Hi

Newbie here so Hello and apologies if this is an old question. I did search for an answer but may have missed it


The base plate of my 2006 La Pavoni has rusted through, which exposes the electrics to warm coffee - not good!

I've bought a new base but need to transfer everything across, including the boiler and its retaining ring. As luck would have it, the boiler retaining ring is the plastic type. Before I get the big hammers out...

Is there a replacement brass ring available with the same thread (coarse) as the plastic ring? Or do all brass rings have the fine thread?

You can see where I'm going - I need to remove the ring and transfer it to the new base. But it may break as I try to remove it. Hmm.

All advice gratefully received

Thanks in anticipation,

Chris

Well, I drilled a row of holes in the ring, enlarging then until I'd fully split the ring. I then levered it apart with a big screwdriver. Despite some sealing material sticking it to the base, it came free of the base fairly easily.

A quick call to the espresso shop revealed a coarse thread brass replacement ring. It's not advertised but if you find the fine brass ring, the notes below say to add a comment with your order, specifying the coarse thread.

Now all I've got to do is fit it all back together

The boiler ring is one of those components that LP toyed with, switching to plastic for a period and then returning to metal. They did this with the piston too. Good move changing to the brass. Plastic was a poor choice for a piece that needs to be significantly torqued to prevent boiler loosening.

My '04 LP had the plastic piston (which cracked), but had the brass boiler ring.

This vid addresses tightening the boiler ring. Many have utilized various tools (many homemade) to tackle this task. I made my own and was able to achieve ~55 ft-lbs (74Nm)