20 Most Recent Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine Questions & Answers

Try this, turn on the frother andtouch the steam wand if it is hot then the end nozzle is blocked, use a paperclip to clear. If it is not hot then open top panel to make sure thermostats are not tripped.

"leaks noisily from what appears to be the contact between the grouphead and portafilter" * Leaks from top of portafilter and group head are caused by poor sealing at head gasket. * wipe top lip of portafilter before inserting into group. * check if group is clear of coffee grounds, paper bits, tissue, dry crud. Use a head cleaning brush (tooth brush works) and wipe group clean (do not use screwdriver to scrape!) * Make sure when inserting portafilter it is seated properly. (check your manual for procedure) Note the position of the portafilter handle if it's in the right position AFTER you tighten it. Is it far to the left? or stuck and barely hangs on to group? * Barely hanging on to group? Check if pod is too big. Note; you can't double shot or use 2 pods in a single pod basket! Make two separate shots for a double. * Handle tightens but slips off group or still leaks when pulling shot? Worn out or missing gasket. Gaskets are made of rubber and can crack, drop out, or pit. You will need to have the gasket replaced. Check with vendor or MFR for service/parts. * Make sure you have the correct portafilter. Many look the same and may even fit but when making fine adjustments or critical shots they don't work right. Check manual or vendor for confirmation. * Make sure you have the correct basket. The portafilters may have different baskets or cups that can be inserted. Many have special uses that can affect the pull of a shot. Fewer holes causes slower flow and longer brew time. Many holes gives a weaker shot but smoother less bitter taste. There is a blank basket that has no holes which is used for backflushing and cleaning of the group. Check your manual or vendor for which basket you should be using. Odds are that you have a standard basket ment for ground coffee and not pods. (you can remove the coffee from the pod but it will be messy.) Ask for the optional 'POD' basket insert. * Finally if everything checks out and your still having leaks then your machine needs service as the group head or valve needs replacement. Call your vendor or MFR direct. Aloha! ukeboy57 (youtube) P.S. Looking back at my service with pod conversions, I've found that most if not all pro-machines don't really like the pod adapters. Sure it will work but shots are weak and poor. Pods really like a very tight fit with a very small portafilter basket(chamber) I mean like the size of a soup spoon! They like very slow and very hot water pumped with a vibration type pump to extract all the essence from the paper filtered coffee. Illy is an excellent coffee pod with a very rich aroma and good creme. The best for them (pods) are the dedicated pod machines (won't do ground coffee, only pods). If you must use a pro semi-automatic machine then I would suggest adding a port constrictor to the portafilter output. There may be a third party supplier that has a compatible adapter for your brand. I've come across some of these very extreme tools for the elites coffee affectionato. It restricts the flow at the output thus causing the hot water to brew longer and at a higher pressure to force the hot water and steam into each coffee grain. (think pressure cooker) Some of the better ones are adjustable. But note that these will need daily or cleaning after each use as these restrictors have very tiny holes which clog unless flushed after each use. Good luck 9on your pursuit of the perfect cup!)

Safety thermostat for rancilio silvia is on the boiler and has a red button on top.Press this button down and you should be ok. Other thermostats cannot be reset - just replaced. If the boiler temperature exceeds 165 degrees Celsius, this thermostat will trip, cutting power off from the element. This is done to try to prevent element damage due to overheating.

Hi There, Your coffee group is blocked, with lime or coffee oils. Try descaling 1st Pulycaf coffee machine descaler . You will find descaler and cleaner in this rancilio silvia kit. Rancilio Silvia gasket kit . Descaling should be done every 3 months or so. If the descaler does not work - you may have to remove the solenoid valve and descale that - not an easy fix. Takes 20 min.

the machine need for descaling

How old is your machine ? and what maintenance have you done over time such as replacing the shower curtain located at the pourring end of the hot water ? I had too very loud noise coming occasionnally from the stainless steel rack holding the cup while coffee is delivered. If your ground coffee is too fine it will stop flow during making a shot. Is water coming out when no coffee is placed in the portafilter.The water pump on this machine is a cheap pump that has to be replaced over time. Mine is 7 years old and has delivered four cups of expresso everyday of the year, and still working.

Ok, We got a solution. We have hard water from a well. We disassembled the 3-way valve and removed the brass valve receiver. The outlet going to the coffee was plugged up solid with gunk (technical term). I used a tiny piece of wire from a wire tie and cleaned out the gunk, then soaked all the brass parts in descaler. The whole effort only took about half an hour. We used a crescent wrench, phillips screwdriver, and a 3mm allen wrench. We found the directions for the process at http://memweb.newsguy.com/~jenkins/silvia/. I think that descaling loosened a bunch of gunk from the tank and it got jammed in the tiiny hole.

There is a discharge tube for the brew solenoid there, if leaking constantly there is a problem, if only small amount of water after brewing a coffee not a big problem.

Heating element is possible damaged causing grounding. Remove top panel and using ohms meter check resistance.

Remove the top panel and check the 3 thermostats there, one of them tripped.

Look for parts here Rancilio Silvia Parts

Remove the top panel one of the thermostats on the tank tripped, reset thermostat, and turn machine on.

Honestly, no idea, bu you can check user's manual http://expert-cm.ru/images/stories/shemy_tehnich/tech_silvia.pdf and watch this tutorial video How to make cappuccino on the Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine Might give you some clue? Alos, have some interesting information about your machins ' CoffeeGeek Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine

Rig wand! you mean steam wand?Take lid off and see if the knob clib connection to the steam valve is come out. Otherwise, possibly the steam valve's portioning washer is hardened and stuck. BUt sound slike shaft is broken or lost connection to the valve

Silvia has two bimetalic switches that control the boiler temperature. One for brew water and one for steam. They are not exact and they can go bad. They are cheap and easy to replace. Just Google for Rancilio parts. A much better fix (and more expensive) is to switch to PID control. Google for Rancilio PID control. The conversion is $250+ but once you've gone PID, you'll never go back. The temperature is exact, fast, and totally under your control.