Abecker wrote:That's a good point I was just thinking about a solution since I won't be plumbed to a drain.

Then get a "t" and connect both to the same hose going to the tank. Easy peasy

La Marzocco GS/3 steam wand installed. I got the parts from Espresso Parts (https://www.espressoparts.com/)

1 - MZ_404-(MZ_404) La Marzocco GS3 Steam Wand
1 - MZ_208-(MZ_208) La Marzocco Stainless Steel Steam Wand Tip
1 - MZ_405-(MZ_405) La Marzocco SteamWand Heat Protector
1 - W15295 - Steam Wand Anti-scorch Clip - 8 mm

I still need to order the "anti scorch clip" to hang on to while moving it... even with the rubber protector, that sucker gets hot! The part number from espresso parts is W15295. Learned about this from Brandon after I had placed the order.

Tools needed:
24 mm wrench
22 mm wrench
9 mm wrench
17 mm wrench

Plastic trim tools (to remove covers)

Fairly easy process...

1. Turn off and disconnect the machine and wait for it to cool down.
2. Remove the covers
3. Loosen flair nut on the pipe that goes to the steam valve - using 17 mm wrench



4. Using the 24 mm wrench, loosen the nut that prevents the steam assembly from turning. Once loose, pull out the steam valve assembly just a tad (to avoid scratching the outside cover when you turn it) and turn into position.
5. Tighten the 24 mm nut again. Make sure you hold the valve assembly from the other side to avoid it turning. You could use another wrench on the outside, but I did not have the need... great because it means no accidental marks on the outside...
6. Use the open end of a 22 mm wrench and loosen the double nut on the steam wand... easy does it.
7. Use a 22 mm close wrench (I found this to be best as you can slide it on the want until you get to the nut... and avoid scratches or marks from an open wrench) and loosen the big nut that holds the wand in place. Because there is a spring inside, this will have resistance all the way until the nut is completely out... then "pop" goes the weasel... wand is out. There is a rubber o-ring inside... make sure you do not loose it along with the rest of the stuff in there.
8. You will need to reuse that nut that holds the wand in place, so grab the 9 mm open wrench and loosen the ball mount from the steam wand pipe. Slide the nut out. Sorry... forgot the photo before... but here you can see what I mean, the nut was already removed... but this is the stock wand and that is the balled tip you remove to slide the nut out:



9. Slide nut in the new wand, insert the o-ring... bolt it all back into the steam valve assembly...




Admire your work with a glass of water, wine, beer, whiskey... whatever, because you can't do so with coffee since you now have to wait for the machine to warm up again

Now I can have the wand completely out of the way!






I will have to test performance to see how this setup compares. The stock setup (tip) on the LR is amazing at steaming perfect milk... No, I am no expert, but it was so easy the THREE times I tried it, hehehehe

The drip tray is flat. There is no inclined surface to the hole in the middle of the tray. So water would sit around the drip tray. Table is leveled, tray is leveled, without any inclined around the drain hole, water would just sit. Easy fix...

Grabbed some rubber pads... a smooth metal ball tool used for removing dents from metal... placed tray on the rubber pads, used some thick leather between the tray and the metal tool... hit it with a big hammer and voila!

Perfect indentation and now the water flows to the drain...

This one was kind of hard to photograph... but you get the idea... needed an inclined for all sides of drain hole...

Hi Jamie, I love that you are documenting this for us all to see and learn from. Thank you very much. I was hoping to get one of these machines this year but it did not work out for me. I am thankful that I can live vicariously through you.

I wanted to let you know that I installed the Lunar into the drip tray of my BDB a few months back and quickly returned to the stock drip tray. I really liked the look of the built in scale and the idea of always having it there. In practice, I didn't like it. I clean my portafilter by running group water over it after the shot. If I did not move the scale, I frequently got the H20 warning and that kinda effected my workflow in a negative way. I was always worried about damaging the scale and I had to wipe it down all the time cause of the weight of the water on the scale and also the H20 warning. It is weird, I always wipe down my drip tray grate and keep it super clean but there was something more PITA about having the scale in there. If I didn't want to deal with the H20 warning or having the scale flushed upon, I had to reach in and pull it out of its nest. This was more trouble than it was worth. After a week I went back to the stock drip tray. It was less trouble to have the scale sitting on the grate and sliding it out of the way when I needed to flush the group or clean the portafilter. I know that the workflow with a lever can be different but I don't have any actual experience with it. When I was considering doing this mod to my machine, I could not find much information about how people liked it in actual operation. I am interested to hear how you get on with the mod from an operational standpoint. Please let me know how it works out for you.

Interesting... I do not have an ACAIA scale... not yet anyway. I bought the insert because of experiences that I have had with cools modifications like these... I see some cool modifications and years from now that company no longer exists and I can't find whatever I waited to get later... So I got the insert and put it away. My plan was to buy a second grate insert and have the ability to go back to stock...

But I kept looking at Brandon's photos... and at my machine... I think about spilled coffee getting on the sides of the insert and the scale... and I just like seeing the machine with its original tray intact... I don't mind sliding the scale from under the machine (where I store it) and sliding it to the side when I am done reaching the output I want.

I too, like you, remove the portafilter, flush the shower screen, I knock out the puck, make sure the portafilter rim is clean, insert portafilter, flush (to get coffee residue from the basket holes), and dry both the portafilter and shower screen with a towel... I then dry the tray and anywhere water might have reached... towel hangs from the cart drawer pull handle




I do this with a bowl under the grouphead... nothing goes to the drip tray... and when pulling the shot, I use a scoop to catch the running pour as I slide the cup and scale to the side... So nothing would fall on the scale if it was inserted in the tray...still, I am having a hard time modifying the tray only because of looks...

All that to say that I will not be making that mod right now... thank you for your input as it validates a few concerns that I had.

I'm curious if anyone knows how much condensate is emitted by that valve. Seems to me if it vents steam into the interior of the machine, it might be so little that I could simply connect to this "stone" beneath the machine and let it emit / evaporate.

Is this a nutty idea? Or more precisely, nuttier than depositing it back into the water reservoir?

https://kegfactory.com/products/oxygen- ... =recomatic

So far nobody complained about that issue (anti-vac steam), you are more likely to have failures on other components or grid in some piping.
For example I hear little hiss in my case, but my cycle is over minute (always test after one hour of operation).

For mods:
I think maybe isolating boiler would lower cost of running machine, but so far Reiss seems opposed to that idea...

I needed to replace that valve as mine was faulty... the photo you see of the two are the new valve Reiss sent me and the one I bought.

I happened to run across a blog [anonymized] made where he did a similar mod. I like the idea and went with it. I do not have any plans of ever letting go of this machine and saw this as a mod that helps keep water/vapor outside and not inside the cabinet... maybe not needed as you mentioned but since I had to change the valve anyway...

msimanyi wrote:I'm curious if anyone knows how much condensate is emitted by that valve. Seems to me if it vents steam into the interior of the machine, it might be so little that I could simply connect to this "stone" beneath the machine and let it emit / evaporate.

Is this a nutty idea? Or more precisely, nuttier than depositing it back into the water reservoir?

https://kegfactory.com/products/oxygen- ... =recomatic

Unsure at what kind of back pressure that would create...

I would think it would be much easier to tee-off the hose already going to the tank...

In my case, since I had installed the drain kit, found it easy just to route there...

wachuko wrote:I needed to replace that valve as mine was faulty... the photo you see of the two are the new valve Reiss sent me and the one I bought.

I happened to run across a blog [anonymized] made where he did a similar mod. I like the idea and went with it. I do not have any plans of ever letting go of this machine and saw this as a mod that helps keep water/vapor outside and not inside the cabinet... maybe not needed as you mentioned but since I had to change the valve anyway...

For sure the mod can only help or keep status quo.
When you need to fix valve, you can as well change it Good thing that you recommend new copper washer, as without it some leaks are possible...