As per the title, the steam wand now creaks when i move it. Could this be scale? My Lizzy is about 11 months old. I don’t think it creaked when i got it (ca. two months ago). I use Lockhills water and i understand the original owner did the same.

    europa - Not to worry. It simply means the lovely silicone grease is now wearing out.

    Undo the nut carefully, as the ball valve is pushed against the tap with a spring.

    Dry the ball valve thoroughly

    Apply a thin layer of molycote 111 or other food grade silicone grease on its surface;

    Apply a little bit on the o-ring inside the nut where the ball valve rests.

    Carefully push it back in, straight and level, making sure you do not cross-thread!

    Job done.

      7 days later

      Just got around to doing this… Didn’t realise how tricky it would be to get that nut back on! Anyway job done and it still creaks. Any ideas?

      It doesn’t look like you lubed well enough? Were all the surfaces completely dry? In essence you want to put grease where any part touch on another part.

      Also don’t move it about loads until it’s hot….because that graunching might be the lower O ring

      As @MediumRoastSteam said, it does sound like a lubrication issue.

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      Overtightened the nut?

      Thanks, guys. Nut was only hand tightened, so it’s not that. The surfaces were completely dry. Any previous grease was completely gone. The silicone grease i used - FilterLogic CFL651 - seems quite thin…i did take the nut off and put a bit more on….but maybe i need to be even more generous with it!

      Re the o ring, that didn’t come out with the nut (so i left it in place). Should i remove it to grease it as well? Also, should i not be doing this procedure when the machine is cold?

        europa - You lubricate when the machine is cold. You do not need to remove the o-ring from the inside of the nut. Things are less noisy when the machine is warm. :-)

          The o ring was not inside the nut… It was stuck to the machine. Hence why I was asking if I should remove it to lubricate it.

            europa - Sorry. I’m getting confused it seems. I’m not sure which o-ring your are referring to then.

            If this o-ring is on the “tap” itself (I don’t remember as I’ve done mine a while back), then just add some grease on the surface as it will touch the ball valve. The ball valve moves against it, so it should be well lubricated.

            Hope this helps, and hope I’m speaking about the right o-ring.

              Sorry, I guess I’m not explaining it very well. I’m referring to the o ring that goes in the groove within the nut. When I remove the nut it doesn’t come out with the nut, but rather stays stuck in the machine…

                europa - Yeah. Sorry, without a picture, I’m finding it hard to picture the o-ring you are referring to. Really sorry. Maybe Someone else could help.

                    Check the ends of the spring for roughness / coarse marks from grinding. If rough, carefully rub the ends on an oilstone or a piece of very fine wet & dry paper.

                    Any roughness causes the spring to catch and drag = creaking as it moves.

                    europa The white O ring plays no part in the creaking noise, it’s simply a seal against leaks (it’s a hard PTFE seal). The part that needs lubricating is the O ring here…if it’s split, the ball of the wand may be rubbing against the metal of the nut. Check it and see if it’s OK. The spring will sit on a metal cup (which itself sits on the ball of the wand) with a large hole in it and that needs to be lubricated as well

                    The O ring actually looks out of place…which won’t help

                    Contact me

                      Remove the cup and spring,slide the nutdown the wand, unscrew the ball joint using the 2 small flats with a spanner taking care not to lose or damage the tiny ‘O’ ring.

                      Slide the nut off the wand and carefully remove the (misplaced) ‘O’ ring and check for damage / nicks.

                      Wipe out the nut,lubricate and refit ‘O’ ring and reassemble. That spring does look rough on the end.

                        Got it. Will give that a go in the morning. Thanks!