Delonghi La Specialista leaking water, what's usually the cause?

[Thomas Martinez]

While seeing a few others mention the water leak on the La Specialista I thought I'd start a thread on this. The first thing everyone seem to say is to kill the power to the machine and remove it from the power source. Beyond that there are three common cause. The internal water tube connections can work loose over time. The water tank itself can crack along the hairline making it possible for water to leak from the tank. The third and final possibility are the seal at the bottom of the tank wears down with time.
Which of these three are the most common on these specific models?

 

[Sparkling Snake]

9 times out of 10 on these its the tank seal. The o-ring at the bottom get compressed flat after a year or two and water just weep past it. Pull the tank, flip it, look at the rubber. If it's shiny and flat instead of round you found your leak.

 

[British Un]

9 times out of 10 on these its the tank seal. The o-ring at the bottom get compressed flat after a year or two and water just weep past it. Pull the tank, flip it, look at the rubber. If it's shiny and flat instead of round you found your leak.

disagree. Ive done like 4 of these and it was the internal silicone tubing every single time. The clamps Delonghi use are garbage and they will loosen up over time with vibration from the machine. The tank seal is an easy answer to people but its not usually the one causing the problem.

 

[Sparkling Snake]

disagree. Ive done like 4 of these and it was the internal silicone tubing every single time. The clamps Delonghi use are garbage and they will loosen up over time with vibration from the machine. The tank seal is an easy answer to people but its not usually the one causing the p…

4 machines aren't exactly a statistical sample bro. The tank seal is a wear item and will fail but the tubing is much less commonly. Unless someone has been inside messing with the tank.

 

[The Castle of B]

dumb question but how does one determines which is the issue without taking it all apart?

 

[Apa]

For mine it leaked from the drip tray area but the brew group oring was the issue not the tank. So theres a 4th possibility that people just misses or dont think of when the symptoms present themselves.

 

[Enviou]

Honestly I gave up on mine and bought a Gaggia. The quality control on the La Specialistas are poor. I have three seperate leak in 18 months and the latest one fried the control board. Its not worth it to have a machine with such awful quality control especially with the price point. The grinder is great but the espresso side of the machine are a pain to maintain. If you're already inside it doing repairs once every year you're basically working for Delonghi for free.