Hi - new poster to the forum, although I've done a lot of reading here in the past

I've got a Micro Casa Leva that I bought new in 2005, and I'm trying to sort out a problem with water appearing inside the base.

I took the base off recently to check the pressure switch, and discovered a lot of corrosion around the lip, and on the electrical connectors. Initially I thought some water must have got in either from leaving the machine standing in water at some point, or through the screw hole under the drip tray.

Cleaning the electrical connectors solved the intermittent problem I was having with the pressure switch, and I cleaned as much of the corrosion off the brass as I could, and left some silica gel sacks in the bottom to absorb any random moisture and minimise further propogation.

However, checking things again a couple of days later, I found some water in the base when I removed it, and looking more closely I realised that there was corrosion around the nuts that secure the heating element, and some moisture in that area as well. My first thought was the pipe to the pressure switch, however looking at the corrosion patterns it looks more like water has dripped on to the pipe fitting from above. I slackened off the pipe fitting to check, but the seal looks fine.

I've now removed the bottom plate of the boiler, and as far as I can see the o-ring is fine, and there are no marks on the brass to indicate leaks around the o-ring. Which leads me to suspect that one of the heating element connections might be the culprit.

I've removed the heating element nuts, but I can't see for sure how the seals work - it looks like there may be some kind of hard compound sealing the join, and the nuts might just be for mechanical strength. It also looks like getting the element off the bottom plate would be a pain, and putting it back might be even worse.

Does anyone have any thoughts or insight on what to do next? Should I just replace both the element and the plate, or is there a way to check and renew the seals?

Hey Tim, Welcome to HB. I'm in Melbourne too. The bottom end seals on a 2005 leva should still be okay but, for whatever reason it sounds like they have failed prematurely hence the rust. If you haven't done a group and piston seal kit recently it's probably time. Do the full monty kit whilst the machine is stripped down and attend to that rust. If the element is heating then you should not need to replace it.

Pay attention when ordering if it's pre or post 2005. The group to boiler seals differ. Have a look here;

http://www.orphanespresso.com/Elektra-M..._2959.html

I think they also have element resealing kits as well.

If you decide to order from Orphan then PM me because I can always do with something from them and we can split the shipping - and I can help with the re-kit.

Hi DrDregs -

Thanks for the reply, and good to hear that there are knowledgable Elektra owners in Melbourne

I just did the piston and group seals a few weeks ago, so those should be ok.

I've been looking at a parts diagram (found here: http://www.espressoworkshop.com/shop/shop1037.html), and it seems that what I've been calling the bottom plate is actually permanently attached to the heating element - it's all one component from a spares point of view.

In which case if I'm right about where the water is coming from then I will need to replace the element. I'm 98% sure that the o ring wasn't leaking - it was in good condition when I took it out, and there is no sign of water damage or corrosion around the edges of the plate, whereas the element ends are heavily corroded where they protrude below the boiler.

It's making me have another think about the leak point, however - it seems unlikely that the element would fail like that, so perhaps it is the o ring, or possibly the pressure pipe connector.

If the element isn't too expensive, I guess I should replace it and the seals (and presumably the pressure switch pipe? The angle looks too acute to get it out of the element flange).

I don't really know what to do about the rust. I presume the bottom section is brass (mine's the brass/copper model), and I'm reluctant to try aggressive rust eating chemicals or heavy abrasives on it. I got the worst of it off by chipping gently with a screwdriver and hammer, and then finishing up with a mild abrasive pad, but there's plenty left. Maybe a wire brush, or a dremel tool with a polishing wheel might do it?

Anyway, as you're local it would be great to catch up and pick your brain. I'd offer you a coffee but that may have to wait

Oh - one other question... any special reason for sourcing parts from the US? I've always found the distributor in Sydney very responsive, and prices for seals and other stuff have been ok.

Regards,

Tim

The base is plated steel so the only real way to fix the rust is to strip the machine and get it replated, if the rust you mention is underneath. Not that big a deal with these machines. I have one stripped down ready for plating but it's going to be all chrome.

It's been known to get a dud element in these machines and it sounds like yours has been leaking a long time - maybe from day one. You may have to get a new one unless you can get a kit like the one Orphan sells.

Ash in Sydney is fantastic and has helped in the past but sometimes I need stuff he doesn't carry. I currently need more bits for my Faemina.

The base is plated steel so the only real way to fix the rust is to strip the machine and get it replated, if the rust you mention is underneath.

Ah - that makes sense. The exterior isn't in great shape, so re-plating would be good all round. Is it better to try and strip it myself, or just get a plating workshop to do both? Any places in Melbourne you'd suggest?

It's been known to get a dud element in these machines and it sounds like yours has been leaking a long time - maybe from day one. You may have to get a new one unless you can get a kit like the one Orphan sells.

Sounds plausible. The other thing I'm wondering is whether over-pressurising got the leak started. The corroded connectors were causing problems with the pressure switch, and the machine has run up to max pressure a few times before I've caught it. Maybe some water got in via the screw hole or similar originally, started the corrosion which caused the electrical probs, which led to high pressure which might have compromised a seal.

Either way, I think the safest course is to at least replace all the seals, and probably the element too if it's not going to be too expensive.

Sigh. I'd just got some bags of my favourite Cuban SO, but it looks like this might take a while.

Thanks again for all the help and info - much appreciated

EDIT: Just had another look at the OE link (http://www.orphanespresso.com/Elektra-MCAL-POST-2005-Rebuild-Gasket-and-Seal-Set-_p_2959.html) and realised that the element is available separately from the plate/flange, and there are clearly o rings on there. Sorry about that - was a bit tired when I looked at it last night. On that basis your original suggestion of replacing the element seals is probably best.

The corrosion wouldn't help but if it's been going past the green intermittently then you probably need a new p/stat. If you can wait a while I'll be taking some bits to the platers so you can send yours as well. In the meantime my suggestion is to kill the rust, put new seals in and use it in the meantime. If Ash has the bits then you should have it fired up by Wednesday.

Don't forget the boiler seal!

Good luck.

Don

If you can wait a while I'll be taking some bits to the platers so you can send yours as well.

That's very kind - definitely interested. Drop me a message a couple of days beforehand and I'll get my base ready.

In the meantime my suggestion is to kill the rust, put new seals in and use it in the meantime. If Ash has the bits then you should have it fired up by Wednesday.

Good advice. Only problem now is that I seem to have broken something. I reassembled the machine this morning, did a quick "lights on" test on the bench and all was good. Finished putting it together and moved it back to its home, and now it's completely dead. Been busy with other stuff since, but I'll check everything with a multi-meter tomorrow.

I'm fairly confident that the wiring is correct (and the lights came on the first time), but possibly there's a bad connection somewhere.

If not, any suggestions as to what component failures might cause both lights not to show? I assume that if the element had randomly gone then at least the main switch globe would still light. What about the safety switch?

I think your machine has a resettable safety thermostat. Or as you say could be a loose wire. Find out why the t/stat tripped first.

I think your machine has a resettable safety thermostat. Or as you say could be a loose wire. Find out why the t/stat tripped first.

Bizarrely, it's the main switch. Current at the power terminal, but no current on the wires from the switch to the rest of the machine, and multimeter shows that when the switch is thrown the pos terminals make contact but not the neutral. Maybe there's some corrosion inside.

Oh well, another part to add to the list I'll give Ash a call tomorrow and see what he has in stock.

Thought I'd just update this thread with the outcome of the investigation/work.

Replacing the o-rings on the element was fairly straight forward, and seems to have fixed the problem. The old o-rings were very hard, and broke into pieces during removal. Interestingly, they were black, whereas the new ones (and the original boiler endplate o-ring) are red - don't know whether there's any difference between the two types, but if so it may be a reason why the element o-rings failed after only a few years.

I also replaced the switch and the p-stat, since both were playing up.

End result is that the MCL is working again. The new p-stat seems to have a wider dead band than the old one, which is a little annoying (I gather the Maters have a bit of a reputation for inconsistency), but otherwise everything is working fine. I've had the bottom off a couple of times to check for leaks, but so far all seems clean and tight.

Thanks again to everyone for suggestions and feedback - it would have been a much slower process on my own!