La Pavoni leaking at the group, lever or piston: causes and fixes

Coffee leaking around the portafilter

La Pavoni’s manual lists four causes when coffee leaks between the group and the filter holder:

1. The filter holder is not inserted correctly.
2. There is too much coffee in the basket.
3. The rim of the filter holder has not been cleaned.
4. The group gasket is worn.

Try the first three before buying parts. Wipe the basket rim, dose a little less, and lock the portafilter in firmly. If it still leaks, the group gasket (the large ring the portafilter seals against) is worn or hard. It is in every group kit.

Water squirting past the piston, or a soft lever

Kanen Coffee, a La Pavoni repair shop, describes the symptom: water squirts up past the piston when you lower the lever, the puck is wet and the coffee diluted, or the lever feels soft and pressureless. That is the piston seals.

The seals are directional. The iFixit guide says the lip always points to the pressure side: the upper seal points up and the lower seal points down. Kanen warns that a lower seal fitted backwards will leak immediately.

Drips from the top of the group

The piston rod passes through its own seal under a circlip at the top of the group, per the iFixit guide. A leak there means that rod seal. Millennium machines also have a seal on the plastic sleeve inside the group, which Orphan Espresso says unscrews for cleaning or replacement.

Which kit to buy

Kits differ by generation. Orphan Espresso says the Millennium kit adds a larger portafilter gasket and the sleeve seal; the other parts match the pre-Millennium kit. Check which La Pavoni you have first, then follow our gasket replacement guide.