Do you know what's with the pipes and valves sticking up in the back? The owner's, certainly not part of the machine. Water, I presume? but more elaborate than you'd need just to get water to an espresso machine -- I just ran some flexible hose made for an ice machine or something, from the nearest cold water. I never got around to hooking anything up for the drain - that would be nice, but likely a maintenance requirement too.
I never took it apart. It might have needed new piston gaskets - I forget, but I think not. Since then it has needed new gaskets fairly regularly, I've replaced the springs, pressurestat, etc., but it came to us pretty much in working order.
