ChannelingTatum wrote:Long time lurker here. Have a 1year old BDB 920. Steam level probe ceramic feedthroughs all leak.

Took the probes out and it didn't even seem like there were o-rings inside the ceramic part. Very loose. Did Breville ship some units missing the orings entirely?

I replaced the other steam orings myself. Should I buy the tiny silicone 5x2x1.5mm orings and install them myself? Do you use tweezers to pull them up over the thicker metal bit at the bottom of the ceramic piece?

Or do folks advise just buying entirely new level probe assemblies.

Thanks in advance.

Hi ChannelingTatum, just wondering which method you decide on going with?

Much thanks to luvmy40 to the details instructions that gave me the confidence to take apart and inspect my probe (yellow one was leaking as well).



Adding a photo for the benefit of the community. My tiny white O ring was stuck in the ceramic part. Took some wiggling to get it out. You probably can't tell from the photos but under careful review, it appears dried up with minor cracks - which explains why steam/water was seeping through when under pressure.

Personal for myself I would opt for the replacement O rings, unfortunately I could not find any locally and to import them would be slightly cheaper than replacing the probes themselves. So I went with the latter - had to do the sing and dance of waiving the liability waiver.

Cheers mate

Hi ChannelingTatum, just wondering which method you decide on going with?

Much thanks to luvmy40 to the details instructions that gave me the confidence to take apart and inspect my probe (yellow one was leaking as well).

Espresso Machines - Breville Dual Boiler, five+ years on

Adding a photo for the benefit of the community. My tiny white O ring was stuck in the ceramic part. Took some wiggling to get it out. You probably can't tell from the photos but under careful review, it appears dried up with minor cracks - which explains why steam/water was seeping through when under pressure.

Personal for myself I would opt for the replacement O rings, unfortunately I could not find any locally and to import them would be slightly cheaper than replacing the probes themselves. So I went with the latter - had to do the sing and dance of waiving the liability waiver.

Cheers mate

Hi Javabean604,

I ended up purchasing the silicone 5x2x1.5mm o-rings and installing them myself. Like you the original o-ring was stuck up in the ceramic piece. i used a sewing needle to jab at it and then pull down. i don't exactly recall how i got the old o-rings off once i dislodged them from the ceramic part. but extracting from the ceramic piece was the harder part for me.

once the smaller o-ring had been replace i had a tough time getting the probe re-seated back into the boiler. i ended up removing the larger (main) o-ring, pushing it down into the receiving gland on the top of the boiler--then reinserting the probe assembly down into the boiler.

i have not tackled replacement of the side probe.

in the future i'd consider purchasing new probe assemblies since there's a risk of breaking the ceramic. maybe other folks have gentler methods but I was worried about chipping the lower end of the ceramic bit.

Gosh it sure is a good feeling afterwards when the machine heats up and all the hissing is gone. those steam leaks are no joke--quite a lot of moisture was accumulating inside. My solenoid has a slight leak so i get drips in the basket after warmup--but it's not too bad and i always dry the basket before grinding. My steam wand similarly has a drop clinging to it after warmup but again not bad. I'll tackle those leaks someday.

Hope you have luck fixing your leaks!

Recently purchased a new 2023 manufactured BES920 and paired it with a 1ZPresso K-Max hand grinder which is fast and simple for mid-light roasts. All is working well and I'm still learning to get the best out of this machine.

I'm using a popular three stage filtered water from the supermarket that includes a Reverse Osmosis stage to produce a zero TDS product. Although some have measured variations in PH levels, below 7 typically (acidic).

I bought some Third Wave remineraliser sachets as I haven't yet sourced minerals to make my up a remineralising recipe.

Some of the sachets have expanded with air even though they are still sealed.

Not all the white particles dissolve regardless how much I beat with a whisk.

I've talked with the roaster of a bean I like and they haven't got a water recipe but they otherwise seem quite sophisticated:
https://www.sevenmiles.com.au/pages/learn

They seem to prefer filtering tap water down to an acceptable TDS and descaling instead of zeroing TDS and remineralising.

The scales I purchased auto Tare on startup and fit easily on the tray of the BDB, the Rino Single Dose scale:
https://rhinocoffeegear.com/rhino-coffe ... e-1kg.html



The OPV is set to around 10.5 Bar which requires adjustment. I'll likely swap the OEM for brass versions.

I'll be playing around with the Slayer flow control methods, including the programmable pre-infusion variants and full Slayer Mod with switch removal.

Is it possible to replace the steam wand with an insulated version from another Breville or even another brand?

I think the water quality needs more work. Getting the PH to neutral and more control over remineralisation should fix it.

Looking forward to getting the best out of this awesome little machine.

Cheers,
Nick

I am hearing what sounds like air leaking from the steam boiler. I took the top cover off but I can't tell exactly where it is coming from.

Where is the best place to start here? I don't know how to isolate where the sound is coming from. Should I just start replacing o rings? I bought the 007 size.

Edit - there is water spurting out from the top of the connection with the blue wire on the left side of the picture. Can I take that out and just replace the 007 o ring?

Here is a video of the leak. I took the probe out but the o ring looked fine. I couldn't take the probe all the way out because there wasn't enough room to maneuver with the blue line zip tied down. What do I need to do from here?

That leak is from the the tiny little o-ring that seals the steel probe into the insulator.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MT ... =UTF8&th=1

If your machine is nearing the 2 year mark, Id suggest replacing all of the O-Rings in the steam circuit.

Thank you. Is there a tutorial anywhere on how to replace this o-ring?

How do you disconnect the wire from the probe? Pull the black rubber piece?

Yes, it might take some wiggling but it should just pull off.