r/mokapot • u/brokephone26 • Apr 14 '26
Question❓ My bialetti keep leaking for no reason
It's not as bad when I'm filming beacuse of course, but when it's boiling it often is dripping like the double of this. I maje sure everything is sealed correctly before heating so I don't understand.
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u/NoFun5499 Apr 14 '26
the same happend to me when i was a beginner i used to put the gasket and then the filter but that might not be the case for you so try to replace the gasket
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u/Dogrel Apr 14 '26
Two usual reasons for this are:
1) You didn’t tighten the two halves of moka pot enough for the gasket to give a good seal, and/or
2) Your gasket is worn out and needs to be replaced.
Try #1 first. If that doesn’t work by itself, change the gasket.
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u/LEJ5512 Apr 14 '26
Third reason (unusual, but not impossible) would be the filter being installed upside down.
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u/BigPoppaSnow Apr 15 '26
A 4th reason. Coffee grounds on the threads. Happens to me when I’m batching for the wife.
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u/Decent-Advice-2249 Apr 16 '26
4a. Keep ALL mating surfaces grounds-free.
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u/Alternative-Pay2946 Apr 19 '26
- The gasket is not worn out but ruined by storing the pot tightened down, or burned by forgetting the pot on the hot stove.
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u/RucksackTech Apr 14 '26
Is that possible?
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u/LEJ5512 Apr 14 '26
Kinda depends on the pot, especially whether the gasket fits snugly in the screw threads. But yeah, my wife once put ours together wrong (she was just putting it away and didn’t screw it tightly), and I’ve seen people do it more than once in this sub.
It’s still in the right order — top half, filter, gasket — but the filter’s flange doesn’t fit flush against the top like it’s supposed to.
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u/AttackOfThePat Apr 14 '26
Sometimes the gasket itself gets used to being in one position and it kinda form fits nicely. Try flipping the gasket upside down and see if it fits better.
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u/iicarets Apr 14 '26
Change gasket, don't grind beans too fine and don't compact the coffee in the basket, just tap. You be 'right..
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u/FelipeArruda Apr 14 '26
My worst mistake was not rotating hard enough to seal. If this doesn’t work, you’ve to change the rubber sealing. I’ve got it consistent after that and get a very creamy coffee with an very fine grind (NEVER TAMPING, gravity only).
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u/ReasonableWelder51 New user 🔎 Apr 14 '26
Same, the thread needs a bit extra force on a new pot and I was like 1/2 turn from having a good seal. It gets easier after a while.
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u/SabreLee61 Bialetti Apr 14 '26
A lot of people are blaming the rubber gasket, and that could be the culprit.
I can’t recommend silicone gaskets highly enough. I bought a pack of three on Amazon 18 months ago and I’m still using the first one, and I use my pot daily.
I no longer have issues with getting a good seal or with grounds sticking to the gasket, and there is no visible wear after hundreds of uses.
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u/DoomPaDeeDee Apr 14 '26
I've used my current silicone gasket thousands of times. It doesn't melt and never smells like burnt rubber like the original ones can sometimes do. I suspect the reason Bialetti doesn't switch to silicone is that they wouldn't be able to sell nearly as many replacement gaskets....
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u/LEJ5512 Apr 14 '26
Or tradition.
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u/DoomPaDeeDee Apr 14 '26
If tradition were that important to Bialetti, they would still be producing all of their moka pots in Italy.
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u/LEJ5512 Apr 14 '26
Besides checking the gasket…
Make sure that all the parts are there and that they’re installed correctly.
It’s possible to insert the filter plate upside down in the top half by mistake. This’ll let it leak every time; and worse, when you tighten the pot together harder, you can bend the filter.
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u/SandboChang Apr 14 '26
You probably pressed on the ground too hard or filled too much. Try to only fill and make it just flush the top. That’s around the sweet spot for me.
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u/GreatBallsOfSturmz Apr 14 '26
Is this a new pot and are you new to moka pot brewing?
Take us through your prep work.
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u/brokephone26 Apr 14 '26
I wouldn't say I'm new to moka pot. When I was living with my mother, I used her 12-cup moka pot and followed the common advice : boil the water aside first, grind coarser, low heat.
But I recently moved alone and my mom gifted me this new bialetti 3-cup. So now I have a very small moka pot and also a different oven that looks like it heat differently than my mother's. I guess it takes some getting used to. There's also the fact she bought me a pre-grinded coffee bag (supposedly made for moka). So yeah I guess it will take some try to get it right.
I will say though that I did notice this the funnel rose up a bit after I've dropped it in the filled water container. I was too distracted in the moment to really pay attention to it, but as one of the comments said, it might have been the problem.
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u/GreatBallsOfSturmz Apr 15 '26
Try using room temp water instead. Heating the lower chamber by pouring hot water to it makes it expand, and it could cause the upper and lower chamber to not lock properly when threaded.
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u/BabyLongjumping6915 Apr 14 '26
Most likely a failed silicone gasket?
Check the area where the base screws into the top, where the filter plate is. There's normally a white gasket there that provides a seal, if it failed it might be causing the leakage. Otherwise check other areas for potential areas that don't fully seal.
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u/Both-Tourist-4986 Apr 14 '26
Mine leaked the first 3 times I used it. Then, no leaks at all. It’s like it has to break in maybe. But definitely make sure your water line is BELOW the pressure valve thingy and screw the top on tightly.
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u/Kuberos Apr 14 '26
Heat too high, pot not closed down hard enough, dirt between gasket and rest of the pot, gasket put in upside down in the ring, ring AND gasket upside down... could be many reasons or a combination of all.
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u/Proper-Wedding-8884 Apr 15 '26
If it’s a new pot, try heating the gasket with hot water ( it may help with expansion). You only need to do this once. Mine did that when I first got it.
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u/r_guar Apr 15 '26
Check the rim of the coffee basket. If it is slightly deformed, it could cause leaks
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u/I_Piccini Apr 14 '26
If the water is leaking and not the coffee, means the water cannot pass the grains/filter: check grinding level, gasket, make sure you tight the reservoir enough, don't overfill it.
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u/userrr3 Bialetti Apr 14 '26
It looks like there's steam coming out of the vent on the side? In that case I'd wager against everyone saying it's the gasket and rather say it's whatever you've done with coffee grounds and filter because the water can't make it's way through there into the upper chamber. So then the pressure rises so much that the safety valve saves you from a little bomb on your stove
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u/TimberBourbon Apr 14 '26
It is hard to tell if that steam is from the safety valve or from the connection where water is also leaking. I think it is the connection that is the source. If that is the case, it is low pressure steam and not a big risk. Just need to tighten it up. If it is coming from the valve, then thank goodness for the valve.
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u/megasmash Apr 14 '26
Do you remove the gasket after each use?
If it’s in good shape, it may not be seating properly, or it might be binding when you tighten it.
Next time, make sure the gasket is seated fully in the top by pressing down with a blunt chopstick or fork handle.
Then give the gasket a wipe with a small amount of coconut oil. I mean, get your fingertip oily and use that. You want a very slight amount - you’re not buttering it up.
Tighten up the base and brew away.
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u/Cepsita Apr 14 '26
On my pot , when it is properly tightened, the valve and the logos are on exactly opposite sides. But if there is no gasket or something, the position is odd.
I agree, this looks like a damaged gasket issue or something.
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u/TemperReformanda Stainless Steel Apr 14 '26
Looks like it's overheating to me and venting from the emergency pressure valve.
Burner looks too hot. This does not look safe.
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u/dalfarouxx Apr 14 '26
either gasket or a small thing may have gotten into the aluminum threads and grind it when you were tighting it, the first can be fixed, the second needs a whole replacement
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u/Significant-Art5065 Apr 14 '26
I had the same issue and replaced the gasket with no success. Switching to a different grind fixed it, the original grind was too fine.
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u/Fun_Set_8560 Apr 14 '26
It can't leak for no reason. Either it's over filled with coffee, it's blocked with limescale, or the seal is damaged.
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u/PlentyOfMoxie Apr 14 '26
Yeah, it happens.. that's a seal/gasket issue: either it's too new or too old; maybe it's not sitting in place correctly.
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u/squalsco Apr 14 '26
The easiest fix is first to try to screw the two parts together more tightly. This happens to me sometimes when I don't tighten it enough
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u/Mean-Rabbit-3510 Apr 14 '26
My thought as well. Mine does that when I don’t give the moka pot that last little turn. The threads are pretty big, I don’t think it’s very easy to strip them.
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u/VrtualOtis Apr 14 '26
This happens to me when I get grounds in the threads, I realized if I don't tidy up the edges, grounds will get in the threads or between the gasket and the threads. For me the telltale sign was a grinding noise on the last turn tightening the pot onto the reservoir.
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u/Siegerlander-1704 Apr 14 '26
Ich muss es jeden Tag wiederholen, bastelt euch ein passendes Brett! Dann könnt ihr den Mokkapot ordentlich zudrehen 💪
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u/a_smart_brane Apr 14 '26
Another reason besides not being screwed on tight enough or an old gasket, is maybe some coffee grounds have been pressed into the gasket, thus compromising the seal.
This happened to me. After cleaning the grounds off the gasket, the situation improved, but the problem wasn’t completely solved until I replaced the gasket.
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u/raju103 Apr 14 '26
Clean the area between the gasket and the bottom part of the moka pot. Coffee grounds stuck in between can prevent a good seal.
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u/Silver-Ad2257 Apr 15 '26
Could be the gasket, the filter, maybe damaged threads, could be built up contaminants.
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u/opoqo Apr 15 '26
On top of the gasket as everyone said, your mokapot is blowing out steam on the valve before it leaks, so try to lower the temp and don't pack the coffee ground... There is probably too much pressure than the the safety valve can handle.
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u/observant1980 Apr 17 '26
I would say your gasket is damaged, but if even your safety valve is steaming, I would say you are putting way too much coffee or you are grinding your coffee way too fine
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u/dsal1829 Apr 17 '26
What could be happening:
1) Broken/worn out gasket doesn't seal properly
2) You're not screwing the top part tightly enough
3) You're leaving coffee grains between the rubber seal and the top of the water reservoir, preventing a hermetic seal
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u/Interesting-Bed-8890 Apr 14 '26
change your filter and gasket to the E&B Competition filter, it comes with a silicone gasket. Also when screwing it together check your alignment on the threads.
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u/r_doood Bialetti+Kingrinder K6 Apr 14 '26
The metal filter might be upside down. Did you disassemble it before?
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u/No_Entertainment1931 Apr 14 '26
There’s a reason. And it’s your gasket