Leaking E61 brew lever, is it normal?

[SWR]

I have a Quickmill Anita that leaks a little water out of the brew lever by the nut during an extraction. Is this normal?

I don't get any leaks when running water through an empty portafilter, nor do I get leaks when backflushing. However, during a shot extraction, basically when the pre-infusion stops and the brew pressure maxes out at ~9.5bar, I see a little water coming out of the brew lever where the nut connects to the lever handle. Not much water, and it stops before the shot is done, but enough to make me notice.

Not sure if this is a normal pressure release mechanism or if I have a loose nut. Before doing any tightening, just wanted to see if folks thought this is something to be concerned about.

Thanks!

[HB]

How old is this espresso machine? A couple drops isn't an urgent concern, but leaking indicates the E61 cam lever gaskets are worn out. I haven't tried it, but lubricating and reseating might give them a new lease on life.

[flathead1]

I have an Anita and about 2.5 years into ownership I also had a leak from the nut by the brew lever.
It can be fixed by getting the E61 lever gaskets from Chris' Coffee (under repair parts #1). You may want to get some food grade lube also. Then just disassemble working from the lever inward till you get to the gaskets. Not too hard took me about 30 minutes.

Love the Anita.

Bill Ford

[SWR]

Thanks, guys. The machine is just over 2 years old, so sounds similar to Bill's situation.

It only leaks a few steady drops for less than 2-3 seconds at max brew pressure, but I'll probably just replace the gaskets if they're cheap enough since the labor is the same with replacing vs lubricating the old ones.

[SNielsen]

My Giotto has sprung a leak at the grouphead -- specifically around where the lever shaft enters the head, right beside the cam. It only leaks when pulling a shot, and there is some back pressure in the system. When flushing water through (no resistance) there is no leak.

The odd thing about it is that it didn't start leaking until I pulled the mushroom out of the head to inspect it for scale (it was clean), and then reinstalled it. What went wrong? I put it back in correctly (I think). Is this just an unfortunate coincidence? Or did I screw something up when I put the mushroom back in?

FYI, I tightened the nut beside the cam (it was not loose, but I snugged it up anyway), but it made no difference.

Looks like I may have to take the shaft out and replace the gaskets in there, but if anyone has any experience with this, any help would be appreciated.

Best regards,

Svend

[HB]

Svend, I merged your thread with an earlier report of the same problem. I don't see how the occurrence of checking the mushroom would be related; replacing the two gaskets indicated above should stop the dripping.

[SNielsen]

Super - thanks Dan! That answers the question nicely. While I'm at it, I think I will replace all the gaskets in the entire head. The seat gasket at the bottom of the mushroom (at the top of the square pin) didn't look too happy either. I can get the gaskets locally in Toronto. I needed an excuse to get into the city anyway. Always great to go downtown here.

Cheers,

Svend

[jasonmolinari]

My Isomac Tea, which is about 4 years old is leaking at this gasket as well, but it only does it when the machine is cold, i guess the gaskets expand a little when it heats up.
time to place an order with Chris, and remember people, while your ordering that, get a couple extra grouphead gaskets!

[narc]

Problem similar to Jason's Isomac on an older Tea that had been on 24/7 for most of its life. Never leaked or squeaked when warm until after the last time I needed to do some maintenance and let the machine cool to room temp. Eventually like all gaskets the hardening with time plus heat and wear requires the gasket to be replaced. The grouphead gaskets required replacing about twice a year. Considering this was the first problem with the lever gasket I'm impressed with its durability. At least it's a simple inexpensive fix. I grease the grouphead gasket where it touches the group with a silicone grease. It makes insertion and removal real easy. Maybe something that should be done with the lever gasket.