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Then I found out the base was loose (not sure how, its been sat in the garage for the best part of a year) I fitted the lock ring last year when I first built it.
This has been a constantly occurring thing for me, can only assume it's the boiler spacer/gasket (https://espressocare.com/products/boiler-spacer-europiccola), that's compressed over time and therefore loosened a bit.
I've not been great about re-tightening it, and I can turn the boiler using the lever pretty easily. But it's not a leak-risk so I tend not to bother. Not helped by the process of tightening the boiler flange being a pain. If I had a proper little workshop I'd absolutely make one of those little grouphead mounts for a vice and use that. But alas that's not the case.
Though this sort of thing seems like overkill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKu0qmFurrA
mmccarthy-
I think that's the legendary Bruce Pappas! Have watched a few of his videos.
I have an electric impact hammer tool thingy but it's on its last legs, and it flings the oil filter wrench so fast it occasionally slips off, so breaker bar it is!!
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Doesn't the base / boiler interface have three small pins to hold it in position?
The fact it doesn't leak coukd be because the boiler (3) / base (5) connection is separate from the boiler / element (9).
That's the bit which seals in the water, with a very squishable o-ring (8).
The base should have three
https://theespressoshop.com/pages/la-pavoni-lever-boiler-and-base-components-exploded-diagram
I used a cheap <£10 oil filter wrench to tighten the boiler to element, following various suggestions on here & elsewhere. It didn't take much grunt at all to undo it / tighten it back up.
I seem to recall reading / hearing that the chap in the video has confessed to having very limited grip strength, hence the massive lever.
Kalkhoff
NotThamesWater
Made a bit of progress on my europiccola refresh/tart up
New element and pstat pipe chucked on and some wiring put together, fired up and got up to pressure, pstat cycles nicely.
Then I found out the base was loose (not sure how, its been sat in the garage for the best part of a year) I fitted the lock ring last year when I first built it.
This time I'm going bigger and better and using a breaker bar and a workmate to get some leverage into it so it should stay put this time round!
Then I can tidy up the wiring, fit the new wooden handles and hopefully pull some shots.
I should probably fit a resettable thermal fuse as well.