Hi to you all,

I am a new member and came across your site quite by chance following a google search trying to find a solution to my Isomac Millennium leak problem. You guys seem to be the right ones to ask so here goes:

My Isomac Millennium is approx 4/5 years old now and has never missed a beat in the past but recently we have noticed a pool of water collecting under the machine, even though the machine continues to show all the right signs and still makes great coffee, steam and hot water.

I took the top cover off the other day to check for any visible leaks but couldn't see any. I turned the machine on and left it for around three hours, made a few coffees and got no leaks. When I put it together again it was fine for the rest of the day but overnight, when the machine was switched off, we came down to another pool of water.

It is definitely not the plastic reservoir as we left that filled up away from the machine and not a drop was lost, so the leak is definitely somewhere in the machine plumbing.

Has anyone else experienced such a problem and if so can you help me with the solution please?

I look forward to a dry counter top very soon

Many thanks,
Paolo

Welcome Paolo.
When you say the "top cover", do you mean the plate under the warming tray or the entire outer case? If you're only exposing the top of the boiler, there's a lot you can't see from there.
The plastic "Y" connector on the water hoses tends to crack and leak - something easy to overlook but also easy to check...

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I confess to only taking off the plate under the warming tray as I couldn't quite manage the knack of getting the main cover off. All 8 screws off ok but the pulling apart bit as I tried to take the cover off didn't happen for me.

I could see the "Y" connector ok though and quite a bit more of the plumbing but I just couldn't identify anywhere that was leaking. As I mentioned it sat there for over three hours turned on and producing wonderful coffee without a drop leaking out, and when I re-assembled it sat all evening again without leaking.

During the night though it is obviously not behaving itself very well - but it is Italian I guess!

I realise I'm going to have to get that outer cover off but any ideas on where it might be leaking from?

Thanks,
Paolo

There is a knack to getting the case off and on. When I first tried to do it, I remember the frustration and the issuance of a few choice expressions. There's some advice about it here:

http://www.bellabarista.co.uk/pdf/Mille...lookv6.pdf

Leaking like yours never happened to my Millennium, but I'd get the case off, look for trouble, do a heat/pump/cool cycle and see what I could see.

There are tons of people here who have done just about everything to the Millennium, so investigate and share any details you have questions about.

Cheers Gary,

I have the Bella Barista information as that is where I bought it from and it came with the machine. I noted the "knack" is required but I didn't quite manage it.

I'll tackle it again this weekend and try a bit harder with the case, look for leaks and see what I can find and I'll let you know how I get on next week.

Regards,
Paolo

Sounds good. It can be a mysterious beast, but once you see and feel how the thing releases in the front, it's not so tough to deal with it a second time.

Just keep your sense of humor...

Hi Gary,

With a bit of a struggle and a little olive oil to ease the sides I got the case off. Once you see how it's put together it is very straightforward.

Anyway I had the machine on for five hours without so much as a drip but when I turned it off and it started to cool down I saw where the leak was coming from - the gasket on the right hand side of the boiler.

It looks like a simple fix but my only concern is holding the boiler steady without disturbing the other connections as I turn and unscrew the nut.

I'm just wondering if I'll get a way with refixing the brass nut after cleaning the area and applying some PTFE tape.

No harm in trying I guess but does any member of the forum have any experience/tips to pass on to me please?

Cheers,
Paolo

A pic of the right side of your boiler would be very helpful. As regards applying a counterhold on the boiler as you loosen/tighten the fitting, use what is called a plumber's strap wrench around the boiler.

Paolo

Congratulations on your conquest of the Millenniums outer "defenses" and locating the problem!

Pics would be good so we're all sure we're talking about the same thing. I've never had to remove the heating element nut (if that's what we're dealing with), but Eric knows what he's talking about. The boiler is suspended by the copper pipes so to battle with it requires a strap wrench arrangement like he says to avoid causing plumbing damage.

These repairs are not all that big a deal, so I encourage you to soldier on.

Do you know where to get a proper gasket on your side of the pond? I'm not sure I'd rely on teflon tape too much.

Thanks for the replies and the support guys.

I decided to tackle it today and telephoned Bella Barista (where I bought the machine about four years ago) to see about the spare part (basically a gasket) but they no longer sell Isomac. They did give me another number to be fair to them but when I called the engineer who could tell me which spare part it was wasn't available. I then called another firm, Cafe Italia, but the first thing they asked me was to find out if I bought the machine from them and when I said "No" he flatly refused to help, saying they had to prioritise the customers who bought from them. What a total waste of space Cafe Italia is and I won't tell you what note I made by their name in my planner. I mean would it have hurt this cretin to offer me a bit of guidance on a simple repair? Who knows I may have bought my next machine from him had he helped me but one thing is for sure - I'll never call his number again.

Anyway after marking and removing the two spade connectors I got my wrench and started on the big brass nut but keeping a good hold on the boiler to stop it twisting any of the other plumbing. After a very gentle first try I tried a bit harder and on the second attempt it started to move. Success! The nut unscrewed quite easily and, as you have already suggested Gary, it is the heating element. it came out very easily but the red gasket/washer seal around it was actually split.

I wrapped a few turns of PTFE around the nut threads but then I had second thoughts and decided to go to my plumbers merchants in the morning to find a relacement washer before reassembling the machine.

I am quite impressed with the way it's put together as all the workings are clearly visible and I suspect that many running repairs can be done quite cheaply and quickly by the owner. However I'll confirm that tomorrow when (and if) I can get a suitable washer/gasket of the correct size.

I'll also check out how to load pictures so I can show you what I've been doing.

Thanks again for the interest.

Regards,

Paolo