Exordium01 wrote:I'm more curious about how much of a leak is considered acceptable because it looks like scale buildup on the outside of fittings happens with these machines even on factory installed parts.

On my Relax, I recently noticed the pump running periodically when the machine had been idle for a few hours. Pulled the case off and found the scale buildup issue you talked about on the pump inlet fitting. Using the silicone-tubing-and-ear method, I hunted around and found slight leaks on the steam fitting and the pressurestat fitting also. I pulled the fittings and used PTFE tape on them for ease (I usually use Loxeal on the pipe fittings because of the need to adjust the orientation when installing). That seamed to work. For the pressurestat, I didn't want to disassemble it so I gave it a slight tightening and that did it.

The only remaining leak is a slight hiss at the vacuum breaker valve, so I ordered a replacement from Stefano.

My approach is that these leaks are not usually a big problem so I won't be replacing the vacuum breaker until I need to take the case off for something else in the future. But when the case is off, I make sure all the fittings are leak free.