JotaDe wrote:Hi folks, I've been diagnosing a leak on my BES990 (oracle touch) and it's coming from the 3 probes on the steam boiler (Breville Oracle Touch - Need to debug and repair heating issues). I already replaced the larger o-rings, but the leak is specially coming out of the top of the probe so I purchased 5 x 2 x 1.5mm o-rings o-rings for that. My question now is how do I get those little o-rings into place without damaging them? I can't see how to disassemble the probe so the o-rings need to stretch a good bit to get in place. Is that how folks do it (maybe with some silicone lube)?

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Others seem to have done it, including fauxk from page 94.
Breville Dual Boiler Mods and Maintenance

My probes look a bit different - no o-ring at the bottom. They were hissing out the top. I applied some food safe grease in between the ceramic and the metal and the hissing stopped (for now).

https://ibb.co/hZ97JWj

Hi all! I'm sure someone can offer an insight. I'm looking at a used BES920XL on FB Marketplace. The gentleman says he's had it for 5 years; sent it back last year for "some leaking O-rings and an error when descaling." So he's had it back from Breville for a year; says it pulls shots just fine but the pressure gauge tops out at 3 the last few months. Selling because he has a newer machine. Asking $600, and he agreed to let me pull a test shot and everything prior to completing the sale.

After having read this entire thread, I obviously have some "descaling" concerns but hopefully they've been alleviated if it's been factory-overhauled in the last year. What are the odds this is just a janky gauge issue? Anything else to look out for? THX
(Edit: I'm happy to move this post somewhere else more appropriate if someone suggests it.)

More than likely the pump is going out. Decently easy to replace.

Pop the top cover to ensure that no other leaks are present.

Check to see if steam function works.

Run the secret diagnostic menu to ensure that all 3 heating elements get to temps.

I may be wrong but I do not think that machines sent to Breville for repairs get factory-overhauled. I think they fix only the issues that are reported by the customer before sending the machine in.

Thanks all; that's helpful. I remember reading about the troubleshooting menu but not having the machine yet, I let that penguin slip off the ol' iceberg. I'll definitely rustle it up before going to look at the machine. (Still next weekend, unfortunately.)

Alloftheabove wrote:Thanks for confirming these aren't coming off too easy.

I think you might be misreading your calipers. While still on the probe I got something around 5mm outside diameter which wiggles a little bit inside the ceramic. The probe shaft is around 2.55mm diameter.

These rings are smaller than anything I have on hand. Maybe they use 1.3mm CS x 2.5mm ID metric rings? I can only find them in nitrile.

Size 004 might be tight, but a large online retailer has some silicone 5mm x 2mm x 1.5's that might do the trick.

EDIT: 5 x 2 x 1.5mm o-rings do work. Problem solved on my end.

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Wanted to confirm that I ordered the same o-ring from that big online shopping site and it also fixed my steam probe leak! So happy I didn't have to order new probes.

I should note that when I first pulled the steam level probe from the boiler and removed the c-clip at the top and slid the ceramic insulator up to look, that I didn't see the original o-ring. It was only after I found this thread and went back and looked again that I was able to uncover it. It can stay stuck pretty high on the shaft and be hard to see. But it's there! So for about $7 I have enough o-rings to keep these probes going indefinitely. Thanks!

Hi All - I recently picked up a 900xl that was 'working', but I found out quickly that it wasn't working well. Mostly, it just seemed like it had several of the historical leaks from different places, and as I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to dive into overhauling it. I went ahead and replaced all the o-rings, and noticed the solenoid leaking - took that off and found a whole mess under there. The previous owner I think doctored an o-ring in place of the gasket. It was all corroded and gross. So I actually sourced a new solenoid and gasket set, as well as the updated group head assembly and collar. I even descaled it (painstakingly, as it is a 900 - I even wrote an ifixit guide for it https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+Des ... ler/157892)

That's all in and grand. However, now I have a new problem - well, it might have been there all along, I don't know. What seems to happen, is when the machine is hot for awhile, the pump doesn't seem to kick on when I pull a shot. It hums in preinfusion, but it never kicks in. Even if I set PI to 0, the same thing happens. I generally need to shut the machine off, and wait for it to cool some. Inevitably, when I turn it back on, the pump will kick on and refill the boiler. It ALSO seems that this lack of the pump running results in an empty, angry boiler that will runaway heat on me.

My question is -Is the pump bad? Is that the problem? I think so, so I have a new one sitting on my bench, and I'm just awaiting my brass OPV to arrive before I replace it. But I'd like to understand if I'm missing something. Ideally, when I button this thing back up, it will have all its important guts replaced, and will hum along with no problem, but I'm wondering if the boiler not refilling is sensor related, or something else, and if I still wind up with a problem even after the overhaul. I welcome your thoughts!

For ease of the frequent O-ring replacements in my BDB (920) I didn't reattach the screws at the back and next to the group, but safely stored them in a rarely used saucer on the shelf. As we all know, stainless steel has a tendency to evaporate at room temperature, so the screws are now gone.

After the bdb steam valve finally broke down (corrosion, terrible water, after 7 years), I changed to a Bianca, but want to send the BDB in for paid service and then sell it.

What screws do I need/where can I get them to make it fit for service, or will Breville not care if screws are missing? Or is there a marketplace where I'll get good value for the defective machine?

Ps. Before I get yelled at, Yes, I changed the water supply for the new machine (Bianca) and hope for better longevity.