Well, I think I've gone down the rabbit hole.

I went ahead and bid on a damaged Elektra Micro Casa a Leva with matching grinder (also damaged) and won the auction (item #: 310051016285)

I think I'm gonna need lots of help and advice to bring this back into a safe operational unit. It was described as having a bent steam wand. I was hoping that the wand's being bent would be a simple fix to 'rebend' back into shape. Now I'm not sure as it appears the boiler has been dented also. The boiler also seems to be coming loose and it feels that it is about to separate from the base.


I've also looked at other pictures of Leva's and the base seems to be bigger and it also doesn't have the screw/bolt in the middle of the drip tray - is this a variant of the Elektra Leva?

1. How do I tighten the boiler onto the base?
2. Is there a way for me to undent and move the wand back into a usable condition - or should I just plug it up and not bother making any cappa's? I have an Oscar as well as a europiccola so I can always use either to make latte's and cappa's.

I'd like to be able to fill it up and power it up to check it's operation but I want to check with the experts here to see if there's something else I should do first.

Any tips and advice from fellow LMDWP members would be appreciated!
Cheers,
Caesar

If you have ever bent a paper clip back and forth a few times you know what happens to metal treated in that way. To just bend back the steam outlet is risky. if you desire to do that, I would recommend disassembling it as far as possible and taking it to a metal working shop, or maybe even to an experienced jeweler.

There use to be body work shops with some really talented folks who would work on the older Porches. One I heard of was a fellow who was driving his Porsche in the snow and threw a tire chain that damaged a rear fender. Since these cars were (are?) unibody, replacing a fender was a big job. The body shop guy was able to take out all the damage by using a torch and a bag of ice to "un-stretch" the metal where the slapping tire chain deformed it.

caeffe wrote:I've also looked at other pictures of Leva's and the base seems to be bigger and it also doesn't have the screw/bolt in the middle of the drip tray - is this a variant of the Elektra Leva?

Looks very similar to the 2003 Lever Smackdown loaner in my kitchen, although it's impossible to be sure from the pix. The label is on the bottom of the machine rather than the side, but otherwise I see no obvious differences. The screw (not a bolt) is centered on the machine base (underneath the drip tray, but offset next to the boiler).

I have no experience with your boiler and steam wand problems, but this is what I'd do. Loose boiler: open 'er up and see if anything can be tightened. Steam wand: try bending it back into place. If it breaks, replace it. (You should not have to plug it up if the steam wand valve is operational.)

I'm not too worried about the steam wand itself but the "boss" that the wand plugs into. It has been bent and as a result the boiler case has deformed inwards.
As RandyG said

...take out all the damage by using a torch and a bag of ice to "un-stretch" the metal where the slapping tire chain deformed it.

For the moment I'll go ahead and disassemble the base portion. This one didn't come with a plastic tray, only the top perforated one and there definitely is no screw there. I'll take a picture and post later.

caeffe wrote:I'm not too worried about the steam wand itself but the "boss" that the wand plugs into. It has been bent and as a result the boiler case has deformed inwards.

Sorry, I missed that part. In that case I concur with Randy's suggestion. You don't want to pressurize a weakened steam boiler...

Well, so far, so good. I've filled her up and turned her on and it gets up to 1.5 bar (according to the beat up, no glass gauge). I'm gonna go ahead and do a descale as the water coming out of the dispersion screen looks asymetric. I'm assuming that this boiler is double walled, whereupon the outside wall is there for cosmetic purposes while the inside wall does the pressure job - is this a good assumption?

caeffe wrote:I think I'm gonna need lots of help and advice to bring this back into a safe operational unit.

caeffe wrote:I'm assuming that this boiler is double walled, whereupon the outside wall is there for cosmetic purposes while the inside wall does the pressure job - is this a good assumption?

No, that would be a false statement.

I would not want to be in the room while you pressurize a boiler that is clearly damaged. Thoughts of scalding hot water, billowing steam, and an ambulance ride to the hospital for skin grafts come to mind. I would not risk grave personal injury to save a few bucks. Seriously, get a new boiler or part it out.

Dan-

I'm well aware of the potential dangers having worked with and designed high pressure gas systems (>3000 psig, sometimes 10,000 psi!!). Looking at the deformation on the boiler, I'm not too concerned. I've filled up the unit, powered it up - all done outside inside within confines of my barbecue grill. Glad to say no issues. Post inspection after pressurization tells me that its ok - the boiler didn't magically "un-deform". I've gone ahead and proceeded to descale.

I took off the bottom- held with 3 sheet metal screws and found out why the boiler was loose. One of the bolts which holds the boiler to the base was completely off and another was loose. I noticed that the p-stat has one spade w/o a wire, is this normal? Also, there definitely is no screw in the middle of the drip tray. Looks like the drip tray indentation is welded on to the base. Also, the cap on the boiler looks like it has a vaccum breaker device. I noticed that in numerous reviews noted here and on CG, the vacuum breaker device is on the boiler itself, not the cap and it is off the side. Label says "Elektra SCN", 199X, with a 3 stamped in place of the 'x'.

I went ahead and did a couple of shots - didn't drink or taste them as I want to clean up the insides some more. Shots had no cream whatsoever but I somewhat expected it as I used leftover grind that was in my Major. What size hex wrench for the allen head screws to take off the piston assy - 3 mm? I want to clean out the screen - how does one take that off. On the Pavoni Europiccola, it pops off by forcing the piston against it. Do I do the same for the Leva?

caeffe wrote:Also, there definitely is no screw in the middle of the drip tray. Looks like the drip tray indentation is welded on to the base. Also, the cap on the boiler looks like it has a vaccum breaker device. I noticed that in numerous reviews noted here and on CG, the vacuum breaker device is on the boiler itself, not the cap and it is off the side.

Just to be clear: on my 2003 MCaL, the drip tray is made of black plastic with a perforated metal cover. There is no screw in the drip tray. Underneath the drip tray is a circular indentation in the base. There is a screw in the indentation, offset near the boiler, and centered on the base. Removing that screw allows the bottom cover to come off.

The vacuum breaker sits on top of the boiler, just behind the cap.

You could anneal the boiler to soften it to re-bend the valve mount, but I sure would not want to do it. BOOOOMMMM!!!! Honey, have you seen my nose and right eye?

I would remove the wand to get it out of the way and just use it as an espresso only machine as is.