Water is leaking from the safety valve

The problem

If water is leaking from your safety valve, either before or during a brewing cycle, something is not quite right and it will need to be resolved before your machine is able to produce coffee again. The leak from the safety valve could be coming from one of three places:

1. From a small hole in the gold coloured safety ring; identifiable when the silver dot is not present (this is the most common reason)

2. From the head of the safety valve (coming from a gap between the round metal parts)

3. From the interface between the safety ring and the boiler

The solution

The solution depends on which part of the safety valve is leaking.

1. Safety ring

If the leak is coming from the gold coloured  safety ring, you simply need to replace it. Further details on how to do that, as well as how to prevent it happening again, can be found here. You will have received a spare safety ring with your machine.

2. Head of the valve

If water is leaking from the head of the safety valve, it’s likely that the internal seal has become dislodged and damaged. Though this is a rare event, in this case the safety valve will need to be replaced. You can purchase a replacement safety valve here, and there are instructions showing how to replace the safety valve here.

3. The interface between the safety ring and the boiler

A leak from this point suggests one of two things. The first is that the safety valve isn’t screwed on tight enough. Screw it in hand tight, then use a 13mm spanner to tighten it so that there is ‘metal on metal’ contact between the boiler and the safety ring. You won’t need to tighten it very hard, the thing to feel for is a sudden increase in resistance when screwing it in.

The second thing to check is whether the two red o-rings on either side of the safety ring are in good condition. Simply check that they’re well-seated either side of the safety ring and that they are clean and free of damage. Then screw the valve back onto the boiler. These o-rings form the seal between the safety valve and the boiler, so if they’re not in place the safety valve will leak. If you need some replacement seals, you can buy those here.