Water Leaks/Pours Over Tank Lip When I Move DE1XL - Will A Lid Solve This?

JHCCoffee

I need to regularly slightly move my DE1XL on my kitchen counter. Water leaks/pours over the lip of the water tank when I move it, especially if it is filled with 1.5 or more litres of water. Will the Decent lid solve this?

The Decent stainless steel lid comes with 2 tubes to be connected to the DE1. As per Decent: Two short silicone tubes are included to attach to the front water return ports under the Decent machine. This is to prevent water from building on top due to the spluttery nature of those water ports.

Is this tube connection necessary if I am not using the refill kit?

Also FYI, as it will cost $90 USD ($125 CND) for the lid, plus another $75 CND for shipping, what are the pros and cons of using an after market lid like this: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1455875593/

I am also thinking of putting slider pads on the back feet (only), to facilitate this movement. This will result in the machine being not perfectly level. Would this be a concern?

Thank all.

DavecUK

JHCCoffee I need to regularly slightly move my DE1XL on my kitchen counter. Water leaks/pours over the lip of the water tank when I move it, especially if it is filled with 1.5 or more litres of water. Will the Decent lid solve this?

Unless it’s a snap tight fit like Tupperware, I would think water would still slop up and come over the side, probably not as much, as the lid will help to contain it (by preventing up the wave of water that tried to go straight over the side).

JammyDodger

JHCCoffee
I imagine the water is moving due to the sudden jolt when you move the machine. It uses suction pads (a design borrowed by La Marzocco when they came up with the Micra) to keep it rock solid on the countertop as it is a lighter machine than others.

I wouldn’t imagine you need to buy the lid. If you remove the suction feet and replace them with felt, it should make moving it much easier. This should stop the jolting which is causing the water to spill out of the reservoir. You can always put the suction feet back on if you need to in future.

tompoland

JHCCoffee I have the sworksdesign lid and if it’s the same then (a) it is not sealed, more designed to keep dust out so yes it will still spill water if moved and (b) yes, the tubes are necessary to prevent water sitting on top of the lid.

Dusk

Would it be possible to put a foodsafe baffle in the tank so it can’t move so much, could probably wedge a tupperware lid in there or something to test?

JHCCoffee

JammyDodger I wouldn’t imagine you need to buy the lid. If you remove the suction feet and replace them with felt, it should make moving it much easier. This should stop the jolting which is causing the water to spill out of the reservoir. You can always put the suction feet back on if you need to in future

Great minds think alike. I just bought some sliders. With my prior Lelit I placed them on the back feet, worked like a charm. I will install them tomorrow.

JHCCoffee

Thanks @tompoland. I have to shift the unit every day as we do not have a ton of kitchen counter space. Keeping the Decent tucked in the corner when not in use keeps my wife happy. I then move it slightly out and angle it, when I use it. So its out during the AM and day, until late afternoon, when it’s shifted to allow more dinner prep space.

I put some sliders on the back feet and that significantly helps. Sliders on all feet causes too much slippage. Adding a cover to the water tank will also help, especially at the edges.

So I will likely get a 3D printed one, like this one: Decent Tank Lid from Etsy. Might I ask what size of hose I need (inside and outside diameter; length of each hose section), if it is easy for you to check.

tompoland

JHCCoffee what size of hose I need

I’m not sure how helpful this will be but I took the drip tray and water tray out and measured the inside of the silicon tubes and arrived at an diameter reading that fails to fill me with confidence: 4.37mm. The silicone stretches a bit but it’s still a guess as to whether that’s a 4mm or 5mm diameter. My apologies for my lack of precision. I measured several times but got the same result each time. Maybe they are 4.5mm? Obviously make sure that whatever material you use is foodsafe.

Note that if your lid has the corresponding holes with large enough diameters you may not need tubes at all. Perhaps message the Etsy seller and see what they recommend.

FYI, the tubes were challenging to fit. I needed to heat them first by soaking them in near boiling water and them squeeze them on.

On the plus side the photo gives me some potential cleaning opportunities in places I never normally get my eyeballs low enough to see!

(IMHO the lack of a sealed water enclosure is a design shortcoming of the DE machines and for a machine of this price a lid should have been created long ago and shipped with the machine. One of a few shortcomings in an otherwise truly remarkable macine.)

JHCCoffee

@tompoland

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to check this, Tom! It was/is, as always, most helpful. You are, as they say, a scholar and a gentleman. Thanks again.