Hi all,

I did a couple of searches for solutions to my issue, but can't seem to get the specific information I need. Perhaps someone else has run into the same issue as me?

I bought a vintage (pre-1974) LaPavoni Europiccola a couple of years ago, and I enjoy it tremendously. The only problem I ran into was that it had the original power cord, with no ground. The cord eventually gave up the ghost, so I had the most "well-regarded" espresso tech in my (small) city (note: there is very little in terms of espresso repair here in Halifax) replace the cord with a modern one.

That replacement meant installing a ground. I looked around here for wiring diagrams, found one, and passed it on to him. He drilled a small hole into the bottom of the boiler, installed a small screw, and attached a ground to it.

All was well for a month or so, but then a small leak began. I looked around here for a solution, and ended up buying some high-temperature pipe joint compound (with PTFE) to put into the hole with the screw. It went well for almost a year and a half, but now the leak is back.

I'm pretty much out of ideas, and there's no-one within a day's drive that has expertise with the machine. As this is the only problem, I'd really like to get it fixed and get back to my shot-pulling.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've attached a couple of images of the problem, in case that helps. Thanks in advance for any ideas you've got.

Since your highly regarded espresso technician caused the problem by drilling a hole into your boiler, maybe he'll pay for having the hole brazed?

Thanks for the thought, Dr. Gary. I will contact him about the solution. In my neck of the woods, even the "best" espresso repair folks are not necessarily schooled in vintage lever machines, so I want to be able to suggest solutions for him when I contact him.

I'm slightly (very) concerned that he's not really able to provide a solution, based on the drilling a hole into the boiler, and I'm basically useless in terms of "fixing" things.

I know you've rebuilt a couple of machines now...your suggestion would be brazing?

I'm not experienced with brazing but I've seen others suggest that. Maybe a local weld shop would help you out. It's a small hole. Whether or not your guy is experienced with lever machines drilling a hole in a boiler for grounding is about as bone headed as you can get.

Thanks again, Gary. Yeah...drilling into a highly-pressurized, liquid-containing chamber struck me as awful, too...even as a neophyte who works a desk job.

I'll look into a local weld shop, and will contact the original tech to see if he'll foot the bill.

Arrgh...now, to fix the hole and then re-ground the thing (and find a different tech to fix it!)

Perhaps whoever brazes it can attach a tab or simple connector for a grounding screw.