La Marzocco Linea Mini small leak?

#1: Post by **mikkelj** » July 12th, 2023, 7:31 am

Hello everyone!

My mini has been leaking for a bit now just a few drops here and there so nothing major, but it's still annoying!
Has anyone got a clue where it's coming up? I have upgraded to a silicone gasket in Dec 2022, so I don't think it's that, and I don't know how it could leak could end up there if it's the gasket. Any help would be appreciated

#2: Post by **JRising** » July 12th, 2023, 8:19 am

From somewhere above that point. Have you opened it and looked to see?
It's definitely not the group gasket, because then it would drip down the portafilter. Hopefully it's just one of those blue tee fittings has disintegrated due to a vacuum breaker leak. Perhaps it's one of the fittings on the grouphead... But if you have the machine with you, you're more likely to be able to look for where the leak originates than we are.

#3: Post by **Jake_G** » July 12th, 2023, 1:08 pm

I'd bet money on the water screw.

It looks like you had the brew group powder coated. When you did this, did you mask the sealing surface for the water screw?

At any rate, the water screw is one where LM uses a thick sealing agent such as loxeal 18-10 at the factory and many service techs end up using blue monster thread tape when the factory seal doesn't last.

Hope this helps!

- Jake

July 12th, 2023, 3:56 pm

Hey Jake

I did not do the power coating myself, but I took the mini fully apart and then dropped the parts off at the coating company. So I'm not quite sure. I don't even know where this would be at or what it looks like

July 12th, 2023, 3:59 pm

i did open up once but it doesn't always leak so i didn't spot anything then. But i should give it another go and hope it leaks when i have it open

#6: Post by **Jake_G** » July 12th, 2023, 5:07 pm

mikkelj wrote:Hey Jake

I did not do the power coating myself, but I took the mini fully apart and then dropped the parts off at the coating company. So I'm not quite sure. I don't even know where this would be at or what it looks like

Item 1 below:

#7: Post by **Janika79** » July 12th, 2023, 5:53 pm

I am having the same problem. Once in a while it drops from the same spot. I feel it's happening more when the extraction takes longer, more than 30 sec. I have not taken apart my machine, it just started to drop one day. Couldn't figure out where it is coming from, but I will look at the screw Jake mentioned.

#8: Post by **Jake_G** » July 12th, 2023, 11:23 pm

I updated the photo and item number in my earlier post.

The first post showed the temperature sensor. The new one shows the actual water screw. They do sometimes leak.

Cheers!

- Jake

July 16th, 2023, 7:22 am

Hey jake

i have recorded a video is this the screw? https://streamable.com/6630ad

July 16th, 2023, 11:26 am

You can't see the screw in that video, because it is under the bracket for the paddle switch, but given the discoloration behind the bayonet screw, my money is still on the water screw being the culprit.

You can see in the image below how the paddle switch bracket (number 14 in the bubble) nests over the integrated brew group (IBG):

This blocks your view from where you shot the video, but the water stain on the IBG matches perfectly with the water screw.

Cheers!

- Jake