I bought a Quickmill Lucca M58 in 2015. We would love it except for one thing - I need to figure out a way to repair it. Shortly after we bought it (within 6 months) it began making a spitting and sputtering sound whenever the boiler was turned on that runs the steam wand and hot water accessory. It also dripped water continually out of the black horizontal (overflow?) component on the bottom right area of the Lucca (only visible if you pull out the drain pan). This only happens if the steam/hot water boiler is on.

In order to froth milk we have went through several stand alone frothers and this actually works "OK" - it is just annoying that we own what we thought was at least a mid grade espresso machine but we can't use the steam wand or the hot water dispenser.

Ideas?

It's normal to see water sputtering out of the tray vent as the boiler is warming up because the anti-vacuum valve on the boiler is open. As the boiler gets up to pressure, the valve slowly closes until it is fully closed and the sputtering should stop. If water is continually coming out of the vent, even when the boiler pressure reaches it's set limit, then the anti-vacuum valve seal is most probably bad. If the problem is the anti-vacuum valve, it's a relatively easy fix if you're mechanically inclined to tackle it yourself. It could be as simple as cleaning and replacing an o-ring.

This is the parts diagram for your machine...
https://links.imagerelay.com/cdn/2615/q ... d_View.pdf

On page 3A, number 7, part number OT0992VA is the vacuum valve assembly. You can get this part from ChrisCoffee...
https://www.chriscoffee.com/products/qm ... -opv-combo

I am not familiar with your machine as I never worked on it so I can't say for sure if the part above is the complete assembly you need. The best thing to do is call ChrisCoffee technical help and explain what's happening with your machine. Even if you didn't buy it from them, they handle Quick Mill machines and will be glad to help you and let you know exactly what you need to purchase.

That sputtering sound is probably the vacuum valve. If it stops after the steam boiler gets up to pressure, everything is working normally. Just wait 15 or so minutes and it should stop. If it doesn't, it's probably not sealing completely. It is connected to that drain on the back of the drip pan you mentioned, so if water is dripping out of that that's pretty normal. If it never stops, that also is an indicator that it's not sealing properly. These can get scale build sometimes or some other blockage. Fortunately it's one of the easiest repairs to do. Here's a link to a video on Clive Coffee about how to replace that part on the M58:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcoopDOv2dE

Here's an exploded diagram of the machine:
https://links.imagerelay.com/cdn/2615/q ... d_View.pdf

If you need, here's their instructions on taking off the side/back panels:
https://support.clivecoffee.com/quick-m ... el-removal

You guys are awesome! If this is the source of my problem, it looks like an easy fix!

By the way, the sputtering does not stop after the machine has been warmed up - it never stops. It became so annoying I eventually just left the steam/hot water boiler off.

The video from Clive Coffee is perfect. - I am just a little perturbed because I have spoken to CLive Coffee (where I bought my machine) on the phone about this issue several times and I have exchanged emails with tech support several times as well. I guess I just never got ahold of someone "in the know".

I will contact Clive Coffee and purchase the valve!

Thanks again - if this fixes my problem I will be overjoyed!

I find it difficult to believe nobody at Clive could help you with this. A vacuum valve not sealing is a common failure on all kinds of machines. As I stated before, you could call ChrisCoffee and talk to one of the techs, explain what's happening, and see what they say.

In any case good luck with your machine... hope a new part will fix it for you.