How To Diagnose Espresso Machine Hot Water or Steam System Obstructions

Learn how to diagnose an obstruction between the boiler and hot water or steam wand in an espresso machine. Todd from Whole Latte Love show you how. Symptoms of this problem are normal steam wand performance but no water output from the hot water wand or vice versa. This tutorial uses an ECM Synchronika dual boiler espresso machine. Procedure is similar for other dual boiler machines.
For more maintenance and use info and videos check out the Whole Latte Love support wiki for the ECM Synchronika here: wiki.wholelattelove.com/ECM_S...

[@danielbilodeau521]

Great vid! I have a Saeco Magic Cappucino. Steam doesn’t come out through the wand but the boiler is working. When I run the pump with the steam valve knob open: water only goes through the group head. I removed the knob and the shaft and I can blow air though the wand and it will pass through. But no flow whatsoever when the knob and the shaft are back in place, but open. Could there be something other than debris that would keep the valve from letting steam through?

[@distlledbrewedreviewed]

Very informative, thank you.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi hbw, You are welcome and thanks for the comment!

[@Satine_Moisant]

I'm having this exact problem with my Quick Mill Rubino E61 group machine water line! Thank u guys!! ❤️

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Happy to help!

[@katakis1]

You are a godsend! I'm having this exact problem on my mom's machine, and I was about to flush citric acid through the boiler to hope that it clears up the obstruction somehow. Seeing your video gives me a better way to pin down the clog, and perhaps I'll even muster up enough courage to properly descale the boiler disassembled once I'm done! Thank you so much! 🙏

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi k, You're welcome and thanks for comment! You did not mention which machine your mom has but do check out our support section. We may have more detailed info including videos, article manuals etc for her machine. Here's a link to our DIY support site: support.wholelattelove.com/hc/en-us

[@lorettacwalinski3431]

Todd, thanks for sharing the video. What I have is an heirloom from a family member - Italian made electric CX25 espresso cappucino machine. I'm only getting steam, and a LOT of it out of the coffee nozzle. Are you familiar enough with these older machines to advise? It looks just like the Bellman. Thanks!

[@KeoSotheavyPheap]

Actually, it happen to my machine, I will try it out to fix it. Thank you so much for you important VDO.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

You are welcome

[@meopai3]

Thanks for your vid. I bought this exact machine earlier this year though water water is barely coming out the group head. Is there a vid on how to check the group head line for clogs?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AJ, You are welcome for the video. Most common reason for low flow from the group head is a clog in the mushroom valve due to scale buildup. Here's a link to a comprehensive video covering flow issue diagnoses and fixes in the ECM Synchronika: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpTdlmhvgbqab6c The video has chapters and the section on Mushroom clogs begins at 10:17. Clearing the clog is easy. If that does turn out to be the issue you may want consider treating your water to reduce scaling potential if you are not. Marc

[@rafbass]

Can you do the same video for a rocket Evo-R? My hot water wand is fully clogged and I don’t know what to do :(

[@Young-kw6gl]

我的EXPOBAR沖煮頭後面排水柱漏水

[@niay74]

I'm having a problem with an old Wega Atlas: The hot water is spurting out in a blast of steam and spray and not clearly pouring from the hot water spout. I've taken off the nozzle and it is clear - just a tiny bit of calcium tarnishing. It is a short sleeve with an internal central tubed-hex bolt with a pair of pin hole side outlets. I don't think its meant to have any mesh in this one. Any thoughts? Thank you.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Daniel, Thanks for the question. The Wega Atlas is not a machine I've used. But, excessive steam/spray coming from the hot water spout could indicate a blockage or other issue. It's not unusual to get a bit of steam along with hot water but steam alone is not normal. Water is generally drawn from the bottom of a boiler which should not allow steam to come from the hot water spout. Marc

[@rollinontwentytwos]

Do you have a review for the izzo pompeii lever or the fracino lever machine

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi HP, I'm sorry I do not. Marc

[@AuntieTriza]

I have this exact problem with my Expobar Office Control. Will try these fixes tomorrow. Thank you so much! Love you guys to pieces :) Hopefully my issue is not in the boiler itself coz I wouldnt have the confidence to pull it that far apart :-O

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AT, Good luck with the fix and thank you for the kind comment! Let us know if you have any questions. Marc

[@AuntieTriza]

Ok so the problem must be in my boiler. I did the checks in the video - wand is clear. I unscrewed the copper pipe and pushed some wire in (a good 6 in) to it to see if there was a blockage but no. Blew into copper pipe - no bubbling into boiler, bugger :) I also notice the hot water wand, and its copper do not get hot like the steam wand does so I assume the blockage is down the other end of the hot water wand copper pipe and is why not water is getting up to the wand. Group head and steam wand work just fine. I was thinking of trying a descale treatment and leaving it sit for a while. Is it ok to put descaler into the water reservoir to be sucked through to the boiler/water wand? Would you recommend this or no? Thanks in advance x

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AT, Sounds like the blockage is as you suspect at the bottom of the boiler where the pipe for hot water exits. I would not recommend descaling. Preferable to disconnect the pipe from the boiler and attempt to clear the blockage manually. There's an outside chance descaling could help but it could also cause large scale deposits to loosen up and plug other parts of the machine. This is more likely if the machine was not regularly descaled in the past and/or your source water is hard. Marc

[@AuntieTriza]

OK, no to the descale :) I'm thinking I might actually just leave well enough alone, since the 2 most important parts (coffee and steam) are working fine :-D. I would hate to stuff up pulling it apart and then not having any of it working. As always your advice has been very much appreciated x

[@bw2347]

Thanks for all the information Todd! I was wondering if you could help me diagnosis my Saeco Starbucks Sirena. I know its old but I got it as a Fathers day gift from my daughter and I would like to keep it running. I am having issues with no steam from the steam wand. It seems like pump is not activating when i turn the steam knob and no steam comes out. When I turn the knob there is also no water coming out of the steam wand as well, and the pump does not activate. I have done some trouble shooting, however I cant seem to figure out the issue. The water will come out of the group head and pull a shot. You can hear the pump when you are pulling a shot from the group head so the pump doesn't seem to be the issue. These are the things I have done. 1)remove the wand assembly and clean all lines and Steam Valve Assembly there doesn't seem to be a blockage. 2)I don't believe this is related but I removed Boiler assembly and cleaned and changed the O-Ring for Brew Boiler. Thanks Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi BW, You are welcome. I'll do my best to advise with some ideas. I do not have the machine as it was only sold by Starbucks so can't confirm any of my thoughts 100%. I suspect the machine is not sensing opening of the steam/hot water valve so there might be some switch associated with turning the valve that's not tripping or not being registered by the machine. That's were I'd go first. Another less likely possibility is the machine is failing to get the boiler to steam temperature so never does the thumping pumping of water into the boiler to create steam. If that were the case I would think you could still get hot water from the wand. Hope that helps and good luck with your Father's Day gift!

[@bw2347]

@@Wholelattelovepage Thank-you So Much! Your diagnoses is completely correct! There is a sensor board which tells the pump to activate when the magnet on the steam valve lever touches it. The magnet on the valve lost it magnetism.

[@williamshywel]

I have a rocket r58. A small amount of water comes out of the hot water wand but then nothing. I tried your blowing up the pipe truck and can hear bubbles. After getting the water there’s no sound from the machine as it used to make. There are no problems with the steamer or portafilter water delivery. Any suggestions most welcome.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi w, Is the steam boiler heating properly? It's steam pressure which pushes water out of the boiler for hot water delivery. Here's a link to the troubleshooting section of our support wiki for the Rocket R58 which has more info: wiki.wholelattelove.com/Rocket_Espresso_R58_V2/troubleshooting Marc

[@gaga1812]

Obstruction in the copper tubing I'm afraid- Would I make a mess if I flip the machine on its head and unscrew the top bolt (water tap) and bottom bolt ( Broiler), so I could remove and clean the tube? thank you so much

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi g, Thanks for the question. Unless boiler is fully emptied you will likely leak some water when removing the tubes. If an HX boiler you can heat machine up then turn off power and open the hot water tap to get most of the water out of the boiler.

[@mahajian]

can you show how to replace or clean PID sensor?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi m, thanks for the request!

[@minedbojo]

Is it normal for the overpressure vale to leak while pulling a shot?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi m, In most cases it is. The OPV releases water to reduce pressure in the system.

[@user-vq2fd9nk2b]

Right. Good video, but what do you do if you blow into the wand and DO NOT hear bubbles in the boiler? How does one fix that? Thx.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi, You need to trace back from hot water wand to find the obstruction. You'll only hear if there is water in the boiler and understand the bubbles only happen on the hot water side not the steam side.

[@Randomboiiii]

Thanks a lot

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Most welcome

[@alirezakhazaee3586]

Hi . thank you for your video. My coffee maker is a Breville model BES870XL/B unfortunately the pressure does not rise. The gauge is working. The pump worked by taking out an output pipe from it and turning it on, and it had a good output pressure. All the pipes are clean, and I cleaned them twice with special tablets. The steam works and there is no problem. I still could not find the problem. If I find it, I have the possibility to repair it. I have two guesses, one is the external stream ring and casket and the other is the solenoid valve. In the first case, the device has no leaks at all, neither internal nor external pipes. Thank you for your advice in advance

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi AK, The solenoid valve is a very likely culprit.

[@MoeKabbara]

I did this for the steam wand and it worked but the problem is I can’t screw it back on with the spring so now my wand is all wobbly. The spring is so stiff, am I doing something wrong? You did it so easily…

[@asmith2886]

I have a profitec pro 700 and my fault (which just started today) is that there is very little hot water coming out of the brew boiler - probably no more than 50ml. I thought it might be a blockage so I followed your advice and I blew into the hot water wand. I can hear gurgling in the boiler. When I turn on the machine, the pump does not seems to be pumping as long as it had previously. Could there be a blockage in the pipe filling the boiler and how do I problem solve this? I would very much welcome any other suggestions/videos?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi A, Timing is everything! Just posted a very detailed video on diagnosing flow issues on the Pro 700 yesterday. The most common place for a brew water flow issue is in the mushroom valve of the E61 group. From your description I don't think this is your issue but could be. I think you will find the video helpful. It covers the complete water path from reservoir or plumbed connection all the way through the machine. A blockage before the boiler is possible in a number of spots which are covered in the video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH_IiH5oYs6DkNE Marc

[@asmith2886]

@@Wholelattelovepage Wrong nomenclature. I meant steam boiler not brew. Many thanks for the link. I’ll start problem solving although the video stops before the steam boiler. Is there more?

[@Hasifariff]

Hi, my cheap coffee machine is having some issues: 1) The steam wand is not consistently produce high pressure steam.The steam will go off after 10-20secs,and whats left is only hot air. 2) Sometimes there are bubbles in the water container,indicate a boiling activity (which i think is not normal).Could it because of 3way valve faulty?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi HA, Thanks for the question. Hard to be certain what the problem is especially since I do not know what make/model product you have. My guess would be scale build up in the water heating section limiting water flow or potentially a bad pump. Cheap machines are notorious for problems caused by scale build up. Marc

[@matthunter9911]

I have a delonghi Ec820. B when I switch it into steam function the light does not come on for it so it does not produce steam just hot water, any answers would be helpful thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Matt, Thanks for the question. Could be many things causing the issue. Best advice is to contact Delonghi support for assistance: www.delonghi.com/en-us/customer-service

[@gwangurung1754]

Keep up ❤️❤️

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Will do!

[@muso1948]

I’m looking after an Kitchenaid Artisan for my daughter, but the water channels above the coffee basket are blocked with only a dribble of water coming out. Can you tell me a good fix to unblock it? Thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi m, Hmmm, hard to say for sure but blockage with limescale, used coffee or perhaps failing pump.

[@muso1948]

@@Wholelattelovepage You we’re right - it was coffee and limescale!

[@nizarsahar]

hai mark, my profitec pro 600 steam wand make bubble noice/roaring while steaming milk?do you know why? never have problem before, i tried clean steam tip but still happend,thanks

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Nizar, Not sure I fully understand the question/issue you are having. Roaring can be normal depending on position of steam tip in milk. Just checking you have been purging the wand after steaming? If not you may have milk traveling up the steam wand after shutting steam off with tip still in milk. This can cause performance issues. Marc

[@ilickspam]

i was doing a dezcal flush through the system and now the hot water line is clogged. what happens if dezcal is left in for hours? i'm currently letting it cool down to open up the brass nut.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi i, Hope you've solved your issue. Sounds like the Dezcal may have dislodged some chunks of scale which then plugged other areas of the machine. This is a common problem with machines fed a lot of hard water (mineral rich) and maybe were not descaled exactly on schedule. I would not leave descaler in a machine for >1 hour unless the machine has an aluminum boiler. For those limit contact time to no more than 20 minutess.

[@ilickspam]

@@Wholelattelovepage i think it's stainless steel. I unclogged it the next day by taking out the boiler. it seems to be working fine. there was dezcal inside all night, and a lot of sediment. there's still a little bit of sediment inside that it was too hard to open the heat element. it's all connected without any leaks. i'm just not going to disperse hot water and only use steam.

[@chloemartin4371]

we have a sunbeam EM7000, everything works, just the steam wand steams in surges and not encough pressure. and no spurts of water come out at the beginning. i have descaled it twice now but not sure what the next step would be. Steam pump?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi CM, I believe your machine uses thermoblock boilers. These have narrow passages which heat water or make steam. Those narrow passage are very susceptible to clogs by scale. If descaling is neglected the passages may become to plugged to effectively remove by descaling. Don't know if that's your issue but a possibility. Steam wands can also get plugged with milk residue if not purged after steaming. Marc

[@chloemartin4371]

Thanks for the reply. I have put wire up steam wand and nothing else seems to be blocking it ?

[@arwaa2397]

Hello, I have the same machine, and my steam wand suddenly is working not properly I think it’s leaking water into the milk because at the end I get very thick and gross pieces in the pitcher like sour milk. What do u think is the problem? 🙏🏻

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi arwa, My first guess is you are not properly purging your wand after steaming milk. When you stop steaming milk the wand quickly cools. The cooling causes the wand to suck up a bit of milk while the wand tip is still in the frothing pitcher. So, after steaming milk always remove the pitcher and blast a bit of steam out of the wand to clear out residual milk. You should do this every time immediately after you finish steaming milk. If you do not milk will accumulate inside the wand, get cooked and be gross. In extreme cases the milk can make it all the way back to a machine's boiler and cause more problems.

[@milijaradicevic7011]

I have Krups Siziliana coffee machine. On this machine hot water and steam go through the same pipe, when I accsidentally tried to use steam before the machine heated up enough. Now i can only heard the pump inside, but no water or steam are going out. Do you know how to fix it?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi MR, Really wish I could help you with a definite answer. Best I can advise: 1. Be sure you are operating the machine properly. I do not believe trying to steam before the machine was steam ready should cause a problem. 2. You say you hear the pump. Is it working properly and pumping water from the espresso brewing section? If not, it's possible the pump is not priming. In that case find a way to force water into the machine's water inlet. A squeeze bulb w/tube or turkey baster type device can do that. You will need to form a good seal over the water intake, apply some water pressure through the baster or bulb setup and kick the pump on while applying that pressure. Here's a video showing the priming procedure on a different machine. Not sure how yours works but this may be of help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4TFoa2adr2cpc0 3. If water working normally through coffee brewing section try power cycling the machine. That can reset internal electronics if they're the problem. Hope that helps! Marc

[@milijaradicevic7011]

@@Wholelattelovepage @myworks Today when I tried it worked perfectly fine, i don't know it somehow fixed by itself Thanks for the response anyways.

[@mrdibujante]

Nice

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi m, Thanks for the comment!

[@evocarlon1784]

hi good day, Mr. Todd and Marc. I have a question, the steam pressure gauge not working but when I open the steam valve it has a steam pressure. how can I fix this sir. thanks, Mark.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Mark, Thanks for the question. It could be the gauge is bad and needs replacement. Also could be scale deposits clogging the line which runs from the steam boiler to the gauge. Marc

[@evocarlon1784]

@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks Marc. I appreciate it.

[@ericc7936]

i have hot water coming out of the water wand but when i close it it still has water on its screen. over time it drips. how do i fix that? thanks.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Eric, Sounds like the valve to the wand is not closing completely. Might be time to rebuild the valve.

[@ericc7936]

@@Wholelattelovepage like in the video or do you men something more detailed

[@ThPappas]

I have a machine,from which escapes steam and water from the steam wand,when the machine is in the heating state.This is lasting for 7-8 min.and then it is OK.Can you please help to find the cause?The technician says it is OK,but I don’t think so.

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi T, Thanks for the question. Most likely a washer in the valve. Once the machine warms up the washer likely expands with the heat and makes a better seal. Most valves can be rebuilt with new washer/seals just like a faucet valve. Marc

[@trylik]

Dear All, what to do if water is not coming to the espresso bucket?

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hey t, "the espresso bucket"... Like that! Go thru steps in this video to diagnose

[@Young-kw6gl]

The drainage column behind my EXPOBAR boiling head is leaking

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi Y, Which model Expobar? If it's a Brewtus with E61 group it might be time to rebuild the group. Here's a video showing how to rebuild an E61 group head: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e32sqHdqZdmmqNU If not an E61 group machine it's likely an obstruction issue with the electrically operated solenoid valve. Cleaning the valve often resolves the issue.

[@Young-kw6gl]

Different styles

[@alistairbest3622]

Yeh, very easy, take the whole thing apart and wish for the best !!!

[@kylegeorgebeckstrom4993]

So your video is just black I don't know if it's my phone but I'm not seeing any picture

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Think it's your phone - maybe try again?

[@tristancwalker]

My Synchronika has plenty of steam but only yields 100ml of hot water before it seems to run out to a dribble. Steam is still perfect after this too

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi t, Something is not right. Perhaps your boiler is not filling all the way. Hot water exits from the bottom of steam boiler and is pushed out by steam pressure. You should get far more than 100ml of water before a dribble. If in US I suggest contacting the Whole Latte Love Tech Support Dept here: www.wholelattelove.com/pages/contact-us They can help you diagnose the issue. Marc

[@terryginther]

Hi - I purchased a Synchronika from WLL and having the exact same issue. Stream is up to full pressure yet I barely get any hot water out of the dispenser before it slows to nothing. If I play with the hot water lever I can get water to start coming out again. If I pull down in the lever and lock it to dispense, water immediately stops coming out. Something related to the valve. If anyone knows the issue I’d appreciate a response. I plan on calling WLL on Monday to discuss.

[@coffeeguy6673]

Hi, I'm a coffee machine engineer here in the UK. I've had this problem on a few traditional machines, it's usually either a blocked flowmeter , so not enough water getting through and/or blockage in the heat exchanger section of the hydraulic circuit. Just noticed this post is 3 years old so the issues have probably been solved or new machines bought haha !!

[@b2traveller596]

Any one knows steam is coming from hot water wand

[@Wholelattelovepage]

Hi RJ, If you have steam coming from the hot water wand and your machine has a separate steam wand it sounds like you're boiler is not filling properly. Hot water always comes off the bottom of an espresso machine boiler. If getting steam that means there's little or no water in the boiler! Marc

[@b2traveller596]

First I ll thank you for your reply and help me a lot, And you re right hot water pipe is coming from bottom of boiler and for steam pipe is separate. Water is coming from the expresso decotion. I found three wires going from connector to a solenoid I found there is no power going in that solenoid. Is it water is pumped by solenoid or it ll come automatically without any solenoid pump. I can sent picture if u share your email address please I got stuck. Rj from India