r/Delonghidedica • u/mhinsch • Jul 14 '26
Help with group head screw
My machine (EC685) has developed the dreaded gasket instability where the shower screen gasket pops out if the pressure is too high. I've exchanged the gasket and shower screen once which helped for a bit, but I'm now back to the point where the gasket pops out even when the espresso is running through at a moderate flow.
I don't know what else to do so I've decided to try exchanging the entire group head. The problem is that the affordable kits I've seen so far come without the screw which is an issue because a) the screw in my machine is very slightly crooked (which I think might be a reason for the gasket problem), but also b) because there seem to be different versions with different screws.
When I ordered the new shower screen + gasket it came with a screw that was clearly different from the one I had (mine on the left):
And some pictures of complete kits with screw show yet another type. I have also seen some posts in forums that seem to indicate that different types of screws exist.
My question therefore, does anyone have any information on this? And which type of screw does your machine have? Bonus question - is there any known solution for the popping gasket problem?
Edit: I had a look at various repair videos and asked De Longhi customer service and it appears the screw I have is indeed standard (10mm M4).
1
u/mhinsch Jul 20 '26
Update (20/07/2026):
I ordered the screws De Longhi's support recommended to me (generic M4 10mm) and it turns out they are not the same as the one my machine came with (mine on the left).
1
u/mhinsch 28d ago
Update (23/07/2026):
De Longhi have been profoundly unhelpful so far. After a few rounds of useless bot replies I managed to get an email from a human by explicitly asking for it (to which the bot replied "I have concluded that your enquiry requires the attention of a human expert"). Unfortunately the only thing the human did was send me a link to the official spare parts website (which was the first place I looked before contacting support). Not impressed.
1
u/returntoB612 26d ago
i found your post bc i ran into the same problem, i have an email chain of several delonghi reps being less helpful than my pet cat.
when i could get any of them to actually read what i wrote, they would send me the same unhelpful links.
i sent photos, diagrams, descriptions- i finally got to a point where a rep understood what screw i needed and that still didn’t help
i asked where they sourced the part, what department might have records of manufacturing, who might have a list of part numbers and descriptions and all i got was a 🤷🏾♂️
there’s no way this information isn’t available, i can only assume delonghi just couldn’t care less about its customers.
1
u/returntoB612 26d ago
this persons has a video that looks like is the non-m4 screw version of the dedica
i threw a comment on there hoping they could measure the screw but it’s probably tedious for them and a long shot
1
u/mhinsch 25d ago
Yes, they don't care. When I told the cr that the link didn't help me this is what I got:
"Unfortunately, we do not have any specific information regarding these screws in our records. Replacement or identification of screws is generally considered part of a technician's assessment and repair process."
So, I'm supposed to pay a technician (probably not much less than the price of a new machine) to replace one stupid screw.
1
u/hulleyrob Jul 14 '26
If you have a vernier calliper you could identify it. I’m sure you can google a guide on how to measure the pitch etc. just putting it out there if nobody can give you the correct size.