About 5 days ago, my 6 month old gs3-mp started making clicking noises much like a quiet geiger counter that comes from the right side of the machine. Have tried turning the hot/cold wheel, flushing the hot water, flushing the steam and turning off/cooling/restart. The noise persists. Everything on the machine is fine (temp, pressure, no leaks). I am using it as pour over, not plumbed.

Question: Is this something that requires attention?

Thanks in advance (!)

-Sam

Descale? What kind of water are you feeding it?
Scale build up on and around the heating element can lead to ticking type sounds.

Does it only happen during heating?
Is it from the boiler?

You can use a stethoscope to further isolate the source. Sometimes electronics (like switching power supplies) can make funny noises as they fail.

Thanks Allon. However, the machine is only 6 mo. old, and I've only used Poland Spring water which I test periodically, sometimes diluted w/distilled (for no particular reason really). I think it's coming from the hot water tap system, but can't be sure.

I'd be very surprised if scale is already up to levels that cause symptoms given how little time has elapsed between purchase, the amount of usage, and the kind of water I've been using.

Do you turn your machine on and off? If so, I would check the steam boiler's anti-siphon valve valve (I think that's what it's called).

This is what it looks like:

Check these threads:

La Marzocco GS3 parts catalog

La Marzocco GS/3 vacuum breaker stuck closed?

I suspect the vacuum breaker, too, but it could be something else.

The first order of business is to isolate exactly where the sound is coming from. The process depends on your GS/3's serial number.

If your machine's serial number is 1170 or higher, it has the new-style vacuum breaker that vents into drain box in front of the machine (it doesn't look like the photo posted by Marshall.) To check the new-style breaker, remove the drip tray and look for water and or steam coming from a fitting in the frame above the rear of the drain box. Look about 2-3 inches to the left of the brew boiler OPV, which is the cylindrical brass fitting above the far right rear of the drain box. If you see water and/or steam coming from the fitting, then the vacuum breaker is stuck partly open. If not, then the sound is coming from someplace else inside the machine and you'll have to remove the right side-cover to determine the source (see instructions in next paragraph.)

If your machine's serial number is lower than 1170, then you have the old-style vacuum breaker like the one in the photo posted by Marshall. If that's the case, or you have the new-style breaker and determined that the sound is not coming from the drain box, then you'll have to remove the right side-panel. It's not hard. Remove the decorative nuts by hand or with a pair of pliers covered with tape (so you don't mar them.) Then use a socket wrench to remove the nuts underneath (I believe they're 13mm.)

If your machine's serial number is lower than 1170, check the old-style vacuum breaker at the top right of the steam boiler (it's a brass unit mounted on the boiler just under the top cover of the GS/3, with a silicone tube over the top.) If you see/hear water and/or steam coming from the valve after the steam boiler has reached full pressure, then the vacuum breaker is stuck partially open.

Regardless of the type of vacuum breaker valve you have, if it's stuck then you should consult your dealer about what to do. Since the machine is still under warranty, the dealer may send someone to clean the valve for you. If that's not possible, then you should do it yourself because it's not worth the cost to ship the machine just to clean the vacuum breaker. Make sure the dealer agrees that this won't void your warranty.

If you elect to clean the valve yourself, check this thread:

Rehabilitating the La Marzocco GS/3 vacuum breaker

Caveat: These instructions are for the old-style valve. I've not disassembled the new-style valve and don't know what's involved or what pitfalls there may be. Consult with your dealer on this.

Regardless of the type of vacuum breaker you have, if you don't see or hear any sputtering from the vacuum breaker after the steam boiler reaches full pressure, then obviously the sound is coming from someplace else. While you have the right side panel off look and listen for where the sound is coming from. Let us know what you find.

Here's a little more info on the vacuum breaker:

Many GS/3 owners with the old-style vacuum breaker have resorted to running their machines 24x7 to aviod the problem of mineral deposits forming on the valve seat. That's generally considered the cure, but has the obvious drawback of having to leave the machine on all the time. And it''l inevitably be turned off at least a few times when you go on vacations or have power failures.

The new-style valve has two advantages: 1) It has (I think) a teflon valve seat that is more resistant to deposits forming, and 2) If it does get stuck, the water and steam vent harmlessly into the drain box instead of into the interior of the machine, where the resulting condensation might get into the brain box and cause havoc with the logic board. If this appeals to you, the old-style valve can be replaced with the new-style vacuum breaker. Your dealer should be able to do it for you or get a kit for you to do it yourself. Instructions are in this thread:

Updating the La Marzocco GS/3 vacuum breaker

Note, however, that it's not guaranteed that the new-style breaker won't eventually need to be cleaned. It's too new for that to have been determined yet. I suspect if you turn the machine on and off on a daily basis, that even the new valve will need to be cleaned or replaced eventually. Even so, it's worth having because if it does get stuck, the consequences are minimal.

I can understand your frustration with this happening after only six months, and having to do maintenance work on your machine while it's still under warranty (just ask Marshall how he felt! ). But many other GS/3 owners have reported that the vacuum breaker starts sticking at about six months, and then six months after you clean it.

I'm sure you're wondering how the valve could get stuck open when you're using soft water. Be advised that the vacuum breaker can get stuck open even when you use softened water, as I found out back when I used a zero-hardness cation softening system. What happens is that sputtering water coming out of the valve falls back on the valve and evaporates on the valve seat, leaving whatever minerals are dissolved in the water. The mineral deposits foul the valve seat and keep the valve from sealing.

Here's the rub: softened water simply has the calcium ions replaced with salt ions. There are still plenty of minerals in it. If found a thin powdery film of minerals on the valve seat of my vacuum breaker when I first took it apart to clean it.

While Poland Springs water is soft, it isn't necessarily mineral-free. Check this out:

Poland Spring Mineral Content (see page 4)

The hardness is low enough to prevent scaling, but there are other minerals present, and the TDS (total dissolved solids) are in the 30-60 ppm range. That's enough to leave deposits on the valve when the water evaporates. This isn't the same as scaling. That happens when the minerals precipitate out of the water. The mineral deposits on the vacuum breaker valve seat occur only via evaporation, and this happens because it's the only valve in the machine that's exposed to air.

Thanks everyone. I'm pretty certain it's not the vacuum breaker (sn 1333). It starts up fine and the VB water flushes down into the drip pan as always, then stops at pressure. No tick-----tick-tick---tick------tickticktick--tick noises until about 15 min - 1/2 hour after reaching pressure. I imagine the sound as bubbles of water popping under pressure at a leaky joint (just a mental image, no evidence).

It was on auto on/off, but put it down to "half power" and am going to run 24/7.

In any case, I'm taking the attitude that it's not a problem until it's a problem. Hopefully, it's not a time-bomb (literally and figuratively.)

I diagnose those sounds with a tube. I put one end in my ear and move the other end around under the hood. It's a great way to locate the source.

I put the machine on 24/7 at 6pm-ish on Nov 17. It's 7pm on Nov 19 now, and the crackling/ticking sound stopped about 1/2 hour ago. It just went away and now the machine just sits there silently. Luckily, I happened to be standing at it tamping a shot when the noises ceased. Everything works fine.

Odd.