista but working as a professional barista in Dubai. I work in a cafe in which they use a 3-group La Marzocco Linea machine.

One thing I noticed is that the element is almost always on! It is very rare when it goes off but then again, even if the machine is totally not used (no coffee brewing and no steam/water discharge) it goes on again very fast. That is to say, it is certainly on for more than 90% of the time which does not seem normal to me even though I understand that the boiler would naturally cool down even if the machine is left unused.

Yesterday I had enough time to remove all the cups from the top of the machine and remove the covers. I did this initially to adjust the pressurestat but once I did this I noticed that there is a very hearable "fshh" sound from the right side of the machine. So what I did is that I brought a water spray and started spraying water on the tube joints on the steam boiler, while the machine is on. Up to my estimation I thought this would be relatively safe as there is no electricity passing in those areas and as the boiler is hot enough to cause the sprayed water to evaporate instantly. I do not want to get into a long discussion about whether this is a safe thing to do or not but the point here is that I was watching closely the way the water evaporates when spraying the different junctions and I have indeed noticed something in both joints on the right side which is that, aside from the water evaporating due to the hot surface of the steam boiler, there were visible bubbles coming out from both under the joint nut and above the joint nut. Now my question is, is it common that those joints leak steam, and is it a good idea just to try to tighten them as they seem to be flare connections?

Your words are appreciated. Sorry that I still post here, maybe I should convert to a professional forum since I am no longer only a home barista (but I am still a home barista! My home lattes are still superior to the ones I do at work!).

By the way I am pouring great latte art now on the machine. It was only possible after I asked my manager to buy me a 20 oz pitcher, before that I was using the 32 oz ones and there is absolutely no way I can turn out silky milk with that huge pitcher, which is why I wanted to raise the pressure, I thought this might help me start using the 32 oz pitchers again and steam for more than one latte at a time.

Thanks.

My favorite 2 ways to detect a certain source of leaks:
an inspection mirror with flex arm (automotive industry I believe is originally what was made for)
and a silicone hose to stick on your ear and do like a doctor stethoscope
these 2 methods can certainly pin point exactly where the leaks are,
of course a leaking boiler (steam boiler in your case right?) will shorten the life of the pressurestat, and all other components related to the heating circuit
( if you have the newer style LM the contactor etc etc)
if the leaks are coming from the fitting/nuts yes you can try without forcing too much to give it a little turn
however,
will be most likely a better situation to turn the machine off let steam out,
loosen both ends of the pipes and reposition them after a cleaning with a wire brush,
tightening a little bit on each side by hand until snug then with the wrench
is not also a bad idea to make sure you repair company/roaster whomever has new pipes around just in case

For leaking steam, the silicone tube method is best and it allows you to keep your face away from the boiler while you are inspecting. Just put one end in your ear and move the other end around suspicious areas

Simply using a silicone hose to locate the point of leakage, since the hissing is perfectly hearable. Got it.

I'll try that on Saturday, since today is my day off.

I am not sure if my boss would like the idea of turning the machine off, since our cafe is 24 hours, and of course the idea of me playing with the insides of this expensive machine. I will try to locate the leaking joints and to tighten the nuts with moderate force while the machine is on. I guess it will be instantly clear if this would work, otherwise I will have to tell my boss that we need to call for maintenance, cause I can't afford to try to fix it and then being blamed for things as normal as scale in the boiler one year later ("it is because you missed with the machine, Orwa!"). I'd rather call for maintenance and let those jerks pay :^)

Yes, more electrical consumption, less steaming power and shortened component life. This is why I want to try to fix it, but also because I want to try to raise the pressure of the steam boiler afterwards.

orwa wrote:I am not sure if my boss would like the idea of turning the machine off, since our cafe is 24 hours, and of course the idea of me playing with the insides of this expensive machine.

If I were in your position, I would leave the machine alone. Nothing good can come of you fixing it. What if you break off a connection causing the machine to need more extensive repairs? You won't have the parts and the cafe will suffer without the machine working. Not to mention working on a hot/pressurized steam boiler, you may get seriously injured. Right now, your boss is not worried about the leaking boiler or else he would have had it repaired. If he does want it fixed, he needs to understand that you need to turn it off and allow the boiler to cool before you can attempt to fix it.

Do you suggest that I ignore this possible leakage and adjust the pressurestat nevertheless? I want to steam with more pressure.

or call a qualify repair person that will know what to do and
as I mention before has parts in stock
NOTE pipes are not common parts that some repair companies might have in stock so I insist to make sure of that

Assuming that the joints were really leaking, how probable is it that the copper pipe will need to be replaced?

Are those normal flared soft-copper pipes or not? Do they have special ends? I am just curious.

Another question: is it a good idea to go on with my pressurestat adjustment and ignore the fact that there is potentially a leakage problem? What do you think?

By the way I think I ordered parts from you (Stefano's Espresso Care) and got them shipped all the way to Saudi Arabia for my La Pavoni professional once. I am not totally sure (there aren't many La Pavoni lever owners in Saudi Arabia, maybe I am the only one).

If I remember correctly, I was dissatisfied with the manually cut asbestos boiler gasket and dumb enough not to know if my machine was brass- or gold-plated. I was shocked to see that the brass-coated portafilter I ordered from you had a substantially different color from my machine :^p

The pipes are special made with specific ends. They come from the supplier (at least to me) pre-bent so I doubt you could go to your local plumbing supply store and get replacements. I doubt the pipes are the problem though. Most likely a fitting is loose or a valve is leaking.

What BAR is the steam pressure reading? Mine runs between 1-1.2 and that works for me but some like it higher. I would watch the boiler pressure, mine cycles on/off frequently (every minute or so) so that's not abnormal. If you can shut the machine down for an hour, that should be sufficient to work on the fittings.