@hvjackson:I haven't had an issue with it getting gummed up. Then again I'm not fastidious; after all it's in the sewer path not in the brew path. A teaspoon of Cafiza and some hot water would do the job if rinsing didn't. Haven't tried this though - I think I have just rinsed every time. Do

It's been a little more than two and a half years since I set up an experimental drain for my plumbed-in Rancilio S26, and I can report that it's working out well. Background: There's no convenient drain in the corner of the kitchen where I wanted my machine and grinder set up. After thinking about ...

Got a call back from Dave at espressoparts later that afternoon - at some point during the S26's manufacture they cut over from using the 1/2 inch safety valve (R_460) to the 3/8" one (R_1277) as used on the Epoca. Both types require a copper gasket underneath (F_235 and W_154 respectively). How do ...

Following up to my own post here. Paying careful attention to where water was coming from, it turns out to not be the three-way valve at all. The boiler safety valve is leaking. Since this is an older, non-NSF machine, the boiler valve doesn't vent to the atmosphere directly, but rather vents to a t...

Sometimes it's better when a machine just quits working rather than performing in an "odd" way, since then it's less tempting to try to figure out all the parts you need ahead of time before tearing into it. This isn't one of those times. I have a Rancilio S26, which has been working reasonably well...

Yeah, I've got plenty of copper crush rings and even replace them when I'm supposed to. The O ring I was talking about was the valve seat on the poppet of the vacuum breaker. No leaks with the new vacuum breaker assembly installed. I'm inclined to just cut my losses and chuck the old one

Hi folks, Rancilio S26 here. Perhaps 8 months ago my vacuum breaker started leaking in a big way. I got impatient before the replacement showed up in the mail and went to NAPA, got a correct-sized Viton (I think but it was black not green so maybe Buna-N) O ring from the A/C rebuild section. Reassem...

Three weeks on, things are going fine with the new solenoid installed. I decided to go with the solenoid with the FKM (aka Viton) seats in it rather than holding out for another ruby one. Many thanks to Ryan from espressoparts.com for answering my very specific questions and even offering to take th...

@Gor - that's a fascinating tale, and I bet it was frustrating as all get out to track down. Reading my original post I mentioned that this happens overnight but failed to mention that the "leak out the top" part only happens if the machine is turned off. If it's turned on, I get an over-full boiler...

@JimH - any tips on cleaning the ruby or the nipple-looking thing that water flows in through? I disassembled (got the screen out), soaked it in citric acid for a few minutes, made all the verdigris go away, then scrubbed with a toothbrush. Aside from a wipe, I didn't do much to the ruby or to the n...