I have a 10 month old GS3 with a no-burn steam wand and it basically drips constantly. Enough that if left over the counter it leaves a little pool in a couple of hours Is this just an unavoidable nature of condensation in the plastic sleeve or do i have a problem with the steam valve itself?
thanks!

Ten months seems like a short time, but I do think you need to replace or rehab the steam valve. I replaced mine when confronted a small amount of steam continuously coming out of the tip. I had the burn arm. Perhaps it's just water with the no burn arm.

Dick has a nice write-up here:

La Marzocco GS/3 Steam Valve: Rehab or Replace?

Cheers,
John

Yep, a leaking steam wand definitely indicates the steam valve needs to be serviced.

Check with your local dealer to see if their charge to send out a service tech is affordable. If so, make sure they use the rebuild kit. It's much cheaper than replacing the entire valve, and in most cases it's not necessary to replace the entire valve (which, unfortunately, I did.)

If you're mechanically-inclined, it's not particularly difficult to install the rebuild kit. You should be able to get it from your dealer or direct from LM USA. See my write-up for details.

FWIW, I did the rebuild back in August of 2012 and my steam wand is leaking again. 18 months seems relatively short, given that the replacement was done three years after I bought the machine. I'm planning on replacing the manual valve with an electronic valve. Hopefully that valve will be a little more robust. I have the parts but haven't found the time to do the change (somewhat complicated, tubing-wise.)

After 10 months, I bet it's totally possible that you can fix this with a nylon scrub brush and some Dow Corning 111 (er, Molykote). I'd recommend having a rebuild kit on hand in case you break the o-rings taking them off to clean and lubricate them.

But my guess is that after 10 months they probably have some life left and are mainly having trouble sealing from being insufficiently lubricated and perhaps a little scaled. It's hard to know if it will need to replace the o-rings/valve face until you have the valve apart, and most people just replace it preventively. It's totally up to you.

Hello,

I have one months old La Marzocco GS3 and have also problem with steaming.
After steaming milk, I can see that steam is few more seconds after I finished is going out and few drops after that.
But really problem is that my steaming joystick cant stay in ON position, and every time I need to steam milk I need to hold my hand on that Joystick. This problem came up in last few days, but in beginning everything was fine!

Is anybody have any idea what I can do with that, or just to call technician from La Marzocco?

Thanks.

rmilanovic wrote:I have one months old La Marzocco GS3 and have also problem with steaming.
After steaming milk, I can see that steam is few more seconds after I finished is going out and few drops after that.

That actually seems normal, but having to hold the lever down while steaming is not. Seems like the valve definitely needs to be rebuilt.

rmilanovic wrote:Hello,

I have one months old La Marzocco GS3 and have also problem with steaming.
After steaming milk, I can see that steam is few more seconds after I finished is going out and few drops after that.
But really problem is that my steaming joystick cant stay in ON position, and every time I need to steam milk I need to hold my hand on that Joystick. This problem came up in last few days, but in beginning everything was fine!

Is anybody have any idea what I can do with that, or just to call technician from La Marzocco?

Thanks.

I'm not familiar with the gs3 but have rebuilt paddle and knob steam wands. Sometimes, the dial or knob mechanism may need a little adjustment to fully close/open the valve. This may be why you are having to hold the joystick while steaming.

If you feel comfortable, open the valve and lube the seals while your there. Not hard but I would recommend ordering a set of o-rings for backup.

10 months is very quick. I just used a rebuild kit after 5+ years. I had some leaking twice in the past before the rebuild, and I just took apart the valve, cleaned it up (basically wiped it down with a cloth under water) and put some new silicon lubricant on the rings. I would definitely try taking it apart and cleaning it up first. Its relatively easy to do on your own if you have some tools.
Rob