A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Did you have an issue or question about operation of your Dream T tank machine on Day One right out of the box? If so, report it here and also keep us abreast of the resolution.
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GooseVR1

A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

My Dream T arrived today...and it's a little larger than I expected (yes, can't wait for my wife to get home and see it).

Got a little late after the unboxing so I only attempted to dial in Chris' Black Pearl espresso blend to the point where it was drinkable; I'm sure there are lots of parameters I could try if I had a little more time (but it's day one!).

This is my first "real machine." I've been rocking the MyPressi Twist for the past 3 months, with a Bellman steamer that I've gotten really good at (and yes, the steam on the Dream T is insanely powerful).

Here's a video of the shot - if anyone wants to offer tips on technique, please do feel free to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIh5a01G ... lA&index=1

Here are some photos - could use some help looking at the last two.
http://catieanderic.smugmug.com/Hobbies ... &k=6Zjg7Nx

The last photo shows what looks like a discharge valve; when I back flush, water spits out (rather forcefully) from this valve into the drip tray (sounds normal). However, I noticed that after a few pulled shots (maybe I was just experimenting wrong?) water would still come out of this valve. In these cases, it's not as forceful as when I'm back flushing. Most of it makes it into the drip tray (I think) but some sort of leaks out along the stainless plate (wall) and puddles the plastic floor (supporting the drip tray). It then drips onto the counter through the hole there. Can't imagine this is normal?

Anything I can do about this drip...or puddling...or whatever you might call it? The puddles you see in the machine are after taking the drip tray out after a few shots - so they didn't quite make it in the tray.

Perhaps this is just bad barista technique?
MDL
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by MDL »

It is normal for the pressure to be released after each shot. If it did not release you would get a messy shower when you unlocked the portafilter.

At the same time it is also common to have the water spray around when the release takes place. I put a short length of silastic tubing onto the end of the release valve so that the spray is directed more directly into the drip tray. This solved my overspray issue, although mine was never as bad as the photo that you show.
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

I gave Tim in the Service Dept a call today, and this is now a known issue and something that they are working to correct. It seems that the discharge tube/valve directs the discharge too forcefully, and therefore not 100% ends up in the drip tray. They are working to produce a part that will better direct the discharge into the drip tray and be user-serviceable; will contact all impacted users once they can produce the fix.

Awesome.
Endo

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by Endo »

Yes, it is a known problem (as is the fix):

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=713&p=7918#p7918
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

Ah - neat, thanks!

The tube in the Dream is slight different - it's held in place I think by a bracket, and there is a right angle fitting that diverts (poorly) the water down into the drip tray.

Maybe I can lengthen and drop the tube right into the drip tray.

Service dept at CC seems to be soldering a small screen onto the brass fitting so it diffuses and directs the water into the drip tray. However, they're short on fittings (e.g. don't have extras lying around) and are trying to get some from Italy.

I'm going to try bending a piece of plastic at an angle to see if I can make a "slide" for the water coming out of the tube.
Attachments
Photo of discharge tube/valve
Photo of discharge tube/valve
img_1215.jpg (215.56 KiB) Viewed 22813 times
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

Well - here's what I came up with, cut from a piece of plastic from a book/binder.

So far - a tremendous improvement. Nice and dry!
Attachments
The Fix
The Fix
photo 3.JPG (354.53 KiB) Viewed 22784 times
eph85

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by eph85 »

Goose-
I have the exact same issue I just discovered. I spoke with Tim at CCS and he wants me to remove the front panel and pull some shots and watch to see where the leaks come from... He says it's a known issue on several of the machines he's tested...

How difficult was your fix? I'm not very handy. Tim makes it sound pretty easy, but... :smile:

I just fixed a pressure issue with much effort yesterday. Good news is that the Dream is easy to take apart
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

eph85 -

It's not hard; I found this "issue" day one, and I was pretty scared I'd break the machine taking it apart. I still don't know how to take off the side panels; almost got them off but I must be missing a screw somewhere or I just am too triad to pull harder.

Anyways, there's one screw that holds the mounting bracket in place. That screw is on the far right of the photo - when you take that out the silver bracket (which the discharge hose is attached to) can come loose.

Then I loosened the two bolt/nuts that hold the hose to the bracket, and sandwiched my piece of semi-rigid plastic there. I had to mark where the holes in the bracket were and drilled matching holes in my piece of plastic; then I bent it down to direct the water into the drip tray.

Working like a charm still.

Curious to see what fix Chris coffee recommends and if its better that what I rigged up.
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chas
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by chas »

Which screws did you remove for the side panels? As I recall there is a knurled knob type screw you remove on the front bottom that is hidden by the drip tray. Then there are a couple of screws on the top that are hidden by the warming tray, so they also has to be removed. Then there are two more screws on the bottom that can just be loosened since they fit into slots on the bottom. If you have a short, stubby screwdriver you can just tilt the machine up and hold it there with one hand while you loosen the bottom screws with the other.

I will be interested to take the panels off for my first time to see if LaSpaz has made any improvements to the Dream in this area. In the two older models I have owned, those panels have always been a nightmare.

On the GS3, I just have two knobs I turn by hand on each panel and off they come. It is the exact opposite experience from the S1. In fairness, once the panels are off the S1 is much easier to work on.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

Chas - I did see the knobs, and the screws on top after you remove the tray; will have to look again at what I might have missed the next time I remove any panels.

So, back to the OP - Tim from service sent me this fix; a new discharge "head" with a small plate welded on to divert flow.

Haven't tried putting it on yet since the fix I came up with seems to be working well.

Any new Dream T owners have this already installed?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359227202.613957.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1359227202.613957.jpg (74.36 KiB) Viewed 22511 times
goodboyr
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by goodboyr »

My Dream came with that. Does yours have the mesh screen inserted in the back?
Bob
La Spaziale Dream and Baratza Sette 270W
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chas
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by chas »

I just stuck my finger on the bottom of that fitting and can tell that I have this new modification as well. I think it also has that mesh thingee. I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if it starts backing up. If so, I'll just pull it out of there. It sounds like it will be nothing but trouble in the long run. With the new mod on the fitting, I don't see the need.

BTW: Both side panels have the knurled knob near the bottom front visible when the drip tray is removed. The two top screws visible when the cup warmer tray is removed and two bottom screws. The bottom screws only need to be loosened since it is a slotted fitting. The top of the side panels also use slotted fittings but the metal inserts also use the same screws to hold them in place and just loosening them is harder than completely removing them.

The rear panel has two screws on top accessible with the cup warmer removed and two on the bottom. As with the side panels, the bottom of the rear cover has slots so you can just loosen the screws.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
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goodboyr
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by goodboyr »

Mine has the modified discharge fitting and I've removed the little screen. As others have noted, that screen is unnecessary. All the discharge is correctly directed into the driptray.
Bob
La Spaziale Dream and Baratza Sette 270W
GooseVR1

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by GooseVR1 »

Great! Sounds promising - mine did come with a "steel wool" like material stuck into the end. I assume that's what you mean by the mesh.

Maybe I'll take some time out next weekend to install it.
goodboyr
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by goodboyr »

Great. You can easily pull that mesh out. All it does is plug up with coffee residue. The fitting solves the problem on its own.
Bob
La Spaziale Dream and Baratza Sette 270W
PyroKerry
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by PyroKerry »

I think I had the first one out the door and CCS didn't put the mesh on mine.Spraying hasn't been a problem so far.
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chas
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by chas »

The redesign in the 3-way on the Dreams does have me scratching my head. I'll have to ask Jason or Roger what the thinking was with this. The pre-Dream 3-way used to dump into a copper pipe that came essentially straight down adjacent to the expansion valve (on the plumbed in models). When this design splashed water behind the drip tray it was usually because they cut the pipe too short. It was easily remedied by placing a short piece of plastic or rubber tubing over the end of the pipe so that it just cleared the drip tray when inserted.

For the dream, they replaced the ~12" of copper tube with a long piece of flexible, wire reinforced plastic tubing that is angled up toward the back of the machine, then loops back around under to get to that new fitting. Then until this recent fix, they terminated that with a hardware piece that made a bigger splash mess than the old design.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
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goodboyr
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by goodboyr »

Here's my guess....they decided to address the splashing in three ways:
1. Put a long hose betweent the valve and the discharge fitting to slow down the flow.
2. Put a mesh strainer in the discharge fitting to further diffuse the flow.
3. Put a small plate half over the end of the discharge fitting to redirect the flow.

So, total overkill on trying to address the issue.

As for the hose that snakes to the back of the machine and then back to the front at the discharge fitting, I found that it tends to pinch a few electrical cables along the way beside the black box housing the electical connections behind the discharge fitting. Not a big deal, just something to keep an eye on.
Bob
La Spaziale Dream and Baratza Sette 270W
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chas
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Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by chas »

I may see if CCS will provide me a piece of that tubing that I can trim down and try to run it directly down to that fitting and see what happens. I don't like that current routing at all and I get much more watery pucks that I ever got on the the V1 or V2. I am wondering if all that length of tubing and its routing is reducing the effective suction so that not as much water is getting drawn off the puck.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
eph85

Re: A Leak/Drip from the..discharge valve?

Post by eph85 »

Just wanted to let you guys know that Tim at CCS has authorized my return shipment. They will go over my machine from stem to stern. I know I could probably handle this with your guidance and a friend who's handy, but i want this done right...

I am very interested in your issues with this machine and will continue to follow your discourse.

Thanks for your help.

Chris
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