I have an internal water leak when water runs through. With the machine open it looks like some kind of steam release valve with a spring just below the heating element. Anyone fix one of these issues before?

Dear Jon,
Hi this shrikant from mumbai.This problem is happen due to dust stuck in tea/hot water valve ( for steam which you rotate).

If you have screw driver set then open the machine by using + screw drive. step below,
1.I here attach picture of valve.
2.you have to open it and clean it ( sea in pic 44,46,47,54).
3.after water leaking stop you have replace one o-ring 54 no. in picture.
4.After you machine work fine.
regards,
Shrikant Shinde
Yogishri Engineering
+91-8425830001

This means the water cannot flow through the machine. Normal fix is to prime the machine (turn water dispenser on, fill a cup) or descale the machine. Go through the menu, select descale, enter, then turn the steam knob fully anti-clockwise. You should put the descaling solution in the water tank first.
If you have the auto-descale in the menu then run it. Run the solution through the machine twice. Then rinse well.

First things first, try a descaling solution, especially if you live where there's hard water. Sometimes minerals can crust up the brewing portion of the internal tubing. The steam part still works because it essentially leaves the limescal in the pot, channeling only steam through the steaming wand. Dump out any water in the reservoir, then put in a mix of half filtered or distilled water, and white vinegar. Run it through, setting the switch for brew mode only. Once you see it coming out of the filter holder, turn the machine off. Let sit for an hour or two, then run the same sequence again, shutting it off the moment you see the water/vineger mix coming out. Once again, let sit a while, then on the third cycle, let it run all of the vinegar solution through. Let cool, and rinse the reservoir with water, (put in water, swirl the machine around, then upend it to dump the water out.) then run the full reservoir of distilled wather through, repeating if necessary, to clear out the vinegar.

If that doesn't work, or if the vinegar solution never comes through, not even in a trickle, then there are other issues. Here's how to troubleshoot them.

The next steps will need to be done with some caution, as it may splash or shoot steam and/or boiling water out from the side of the porta filter holder!

Step 1...Remove the filter, and run it without coffee or filter in it. Do this from a few feet away or with something between you and the brew head of the machine, as it may cause hot water to spray with a fair amount of force!

Does the water come through the filter holder? If it does..

Step 2. Run it with the empty filter. If it the water doesn't come through with filter in place, then your filter is clogged, and you'll need to take a pin and clear the holes in it. If it does, then you're grinding your coffee too finely, or tamping it down to hard.

If the water doesn't come through with just the empty filter holder, then you've most likely got a valve (A.k.a. Brew/steam switch) problem. Frankly, it's easier to buy a new machine than replace that valve, especially if it's the automatic variety that switches you to steam whenever it's finished it's brew cycle.

If you've got one with the manual brew/steam switch valves, you can pull the knob off and see if it the stem turns with a needle nose pliers...{{NOTE: DO NOT DO THIS IF THERE IS STEAM LEAKING AROUND THE KNOB! Steam leaking around this knob can indicate that the ceramic valve is compromised, and could cause live steam to shoot out of the place where the knob is!}} if it does turn as smoothly as usual, and the machine works, then you just need to repair the knob because it's gotten stripped out or is broken where it meets the valve stem.

The steam valve assembly that the steam knob on the right hand side connects into is probably faulty. When you're steaming if you hear hissing coming from behind the knob then this indicates the connections into this assembly are leaking steam, and also hot water, which is why you're getting puddles under the machine. You can get a replacement steam valve assembly that fixes some issues with the original (part code SVM-17, available from www.partsguru.com) and will prevent the leakage, or you could simply try opening the top of the coffee machine and removing the tube that runs from the boiler into the steam valve. It has two o-rings that provide the seal where it connects into the steam valve assembly, and if you lubricate these with a food grade silicon lubricant it may fix the problem. My Gaggia is 7 years old so I decided to replace the whole assembly which costs about $50 and that solved the problem completely.

After tinkering around for days I found another solution...simply open the milk steaming valve (black, with a white steam icon on it, on the outside of the machine, right side below where the coffee beans go) to release trapped moisture (ie. water build up) and close it again!

Replace or rebuild the Valve (behind the knob).
Turn off the machine and release the steam pressure.Before you take it apart.

HI
Up in your brew head is a filter screen. Remove it.
There should be 2 Allen head screws. Remove them. There should be a disk below this plate. Remove it. Spring and check valve.

I just got a Saeco Aroma that has this issue, so keep that in mind as it may not apply to your machine. 

Two things can cause this from what I can see: a defective brew head gasket (if the machine is very old the rubber can crack) it can crack) or a defective outlet valve.

In my case it was the latter: you need to remove the screen, then access the vallve body. On the Saeco, you simply unscrew it with a quarter. Inside is a stainless steel spring and a valve that would normally sit on the internal outlet tube. Mine was simply broken in three pieces. That makes it impossible to properly build pressure during warm up and, forces water up into the tank all the way to the top which them mixes with the steam during steaming.  

The outlet valve, spring and valve body  is a maintenance item that can be bought as a kit online for about $25. Or you can get the whole set of gaskets, o-rings, valve and spring for about $50 if like me you just got yourself a machine that simply needs its 5 year overhaul.

This outlet valve replacement is a 'one wrench' repair that can be easily done by any reasonably skilled handyman in less than 15 minutes. 

Good luck, hope it helps putting it back in service if you still have it ;)

a) make sure that there is not a place for a stair attachment. If
there is make sure air is not leaking through where the attachment goes
on because of damaged or misplaced fitting.

b) some steam vacs leave water behind them and **** up in front of
them. If you just walked forwad with the steam vac nothing would be
sucked into the tank.

c) try taking your finger off the trigger and using the steam vac. If
the tank still empties the trigger is stuck open.

d) try putting clean water in the dirty water tank only and using it on
a dry rug. If water goes somewhere from the dirty water tank you have
a leak.

e) take apart what you can and look at the parts. A good visual
inspection can solve many of these types of problem if you are careful
not to miss anything.

Try opening the frothing valve by turning the dial and force water through it instead of steam by pressing the middle, coffee button. You may be experiencing vapor lock. Once the water comes through the steamer valve, turn the steamer knob off and release the coffee button. Then try the steamer button with the steamer dial open. This may do the trick.