Good evening, our 11 month old Lelit Elizabeth, still under warranty for some weeks, is now at the repair shop for approximately two weeks. Yesterday my wife tried to make a cappuccino, and the steam knob stopped turning, so the steam continued until we put the machine off and wait for it to cool down. I must say I never appreciated that plastic knob, and that wand leaking frequently comparing with a previous HX machine, a Quickmill Andreja.

The seller said that we put too much pressure on the knob and at first didn’t want to repair it under warranty. I had to convince her that we didn’t misuse that poor Lelit, but it wasn’t nice to hear, and to deal about it.

Should I be worried about the Elizabeth and it’s longevity? I’m contemplating the idea to sell it to the store and grab a Mara X instead. Or pick another similar machine.

    Fredcafe Elizabeth seems a reasonably reliable machine that’s sold in large quantities. Without examining theachine, it would be difficult to know what happened. E.g. was the steam knob turning or jammed when you couldn’t turn the steam off?

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        DavecUK Hello Dave, at first the knob was rotating, but without stopping the steam at all. She turned it some times and it jammed in the open position. Because it was under warranty I didn’t want to open it, as I did many times with my previous machine. But it never worked nicely. I should add it’s a demo machine that made around 50 coffees before I bought it in January.

          Either the little metal flat bit has come out, the knob is too far out, or you’ve turned it so hard it’s rounded off. Pull the knob out an have a look….use pliers on the metal valve stem (it has a flat on it), to work the valve a bit to close it.

          Take photo of inside of knob and we can see what’s what. When you close the wand, it shouldn’t be too hard, just enough to stop the steam, the lightest pressure, and you don’t need to open it to the stop either. If it drips after closing as the valve cools, only then give it a little fingertip tighten (just enough)…keep a steam jug under it when first closing it.

          This is because the valve changes dimension when it cools and opens fractionally…people overtightening that type of valve is why they don’t last 20 years (which they should when used correctly).

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          Thank you Dave, have a nice evening.