The symptoms started with the steam boiler overfilling and causing the OPV to make loud noises. I turned off the machine and had to go to work, so I didn't have time to investigate. After opening the GS3 I noticed quite a mess around the steam boiler drain valve. Evidence of water dripping and causing scaling. The red rubber around the valve lever was bubbly and melted.

I opened the brain box and didn't see any water. I cleaned the level sensor probe just in case, and replaced it. I performed brief test and I could see water dripping down from the steam boiler valve towards the brain box. I immediately turned it off and pulled the plug. Of course, more water leaked since the boiler was already hot and under pressure. I took the brain box out and found water puddling around the screw holes and water under the circuit board. I dried out the brain box with paper towels and a blow dryer, closes it up and sealed off the holes with electrical tape.

At this point. It's apparent that I need to replace the steam boiler drain valve. But does anyone know an easy way to do this? It seams wedged in there pretty good. Has anyone else experienced a steam boiler drain valve go bad?

Thanks,
Rob

I have not replaced or had trouble with mine. But I spent a lot of time inside my machine today swapping out the steam arm.
I think if you took all covers off the machine, then loosened the steam valve a bit first, as far as you can turn it before the valve handle gets in the way, then loosened some of the frame and/or boiler screws you should be able to get it off without major disassembly. Does your valve handle face down? Mine does. I cannot tell if there is a screw holding the valve handle on. If so, removing the handle as soon as accessible would also help in removing the valve.
How long has your machine been in service?

I've not had trouble with my ball valve, either, but I'm sure glad to get the heads-up that it's a potential source of leaks.

How old is your GS/3 and how do you run it? 24x7 or do you shut it down when not in use?

The boiler overfill was almost certainly caused by water getting into the brain box. In my experience, that's the first symptom of a wet logic board. Then next symptom is weird behavior of the display and button lights, followed by death of the logic board (very expensive to replace.) You were smart to shut off the machine immediately when you saw water leaking into the brain box. I would remove the logic board, dry it thoroughly, and store it overnight in a bag full of rice to pull out any remaining moisture. Clean any rice or rice dust off the board before installing.

It doesn't look possible to remove the ball valve lever to replace the gasket without removing the entire valve assembly. It might be a tight fit, but you should be able to remove the valve assembly by using a large metric wrench on the chrome valve body.

It looks to me like you should be able to get at the ball valve by removing the top, side and back covers. You must have already removed the back cover to get the brain box out. I think going at it with a wrench from the back is the most promising angle.

Another possibility would be to turn the valve assembly a quarter turn with the wrench so that the lever faces the back of the machine. Then you might be able to remove the lever with a screw driver or whatever tool is needed to do that.

Note that the parts diagram doesn't show the gasket or any sub-assembly parts for the ball valve. You may have to replace the entire assembly, which may be expensive. I would check with your dealer or LM USA to see if there's a service or rebuild kit for the ball valve.

Let us know what happens.

BTW, I've made a few simple changes to my GS/3 that allow me to quickly inspect the inside. First, I removed the inner nuts that hold the side covers on, and use only the hand-turned decorative nuts to keep the side covers on. The inner nuts are only there to pass certification. Without them, you can remove and replace the side panels in a jiffy without any tools. Second, I removed the screws holding the top cover down. That way, I can remove the cups and pop the entire top off, including the cup grate, with a screwdriver. That lets me see a lot of the internals in just a glance. In particular, I'm always looking for any moisture on the floor of the machine near the brain box.

I think it's a good idea to periodically drain the boilers, as recommended in the manual. In most cases it's probably not a requirement for brew boiler maintenance, but it's good to drain the steam boiler every now and then because steam production concentrates whatever minerals are in your water. But an equally important reason is to make sure you take a look inside on a regular basis. While you're there you can check for leaks.

I bought one of the first batches of GS3's, so it's 4 years old or more. I don't keep it on 24x7. I know people have mentioned it's best for the machine, but since I'm not here 24x7, I don't trust the machine to always operate properly. I guess the only risk I would be concerned about it a malfunction that does severe damage to the machine or a fire to my house. Since damage to the machine seems to be mostly related to turning it on and off, the only thing left is risk of fire damage to my house. Is that possible with the GS3?

Anyhow, thank you so much for the detailed instructions. I'll check on replacing the ball valve, or the entire assembly. And your comments on making the sides accessible are also helpful. I'm not sure about keeping the top loose. Wouldn't that cause potential rattling?

roblumba wrote:I bought one of the first batches of GS3's, so it's 4 years old or more. I don't keep it on 24x7. I know people have mentioned it's best for the machine, but since I'm not here 24x7, I don't trust the machine to always operate properly. I guess the only risk I would be concerned about it a malfunction that does severe damage to the machine or a fire to my house. Since damage to the machine seems to be mostly related to turning it on and off, the only thing left is risk of fire damage to my house. Is that possible with the GS3?

The issue with turning the machine on and off has to do with the vacuum breaker valve on the right side of the steam boiler. Depending on the composition of your water, the vacuum breaker valve face can become contaminated with minerals that settle out of water bubbling up through it during the warm-up period and later evaporating when the machine cools off.

The symptom is usually that the valve doesn't close all the way and you hear steam leaking from it after warm-up. The steam will condense inside the machine and can drip onto the chassis floor and into the brain box. If water gets into the brain box, the logic board can be damaged and may need to be replaced (expensive!) More rarely, the breaker valve will fuse shut, and basically not function as intended. The symptom of that is a loud pop the first time you use the steam wand after warm-up. That's the sound of air suddenly being expelled from the steam boiler (the vacuum breaker is supposed to let the air out gradually.)

To avoid these problems, the vacuum breaker should be checked frequently to make sure it's working correctly, which requires removal of the right side or top panel. If it's contaminated, it's not hard to remove it for disassembly and cleaning. However, there are parts inside that can wear out over time (o-rings, teflon seat, etc.), so it's best to have a spare clean valve on hand (not expensive) or get a rebuild kit from your dealer.

Some owners have found that the valve becomes contaminated and requires servicing about every six months. I believe this is highly dependent on the water composition, but the problem is not necessarily eliminated by using a softener.

A solution some have used is to remove the vacuum breaker entirely and seal the opening. To some, the loud popping noise when using the steam wand the first time after warm-up isn't a big deal -- because they expect it. Personally, I'm not a big fan of this approach, especially if others may use the steam wand, and I think there are better solutions.

Another solution favored by some people on this board is to leave the GS/3 on 24x7, thereby minimizing the number of times water bubbles up through the vacuum breaker. This can eliminate or greatly reduce the cleaning requirement. This consumes more electricity, though not a huge amount compared with cycling the machine on and off once a day. Depending on where you live, it might increase your air conditioning costs in the summer and/or decrease your heating costs in the winter.

In my opinion, the risk of fire is low, and certainly no greater than with certain other appliances. The machine is lab-certified, and I would think part of their assessment has to do with the safety of leaving it on all the time. If the machine is run from a GFCI outlet with a proper circuit breaker rating, I would think the risks are low. That said, I don't like leaving any appliance on when I don't have to, especially when I go on vacation (I work at home, so I can keep an eye on things most of the time.) Being a natural-born paranoid, I much prefer to turn the machine off overnight.

The best solution, by far, is to replace the vacuum breaker with the much-improved vacuum breaker that is now standard on current-production GS/3s. This version of the valve vents through a plastic tube into the drain box. This avoids any condensation inside the machine and safely re-routes any steam that may leak if the valve sticks open. I believe the new valve has an improved Teflon seat, but I'm not sure about that. The retrofit is not terribly difficult to do. Click here for instructions and photos on how to do it. The improved valve should be available from your dealer or LM USA.

FWIW, I haven't had to service my vacuum breaker for about a year. I think this has something to do with my water. Back when I had the original-design vacuum breaker and used a Claris water treatment system, I had to service the valve every 3-6 months. After replacing the vacuum breaker with the new design, I wound up servicing it after 3 months. Then I got a second new-design vacuum breaker so I could quickly swap out the contaminated breaker, and after doing that swap I haven't had to service the vacuum breaker. I believe the reason may be that I switched back to a cation softening system, and it may not be contaminating the valve, or the contamination rate is much slower than with Claris water.

One disclaimer: There have been a series of changes to the vacuum breaker since the GS/3 was first introduced. I've seen pictures of the earliest GS/3s with vacuum breaker arrangements that didn't look at all like mine, and I wasn't sure how they were configured. I do know that LM added a silicone "chimney" above the vacuum breaker before my machine (s/n 613, I think) was produced. This helps to contain the water bubbling out of the valve during warm-up. Sounds like your machine was made after mine, so what I've said applies to it. But if it's older than my machine, I'm not sure whether the update procedure is the same.

roblumba wrote:Wouldn't that cause potential rattling?

It depends on how tightly the top cover fits. Mine is snug enough that there's no problem at all with rattling. YMMV.

Ball valve failure is a fairly common thing on espresso machines, I think when you open and close them the scale scratches the teflon seat inside meaning they can no longer seal properly - thats my theory anyway! If it is leaking from the joint of the boiler to the valve then you need to remove it and put it back with some new sealant. Most probably when undoing the cap the valve turned as well, breaking the sealant.

I learned the hardway that the best way to prevent breaking the seal is to use 2 spanners when you want to drain the boiler. One spanner to hold the valve, the other to undo/tighten the cap. 21mm spanners IIRC.

You should be able to remove the handles on the valve by unscrewing them and popping them off. Then you can turn it. I have a 21mm socket that fit nicely meaning you can use a long handle socket set on it.

Paul is right. I've actually turned the body of the ball valve when trying to remove the cap and had to retighten it. Two wrenches is the way to go!

Excellent Thread on the GS/3. Since I own a later production and have not had to dismantle it in the 2-1/2 months I have owned it. Got my fingers crossed...