Posted Sun Aug 31, 2003, 10:51pm Subject: Pressure Fittings/Hose replacement
Hi All,
I have opened up my "office" machine (Saeco Maestro) which I just received from an e-bay purchase. It turns out that the pump is functional, but was not securely fastened to the unit, as the plastic pump mount was demolished. I removed the pump, and added some support, and then reinstalled. In the process, I had loosened the pressure fitting, though i could not "detach" the plastic/rubber tubing from the fitting. I ended up unscrewing the fitting from the pump to remove the pump. After installing securing device, I reinstalled pump and tightened all fittings. Unfortunately, I am now getting some leakage after water goes through pump, somewhere near the fitting, though I can not tell where.
If I need to take these measures, how do I replace the hose coming out of the pressure fitting? It is a brass elbow with threads on one side (attaches to pump) and threaded entry for tubing on other side, where the water exits. Currently, there is plastic or rubber tubing leading to group head from this elbow. If I do have to replace, could I use stronger material (metal mesh)? See attached picture for view of elbow joint
Or, if I need to, is it okay to put thread-locking plumbing compound on the pressure fitting threads, and screw it back into the pump, or will it contaminate the water supply?
Try using teflon tape instead of joint compound. Wrap it tightly around the threads and use enough so the fitting really goes in tightly.
I can't see the outlet from the photo but is the hose a hard white plastic one? If so, you may only need to push it in deeper. If I'm right the plastic hose fits into a collar that fits into the fitting. (too many fitts??) If you take a screwdriver and push down on the collar you should be able to pull out the hose at the same time.
Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can find some teflon tape. I already have the joint compound, though--do you know if it's safe to use (Harvey's brand)?
It is the white plastic hose (sorry about the bad pic). I unscrewed the collar/collet and pulled like h#ll, but still couldn't get the fitting off. Hopefully, I didn't just pull it enough to get it leaking, because I don't think that will be easy to get back on!
Thanks again, I'll keep you posted as to the machine's progress.
I think KoffeeKev said to use teflon tape *instead* of the joint compound...
My understanding of teflon tape is, it is slippery, so it reduces friction so you can push in fittings further.. ie, further along the threads, so that it doesn't leak..
is it okay to put thread-locking plumbing compound on the pressure fitting threads
NO NO NO NO NO!!!
Teflon tape will seal the threads nicely. I'm paranoid about using any thread compouind in espresso machine fittings because if even a tiny bit of it somehow works its way into the boiler it can get sucked into the feed tube that supplies the portafilter and cause a partial blockage (it happened to me on my Isomac although the compound appeared to have been used at the factory - they have since switched over to tape and/or soldered joints in areas where they used compound previously).
I just asked because I'm a cheapskate and didn't want to get the tape unless the compound shouldn't be used for some reason, like the one Phaelon56 clearly pointed out (THANKS!). I'll go pick up the tape today, and see if I can get it all sealed up properly.
Splurge a little - teflon tape should be about 69 cents to 99 cents per roll in the plumbing department of any home improvement store. If you're noty a professional plumber that roll may last a lifetime {:-)
Tip: use approximately enough tape to equal 1 1/2 turns around the pipe - don't use too much as it won't be effective then. Also - wrap it running in the direction that the fitting tightens in, i.e. on water pipes as you face the opend end of the pipe the tape should be wrapped in a clockwise direction (gas pipes often thread backwards and the direction is reveresed in that instance).
Thanks for the directions! I opened it up and put the tape on, put it all back together, and all the fittings seem solid, but it's STILL leaking (albeit, not as bad as before). I'm at my wits' end. There is a "brass tube" that sticks out the "exit" end of the Ulka pump (sorry for my technical terminology :-) ), which is able to be rotated in place with a little effort. Is it possible that this exit tube from the pump could be leaking *before* it gets to any of the fittings? If so, how do I tighten this piecee?
Hopefully KoffeeKev can weigh on in this as he's really qualified and I'm not..... but first thing is this: have you determined for certain where the leak is coming from? I had to replace my Ulka pump once and I think I used teflon tape on both ends of the pump connection. IIRC one of them can be tightened with a wrench (perhaps both?. I used a small box wrench and tightened it a bit more than finger tight but took care not to jam it down too hard. Is it possible to dry the inside and then place somethign like a paper towel under the assembly to see where the water is really dripping from? Keep in mind that you have to look carefully - as with leaks in houses, cars or anything else.... sometimes the leak makes it way from one location along another tune or connection by flowing along the outside of it before it reaches an elbow or juncture where it drips down.
I vaguley recall someone in this forum having a similar leakage problem several moonths back and it turned out to be a small split in one of the plastic hoses where it connected to a fitting. The water was slipping along the outside of the hose and then dripping down somewhere else, which made initial diagnosis difficult.
Thanks again--yeah, the difficult diagnosis is my problem, too. Doesn't leak until I turn the pump on, then there's so much water, I can't tell where it's coming from. This is why I thought it was the fitting. Unfortunately, my pump is on the bottom of the machine, so by the time it leaks, it's all over and I can't tell where it came from. I suppose I can take it all apart again and replace the hose to the boiler. I think I may have damaged it trying to get the pressure fitting off.
If I have to take this thing apart more than 2 more times, I'm just going to part it out!
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![korngold: fitting2.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/5017/fitting2.jpg", 385, 367, "korngold: fitting2.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 