# Plumbing in your Sage Barista Express



## JohnBovi (Jul 1, 2018)

Just thought I would share my DIY efforts with you all on how I managed to plumb in a filtered water supply to my Sage Barista Express.

I loved the coffee made by my Sage Barista Express machine, but I soon found refilling the water tank a little tiresome. Given I already had a filtered water supply to my nearby fridge/freezer, it seemed only logical take a feed to my coffee machine.

This was done by adding a three way adapter to the 6mm water pipe, adding a 6mm stopcock and installing a mini plastic float valve inside the water tank. Pictures below.

Getting a Mini Plastic Float Valve was more of a problem. They are not so easy to find and most seem to be shipped in from China. However, I eventually found one on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XPDMKW9

The pictures below show how it all came together in the end. One point to note, ensure you use some plumber's PTFE tape when fitting the plastic float valve. It will stop any minor drips.

This solution has been in place for three months now, with no problems!


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## Benjijames28 (Mar 29, 2017)

Well done. Good effort.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

Water supply directly above an electrical socket ??!!

Reroute that plastic tubing asap !


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## rws (May 7, 2014)

@JohnBovi - sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'm considering a Sage DB and one of my reservations is lack of ability to plumb it in so this solution looks very interesting. Have you had any issues with the float valve now it's been in place for a good while? Any leaks?


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## Amvantage (Jun 20, 2018)

rws said:


> @JohnBovi - sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'm considering a Sage DB and one of my reservations is lack of ability to plumb it in so this solution looks very interesting. Have you had any issues with the float valve now it's been in place for a good while? Any leaks?


 The water tank on theDB is pretty big and it's a piece of cake to fill via the lid on the top front.

Also, with all the talk of issues caused by scale on the DBdepending on how hard your water is would you be best using bottled water?


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## 4515 (Jan 30, 2013)

This is his only post and his last activity was on the day of the post. You may not get an update from the OP


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## rws (May 7, 2014)

Amvantage said:


> The water tank on theDB is pretty big and it's a piece of cake to fill via the lid on the top front.
> 
> Also, with all the talk of issues caused by scale on the DBdepending on how hard your water is would you be best using bottled water?


I'm in London so the water is somewhere between 'quite' and 'very' hard







so I'm planning (and have bought) a BWT Bestmax ion exchange filter in my new kitchen to supply both the coffee machine and my Quooker tap. I've been using Ashbeck in my Classic for years and am feeling guilty about my carbon footprint, so want a more permanent solution.

Guess I could fill the tank manually with water drawn from the Bestmax and will do so with the Classic until I find a new (to me) machine, but I really like the idea of having a fully plumbed in machine. Once I get an idea in my head, I'll never be happy until it becomes a reality.


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## rws (May 7, 2014)

working dog said:


> This is his only post and his last activity was on the day of the post. You may not get an update from the OP


Yes I didn't spot that when I was using my mobile to reply originally. Ah well - still looks like a neat solution.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

Amvantage said:


> The water tank on theDB is pretty big and it's a piece of cake to fill via the lid on the top front.
> 
> Also, with all the talk of issues caused by scale on the DBdepending on how hard your water is would you be best using bottled water?


There is need for a very noticeable comment some where about the DB and scale as it keeps cropping up. Suppose if some one doesn't descale often it probably can be a problem but the usual cause of the problem is the level probes being in need of a clean. Descaling probably helps keep them clean. The usual reason for a serious demise is leaking O ring seals on one of the boilers. Buzzing solenoids can usually be fixed by cleaning them but probably prevented by more regular back flushing. I was surprised by the amount of grinds in the drip tray when I waited for the clean me to pop up so do it roughly once a month and clean the drip tray with what comes out. I run it once with a tablet and once again just with water.

Whoops on the other hand if some one does live in a harder water area they probably should use bottled water. Sage provide a number to set in the machine to tell it when to come up with descale. There is always a chance that this doesn't work as well as they think.

John

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## JohnBovi (Jul 1, 2018)

rws said:


> @JohnBovi - sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'm considering a Sage DB and one of my reservations is lack of ability to plumb it in so this solution looks very interesting. Have you had any issues with the float valve now it's been in place for a good while? Any leaks?


 Never had a leak and never had a problem with the float valve. Solution been in place since Jan 2018.

Really easy to take the pipe off so the tank can be filled with descaler.

Only once did the tank not fill up - only because I had moved the machine and twisted the angle of the pipe. Once I realized and move the pipe, all working fine.


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## Burger (Dec 26, 2020)

Hi All - seeing this and wondered if at all anyone has plumbed in a waste pipe for the drip tray at all? Finding it fills pretty quick with daily use now.


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