I haven't gone through the whole thread so apologies if this has been answered already but has anyone heard anything about a kit to convert a v2 to v3 model Bianca? Based on my understanding of the design it would require the solenoid with valve to regulate flow and probably an ecc update. Just curious if lelit has said anything about a kit for the upgrade?

Upgrade kit is available, kit numbers are:
4000062 kit 220-240v
4000061 kit 120v
In Poland kit costs approx 350Euro.

As an owner of a V3 I wouldn't recommend V2 owners to upgrade. I think the benefits are too half-baked to justify this amount of money. Wait for the V4 and its upgrade kits.

Regarding the Blue Plastic Y-Connector and the kit to replace it.
My apologies, in attempting to split that tangent off into its own thread, I seem to have deleted the posts.

But, in response, No, there shouldn't be that much flow through the various boiler-top valves causing you to have to dump the drip tray constantly. That much flow is what disintegrated your blue-plastic fitting in the first place. I strongly suspect a constant leak over the vacuum breaker. That constant steaming broke down the (admittedly crappy) blue plastic allowing it to crumble as it did. It won't break down the brass, but it is still a problem worth fixing.

The last two mornings I've noticed a small puddle under the machine after warming up, before I pull a shot. I took the top cover off and observed it from a cold start, and I see that the brass fitting on the inside going to the steam wand is dripping. Water is dripping from the silver threads between the brass fittings, and falling down onto the white back of the LCC display. The dripping is worse when the steam wand valve is open.

Should I attempt to tighten this fitting myself? Disconnect and add/replace plumbers tape? Send it in for repair? Just removing the top cover was as hands-on as I've even been with the internals (not a DIY repair expert).

There should be no plumber's tape. The thin nut just holds the valve to the machine, there's no seal to make there. The larger nut just holds the copper tubing's compression fitting end tightly against the valve. The seal is made between the slightly softer tube fitting being forced into the angled fitting of the back end of the valve. The nut simply holds it tightly in place, it doesn't seal anything.

The quick and simple job is to loosen the large nut. Hold the valve body firmly, do not let it rotate in the front panel of the machine, If you mark the face facing up, you can tighten it back to exactly that position when re-assembling, then just the tiniest bit more. Compression fittings can be re-tightened several times before needing to be replaced. Once the nut is loose, examine the fitting for anything obvious, like if it's actually cracked or anything, then reassemble and test.

A slightly longer job would have the valve removed also, once the nut at the back is off, the thin nut can be removed and the valve will come off from the machine. Examine the threaded end of the valve for a crack if you think it's possible that the leak was actually coming from there. Shipping damage can give the valve body a sideways whack and crack it where it passes through the frame of the machine.

major_dickason wrote:The last two mornings I've noticed a small puddle under the machine after warming up, before I pull a shot. I took the top cover off and observed it from a cold start, and I see that the brass fitting on the inside going to the steam wand is dripping. Water is dripping from the silver threads between the brass fittings, and falling down onto the white back of the LCC display. The dripping is worse when the steam wand valve is open.

Should I attempt to tighten this fitting myself? Disconnect and add/replace plumbers tape? Send it in for repair? Just removing the top cover was as hands-on as I've even been with the internals (not a DIY repair expert).

I had the exact same problem in the exact same spot as I described earlier in this thread. In my case it was due to an overtightened steam delivery tube compression fitting at the factory and was resolved by a replacement tube from the retailer. If you bought new l suggest calling the place you bought it and explaining since they may send you a new part. If you bought used you can find the replacement part here. Make sure you check the parts diagrams here first.

It's an easy fix to remove and replace the tube at both ends with I think maybe a 15mm or 17mm open end wrench. Just don't overtighten

JRising wrote: The quick and simple job is to loosen the large nut. Hold the valve body firmly, do not let it rotate in the front panel of the machine, If you mark the face facing up, you can tighten it back to exactly that position when re-assembling, then just the tiniest bit more.

This worked! I marked the fitting, and backed it all the way off. There was no visible damage to the nut, the fitting, or the threads. I reseated the fitting and screwed the nut back in, just ~5 degrees more than before. I tested again, and no leaks! There was the tiniest bit of steam that escaped from the fitting when I opened the valve for the steam wand for the first time, but I could not repeat it. Thank you!

Hi Bianca friends,

I was trying to screw off the handle of my Bianca portafilter and at the beginning it won't even loose at 100C. After applying much amount of heat to the metal part, the wood handle finally did come off, but only the wood with female threads. Is Bianca portafilter designed to be so with male metal head and female wood handle? Or if I did something wrong, please dont hesitate to advice!


MH

No. If you had been lucky the threaded rod would have stayed in the handle and allowed the portafilter to unscrew.

Can you get two nuts onto it, tighten them against each other to give you a good lock on the exposed threads and then reheat & try again?