Hello all. Been using this forum for years and it has been a great resource, thank you!

I'm doing a bit of maintenance on my Dad's 15+ yo Andreja. I replaced a bunch of stuff, like the vacuum breaker, OPV, e61 valves, etc...

But, when setting the pressure of the OPV running with a blind filter I noticed water leaking around where the water leaves the boiler and goes to the e61 and OPV. Here is a picture.


You can tell it has been leaking for a while as the top of the boiler shows traces of corrosion due to periodically getting wet. However it always has gone unnoticed since it evaporates faster than it leaks at boiling temp. In the picture the boiler element is disconnected.

What is the proper way to reseal this junction? It does look like the water is coming from the interface with the boiler and not the junction to the e61 or OPV.

Thank you!

Given the shape of the pattern and the location of the small hole on something that might blow water occasionally, I wonder if there is actually a leak. Have you seen water there? Can you see it leaking?

Yes there is definitely something letting water out. Pic may be unclear but what you see in the yellow circle and bellow is a puddle of water. If machine is off and pressure released for HX then no more water. As soon as I start using the pump, the puddle returns. I've checked the safety valve and OPV, and they are bone dry (I'm running these test without boiler pressure, i.e. element disconnected).

Thanks,

Doing that indicates it come from the periphery of the Hex shape fitting into the boiler. I'm hoping someone who has done a full tear down can chime in. I may bring it in to the shop as there is a lot happening in that fitting (HX outlet, thermosiphon).

Thanks for your insight,

If the hex shaped fitting unscrews, all you need to do is pull what connects to it, unscrew it, replace the gasket and put it back in. The issue in this case is you need the right thickness gasket so it stops turning at the right place. Unless it's sealed with an O-ring and then there should be no issue with alignment.

FWIW: 73 does thread into the top of the heat exchanger. 74 then threads on to 73. They are not seated on gaskets and do require a thread sealant, I can't decide whether or not I'd try teflon tape if I were out of thread sealant, I probably would try teflon tape.
If their alignment is terribly off, ie. half a thread's depth off, I don't see any reason not to seat 73 on a copper crush washer to assist with the alignment.



In your photo I can't be certain that your Andreja is exactly the same as the one in the parts diagram, but I can wish you good luck. So long as you get it reasonably close to lined up the way it was before opening, a little bit of gentle pipe bending will solve the alignment.

That is what I am thinking as well (removal, cleaning, resealing). The OPV valve off the left side can easily get disconnected from the fitting. The brew head though is a stiff/hard connection and harder to deal with. So this is probably a bit more than I want to tackle. I'll most likely drop it off to get looked at by professional. Thanks,

Removing the threaded hex nuts may be difficult with just a hand wrench socket, in which case a small impact driver on low torque setting may work better.