How many orings is the machine supposed to have on the hot water and milk frothing connector? Steam is not coming out and I'm getting a buzzing error noise. I think I may be missing an Oring.

SOURCE: EAM3500S will not froth milk ?

First, check to see if it will pump out steam without a ton of water. If it doesn't, don't use it.

Now, skim milk is terrible for it, the bubbles are too dry and flavorless. Use 2% milk or half-and-half. It should be cold (very cold). I put mine in the freezer in a steel frothing container for 5-10 minutes before use. Just barely submerge the wand (about .25") and turn on the pressure. It should sound like tearing paper (not like blowing bubbles through a straw). Do this until volume increases to around double (if you have a frothing thermometer, it should be around 100 degrees F). Now submerge the wand farther and tilt the cup to create swirling (this is called stretching & sweetens the milk). This should be done until the temperature is around 140-160 degrees F. Done.

If your machine is no good for steam, there's another way: Put milk into a steel cooking pot (I use a saucier for large groups) and put it in the freezer. When very cold (ice forming) put on stove. Whisk briskly while heating up on medium-high. It will create fine foam & stretch the milk at the same time. The bubbles will start big, but become finer as time goes by. I test by stocking my finger in & going until it feels nearly scalding & remove from heat. Just use a ladle for he milk & a spoon for the foam.

SOURCE: I have a Delonghi Magnifica

I purchased a unit second hand for my wife's birthday today. It's only 4 months old, got it home, tested it, same problem... No froth!

I've read all the posts here and all were very helpful troubleshooting guides however they did not solve the issue.

Understanding how the frothing mechanism functions is half the battle in figuring out the solution. It's a simple vacuum type system. No doubt you've read about checking the orings. This is definately the first thing to check however if this is not the reason then consider the following.

The larger of the white tubes that has the red and black oring inserts deep into its port on the tap. Why? It pushes steam past the milk pipe directly into the chrome frothing tube which causes a vacuum essentially drawing milk up it's hose creating the froth. What you can't see without further investigation is that on the underside of the tube centered between the red and black orings is a small hole. This hole is responsible for drawing the milk upwards. If this is blocked, and it probably is then no milk and no froth. Use a really small screwdriver to carefully clean the white tube both from the front and the little hole underneath.

So in conclusion. Any air leak between the red and black orings will prevent the vacuum required to draw milk up the tube and alternatively any blockage of the milk channel will also obviously prevent the flow into the frothing mechanism. Hope this helps.

SOURCE: There is no milk coming out of the frothing part

If no milk comes out of frother, check the o-ring on the upper "plug" where the milk jar connects to the machine. There are two connectors; only the bottom one corresponds to the steam output while the upper one is a plug. Mine had a worn out o-ring on the plug, and this keeps the machine from frothing milk.

SOURCE: I have a Delonghi Prima

Where is it blowing steam from? If it is coming from the milk spout then it most likely that the milk jug is blocked somewhere. If it is coming from where the jug connects to the machine (coupling) then you might need to change the complete coupling (assuming you used the correct orings). The biggest cause of frothing problems with these machines is lack of cleaning of the milk jug. Soak the top in quality milk cleaner for at least an hour and rinse thoroughly. Also run cleaner through it regularly using the milk only function.

SOURCE: EAM3500S will not froth milk ?

Here's what I did... with great success:
If you've cleaned all the milk deposits from around the o rings and you still have a problem then its almost certainly the milk spout (the little pipe that directs foamy milk into your cup)

Detatch the spout and get a 2.5 mm drill bit and use it to clean all the milk deposits out of the part that plugs into the lid. Rinse through with water to clean away all the bits of hard milk.

[If you put water through the spout before and after, you will notice a dramatic difference]

Doing this completely fixed the problem for me (I had about 3 years of milk build up in mine!).