S1 Portafilter Drip down handle

Post by **BobG** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 1:33 am

I have an S1 that is now about 3 years old. I am having a minor annoying issue with it because it drips down from the front of the portafilter (directly above the handle in the front) when making my standard doubles. Sometimes just a few drops, sometimes more than a few. I generally position the cup to avoid catching the drips as my attempts to solve the problem have failed.

I have tried a number of different things from removing and cleaning the portafilter gasket, replacing the portafilter gasket, tighening or loosening the screw that holds the screens in place, etc.

I use fresh coffee (with roasting dates of 3-7 days old) from Schomer's Espresso Vivace. I have excellent tampers, naked portafilter, etc. Did anyone else have this problem or can offer suggestions that I have not tried?

Thanks,
Bob G.

Post by **Niko** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:45 am

Did you try changing the group gasket?

ScottW · Post by **ScottW** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:28 pm

Try taking the group gasket out -- clean it AND carefully clean the groove in which it fits. If a bit of grunge gets in that channel, it can prevent a seal between the gasket and the group, and the pressure will find a way around the gasket.

Other than that... Make sure the gasket still pliable with plenty of "spring" to it. Even an "unused" gasket that's old can harden up. It needs to still be pliable to get a good seal without really cranking the portafilter.

Post by **Niko** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:42 pm

I have a 2 year old group gasket that's so brittle, it's literally cracked to pieces but you wouldn't know just by glancing at it. If you pick it up, the rubber is hard as a rock and the cracks only show when you apply pressure on it, similar to attaching a PF.

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:29 pm

As long as the rubber is still pliable I get a little extra mileage by removing the gasket and turning it over.

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:31 pm

As long as the rubber is still pliable I get a little extra mileage by removing the gasket and turning it over. This is easiest to do when the machine is Off and still warm but not hot.

Sometimes I've even gotten the gasket out by loosening the PF a bit with the blind basket in and pressing the shot button. Often this will push the water pressure up under the gasket and actually push the gasket out.

Post by **Niko** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 11:39 pm

Post by **Weska** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:39 pm

Gprgeous shot, Niko. Really shows what's going on.

Post by **BobG** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:51 pm

Thanks. I had changed the group gasket and cleaned it very thoroughly not very long ago. I took it out and did it again and replaced the gasket again as well.

I think part of my problem was that I had maybe another 1 mm further I could crank the portafilter when locking it in. Perhaps I had changed my technique slightly and I just didn't notice it.

Bob G.

Post by **Niko** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:14 pm

Did the leaking go away?
If it's still leaking can you post a video somewhere so we can look at it?

I noticed that some of my PF's don't crank all the way to the right easily compared to others. The basket tops in combination with certain PF's makes this really easy in others I have. They don't all have the same fit but I guess that's the problem in having too many portafilters in my case but I went through so many to find the exact fit I'm looking for.

Post by **jackiechang** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 1:39 pm

Try a slight upward motion as you insert the pf. Fixed mine.

Post by **BobG** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:57 pm

Thanks for everyone's help. I believe with the new gasket, I didn't crank the portafilter hard enough as it seems to stop but really has a little more room to go. I also used Niko's suggestion and tried using one of my other double baskets to see if that also improved the fit.

I have made several doubles and haven't gotten the drip.

On a separate topic, I have found that tapping the portafilter caused channeling in some cases where I would see a tiny hole along the puck at the edge. I have found by eliminating the tapping, I haven't seen that situation again. If the Thor tamper leaves any buildup on the wall of the basket, I just use a chopstick to go around the basket without tapping to get the coffee off the wall.

Thanks,
Bob G.