Vivaldi S1 - Grease for steam valve?
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:14 pm
Did a rebuild of an S1. I notice there was grease in the steam valve where the tap spindle screwed in to meet the knob. When I put it back together I used Petro-Gel grease in this same area. So the machine is working great now but I notice whenever I run the steam wand the water and steam coming out initially has an odd smell to it. I don't think it's the water since my previous espresso machine ran off the same water line and the never had any odor. If I let the steam run for a bit on the S1 the smell would clear up. I used it for a couple months thinking it was just new parts and it would clear up eventually but never did.
Anyway so here a couple months later I'm taking it apart to clean it out and use different grease. I notice the Petro-gel had some green/brown buildup on it so I'm wondering if I shouldn't have used that in this application. So now I have a tube of "Dow Corning 111 Molykote Valve Lubricant and Sealant" ... I just thought I'd ask here this time around if this grease is acceptable for the steam valve or if there was something else recommended?
I've tried to search the forum but mostly I get a lot of results about greasing the bearing on the water pump.
Anyway so here a couple months later I'm taking it apart to clean it out and use different grease. I notice the Petro-gel had some green/brown buildup on it so I'm wondering if I shouldn't have used that in this application. So now I have a tube of "Dow Corning 111 Molykote Valve Lubricant and Sealant" ... I just thought I'd ask here this time around if this grease is acceptable for the steam valve or if there was something else recommended?
I've tried to search the forum but mostly I get a lot of results about greasing the bearing on the water pump.