Lelit Elizabeth - vapour release/vacuum breaker?

creditchris

Hi everyone, my Lelit Elizabeth has recently developed a symptom for which I need a hand diagnosing. There is a continual release of steam and water from the bottom left into the drip tray. This is slowly emptying the water tank across the day and often leaking onto the counter top. I attached a video of what’s going on. Reading around it might be the vacuum breaker?

Any tips would be immensely helpful! Thanks so much, Chris

DavecUK

creditchris It’s most likely to be the vacuum breaker

I made an annotated diagram for you

Just replace the vacuum breaker and use water with less calcium in. I can’t remember if it can be removed and cleaned inside easily…but you could give that a try. When removing clean the threads well and put back using 7-9 wraps of PTFE tape, so it feels tightish all the way in, but don’t snug it down, stop close to the bottom when at the right angle.

Volodey_li

DavecUK Hi) I have the same Lelit Elizabeth and have hissing from the fitting in the center of vapor boiler, that one with push/pull ring, but i dont know what is it for and how is it called and cant even google it. So could you please tell me its name? I think as it has other fitting way (push/pull), so a teflon tape wont help and I have to replace it, am I right?

TotalShanner

DavecUK

Hi Dave,
I have just received a new anti vac valve, I have the exact same issue where steam in constantly running into the drip tray.

I’m trying to remove the old anti vac valve but its not budging, I don’t want to force it too much as the who boiler flexes from side to side when I try turn the anti vac with a spanner.

Edit - I meant to mention that the rubber tube attached to the top seems to just stretch when I pull on it, maybe I should have ordered a length of tube too?

Am I just being too delicate? Any tips on how to get a bit more purchase on it? I cant get much leverage on it.

I also notice that the threaded part on the new anti vac valve is a good bit shorter than the one in this video

My new anti vac valve also has a green rubber seal at the base of the threads.

Any advice much appreciated!

Thanks

creditchris

Thank you Dave this worked a treat. I bought a replacement valve, wrapped the thread in ptfe tape and it went in nicely. The hissing has stopped and I’m back to normal.

Thank you so much

DavecUK

creditchris Thanks for updating us.

TotalShanner

creditchris Did you have any trouble getting the original anti vac and tube off?!

I’ve only taken the top cover off, wondering if I should remove the back panel to get in to it?

creditchris

It was certainly very stubborn! I can’t remember exactly how I got the old one off - I think I ended up using mole grips to get a sturdy hold of the valve and it eventually succumbed. I didn’t have to take off the back panel though

TotalShanner

creditchris

Ok I was definitely being too delicate! The top part eventually unthreaded but it left the bottom part still threaded but it made it a bit easier to get a spanner on to it.

The tube stretched a fair bit too but it seems to have went back on ok.

I’ve got it all back together now, just about to power it u and pray its fixed!

Thanks for getting back to me, will update if its sorted…

TotalShanner

creditchris

So the new anti vac valve seems to have solved the issue of steam running into the drip tray.

However, when I switched the machine on, I could see some bubbles and steam fizzing around the the bigger silver nut that is just an inch over from the anti vac valve.
The fitting in the centre of the vapour boiler seems to have hissing coming from it, when I wiggle the thin tube attached to it, it either gets louder or stops.

I think I might need to start my own thread here…

The machine was bought in march 2023 and so is 2 months outside the warranty… any one had experience of Lelit helping with warranty when its only just outside the 2 years?

DavecUK

TotalShanner The machine was bought in march 2023 and so is 2 months outside the warranty… any one had experience of Lelit helping with warranty when its only just outside the 2 years?

Your warranty is with the retailer…so unless you bought directly from Lelit…no.

Do you have a photo of the part that’s now leaking?

TotalShanner

DavecUK

Yes, I really meant the retailer. I have just emailed them asking if they can help under warranty but I’m not holding my breath.

So the new anti vac solved the problem of steam constantly coming into the drip tray.

Once I had the anti vac in place, I powered the machine up with the cover off. I could hear hissing within couple minutes and could see small amounts of bubbled on the green circled bits. The circled one that connects the tube to the steam wand, it bubbled at that part briefly then stopped and hasn’t done it since.

The fill probe had some bubbling around the 19mm nut, I used a deep socket and tightened down the 19mm nut. It seemed to turn easily implying that it wasn’t as tight as it could be.

I’ve switched the machine back on, the bubbling below the 19mm nut has stopped but now I can see that a small amount of water pools on top of the 12mm nut beside the white plastic sleeve part.

I have found this guide - https://support.clivecoffee.com/en/lelit-bianca-steam-boiler-fill-probe-inspection-and-cleaning
I will take the 12mm nut off and clear out any scale and then put it all back in with PTFE tape.

I noticed that the plastic cover thing that goes over the connection to the fill probe was slightly brown and brittle. It cracked into pieces when I tried to lift up the top flap on it.

The MC935 joint in the middle seems to be the main culprit, I can see steam escaping and water fizzing around it when I wiggle the tube. Annoyingly it is out of stock at Bella Barista, this is who I bought the machine from. I have emailed Bella Barista but going on past experience, albeit in a very different industry, retailers willing to help a few weeks outside warranty are few and far between.
I’m reasonably mechanically competent, so I’m hoping I can just get it fixed by myself.

I’m going to remove the level probe and do as that above linked guide suggest.
I’ll see if i can order MC935 from someone else in the UK but a very quick google suggests they are the only UK based site that has it listed.

Dave, is there any other part of the steam boiler that I can look at to check for leaks? I haven’t taken the back cover off yet, the hiss is pretty loud and seems like its certainly coming from the top of the steam boiler. But is there anything on the bottom side of the boiler that could be an issue? I cant really see under it, not sure if taking the back panel off will give a view of the underside of the steam boiler?

Thanks in advance for any help here! I feel obliged to tell you that I bought the Elizabeth after discovering your youtube and this forum!

DavecUK

The fill probe shouldn’t leak at the point indicated, if it’s not really bad, it might self seal
the tube in the middle your wobbling they are a john guest type fitting and if you wobbl them they could well leak, try removing the tube, don’t just yank it out, clean , and reinsert it, there are teeth that engage and you don’t want to score the tube. From memory you push the outer ring and the inner tube should come out easily.
Steam boilers are usually as good as gold, but the vacuum breaker might be hissing…

What sort of water are you using with the machine?