Are you in doubt whether you should try fixing your coffee maker on your own? Of course, it may seem a much easier solution just to throw out the machine or call a professional repairer for help. Yet, you may be surprised to discover that coffee maker troubleshooting is often very simple and doesn’t require much time.
Try the solutions suggested for the Saeco coffee makers in the tables below and see for yourself!
A Saeco coffee maker has a reset button. To get to it, open the top using a screwdriver. There you will see three thermostats and a button on the middle one. If you hear a metallic sound when pushing the button, there is a problem occurring due to air getting into the heating element. To prevent this, monitor the water supply process and be sure that no air is getting into the system. Take steps to drain air from the system from time to time.
| Problems | Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| The machine does not turn on. | The machine is not connected to the power source. | Connect the machine to the power source. |
| The plug has not been plugged into the back of the machine. | Insert the plug into the machine’s power socket. | |
| Machine in stand-by. | Press the brew button to start the machine. | |
| Coffee is not hot enough. | The cups are cold. | Warm the cups with hot water. |
| Hot water or steam is not dispensed. | The hole of the steam wand is clogged. | Clean the hole of the steam wand using a pin. |
| Coffee has little crema. | The coffee blend is unsuitable or coffee is not freshly roasted. | Change coffee blend. |
| The machine takes a long time to warm up or the amount of water dispensed from the wand is too little. | The machine’s water circuit is obstructed by limescale build-up. | Descale the machine. |
| The brew group does not come out. | The brew group is out of place. | Turn the machine on. Close the service door. The brew group is automatically placed in the correct position. |
| Dregdrawer is inserted. | Remove the dregdrawer first, then the brew group. | |
| The machine grinds the coffee beans but no coffee comes out. | Water tank is empty. | Fill the water tank and prime the water circuit again. |
| Brew group is dirty. | Clean the brew group. | |
| The water circuit is not primed. | Prime the circuit again by dispensing water from the hot water wand. | |
| Rare event that occurs when the machine is automatically adjusting the dose. | Brew a few coffees as described in the manual. | |
| The coffee volume knob is turned to the left. | Turn the knob clockwise. | |
| The coffee is too weak. | Rare event that occurs when the machine is automatically adjusting the dose. | Brew a few coffees as described in the manual. |
| Coffee is brewed slowly | Coffee is too fine. | Adjust the grinder to a coarse grind. |
| Circuit is not primed. | Prime the circuit again by dispensing water from the steam wand. | |
| The brew group is dirty. | Clean the brew group. | |
| Coffee leaks out of the dispensing head. | Dispensing head is clogged. | Clean the dispensing holes with a soft doth. |
| Brewing does not start. | Coffee bean lid is not dosed properly. | Correctly place the lid on the coffee bean hopper and press it firmly. |
| The machine grinds the coffee, but coffee does not brew. | The opti-dose adjustment is not at the optimal setting. | Change the opti-dose adjustment. |
| Problems | Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| The machine does not turn on | The machine is not connected to the power supply. | Connect the machine to the power supply. |
| The service door is open. | Close the service door. | |
| Coffee is not hot enough | The cups are cold. | Warm the cups. |
| No hot water or steam is dispensed | The hole of the steam spout is clogged. | Clean the hole of the steam spout using a pin. |
| Coffee has little foam | The coffee blend is unsuitable, the coffee is not freshly roasted or the grind is too coarse. | Change coffee blend or adjust the grind. Increase the dose. |
| The machine takes a long time to warm up or the amount of water dispensed from the spout is too little. | The machine’s circuit is obstructed by limescale. | Descale the machine. |
| The Brew Group does not come out. | The Brew Group is out of place. | Turn on the machine. Close the service door. The Brew Group is automatically placed in the correct position. |
| The grounds drawer is inserted. | Remove the grounds drawer before removing the Brew Group. | |
| Coffee is not brewed | There is no water. | Fill the water tank and prime the circuit again. |
| The Brew Group is dirty. | Clean the Brew Group. | |
| The dose setting is high. | Decrease the dose setting. | |
| The circuit is not primed. | Prime the circuit again. | |
| Coffee is brewed slowly | The dose setting is high. | Decrease the dose setting. |
| The coffee is too fine. | Change coffee blend or adjust the grind. Decrease the dose setting. | |
| The circuit is not primed. | Prime the circuit again. | |
| The Brew Group is dirty. | Clean the Brew Group. | |
| Coffee leaks out of the dispensing spout | The dispensing spout is in a wrong position. | Replace the dispensing spout in its correct position. |
| The dispensing spout is clogged. | Clean the dispensing spout and its holes. |
| PROBLEMS | CAUSES | REMEDIES |
|---|---|---|
| The brewing cycle does not start | No coffee beans / “Cof Beans Empty”. | Refill bean hopper and press desired coffee button. |
| No water / “Fill watertank". | Fill water tank. Make sure float is in position and held in place by the cap. Message will clear. | |
| Dredge drawer / waste box is full / “Dredgedrawer full”. | Remove waste box while machine is on. Leave out for 5-10 seconds and put back in machine. Message will clear. | |
| Brew group missing / Brew Unit Miss. | Remove drip tray, waste box and brew group. Put brew group back in machine until securely locks in place, put waste box in, shut service door and put drip tray back in place. | |
| Coffee flows too quickly. | Grind is too coarse. | Adjust the grinder to a finer grind, ex. from 5 to 3. Adjust only while grinder is grinding and only a maximum of 2 settings at a time. It will take 3-4 cups to see results. |
| Dose needs to be increased. | Turn doser towards + sign. | |
| Coffee flows too slowly. | Grind is too fine. | Adjust the grinder to a coarser grind, ex. from 5 to 7. Adjust only while grinder is grinding and only a maximum of 2 settings at a time. It will take 34 cups to see results. |
| Dose needs to be decreased. | Turn doser towards - sign. | |
| Filter screen in brew group is clogged. | Clean the filter screen using the key provided. | |
| The machine does not turn on. | The machine is not connected to the power supply. | Move the main switch to ON (T position). Check the plug and the power outlet. |
| The coffee is not hot enough. | The cups are cold. | Warm up the cups on cup warmer or by dispensing a little hot water into the cup and letting it sit for a few seconds. |
| A low temperature has been set. | Set the machine to a higher temperature. | |
| Only water is dispensed when you select “pre-ground coffee'. | No pre-ground coffee has been put into the pre-ground chute. | Select Pre-ground coffee button, put pre-ground coffee into the chute and press the desired coffee button. |
| Too much pre-ground coffee put in chute. | Put one level scoop of espresso coffee. Max. 1 cup at a time. | |
| No hot water or steam is dispensed. | The steam wand is dogged. | Clear it with a thin needle or pin. During this operation, the must be closed and the machine must be off. Then run water through steam wand to make sure unclogged. |
| Reduced amount of coffee, water and steam coming out of the machine; the machine takes longer to heat. | Lime scale / mineral build up in machine. | Descale the machine. If not done for a long period of time, we recommend doing 2 cycles. |
| Unable to dear Descale message. | Need to reset message. | Go into programming mode, ‘Sign. Decal." and reset message. |
| The brew group cannot be removed. | The brew group is out of alignment. | Put waste box in position, close door and put drip tray in position. Switch machine on; the brew group will reset into original position. |
| Ventilate | Machine needs to be primed. | Dispense 3-4 oz of water through the steam wand. |
| Steam wand clogged. | Clear steam wand and prime machine. | |
| Limescale / mineral build up in machine. | Descale the machine. If not done for a long period of time, we recommend doing 2 cycles. |
| Machine actions | Causes | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| The machine does not switch on. | The machine is not connected to the electric network. | Connect the machine to the electric network. |
| The power button is set to"0". | Check that the power button is set to | |
| The drip tray gets filled although no water is drained. | Sometimes water is drained automatically by the machine into the drip tray to manage the rinsing of the circuits and ensure optimum machine performance. | This is seen as normal machine behavior. |
| Coffee is not hot enough. | The cups are cold. | Preheat the cups with hot water or use the hot water dispenser. |
| Beverage temperature in the programming menu is set to low. | Ensure that the temperature is set to Normal or High in the beverage programming menu. | |
| Cold milk is being added to the coffee. | Cold milk will reduce the temperature of the end product. Therefore please preheat the milk before adding it. | |
| No hot water is dispensed. | The hot water/steam wand is clogged or dirty. | Clean the hot water/steam wand. |
| Check if it is clogged by looking into the spout. Use a pin or needle to make a hole through the limestone. | ||
| The machine is not filling the cup. | The machine has not been programmed. | Enter the beverage programming menu and adjust the coffee length setting to your liking for every beverage. |
| Coffee has not enough crema. | The blend is unsuitable, coffee is not freshly roasted or the grind is too coarse. | Change coffee blend |
| The coffee beans or the preground coffee are too old. | Ensure that fresh coffee beans or preground coffee are being used. | |
| The milk was not frothed. | The Carafe is dirty or not inserted correctly. | Verify the correct cleaning of the carafe and its insertion. |
| The machine takes a long time to warm up or the amount of water dispensed from the wand is too little. | The machine circuit is clogged by limescale. | Descale the machine. |
| The brew group cannot be removed. | The brew group is out of place. | Turn the machine on. Close the service door. The brew group automatically returns to the initial position. |
| The coffee grounds drawer is inserted. | Remove the coffee grounds drawer before removing the brew group. | |
| The brew group cannot be inserted. | The brew group is not in rest position. | Ensure that the brew group is in rest position. Both arrows must look towards each other. |
| Gear is not in initial position. | Insert the drip tray with the coffee grounds drawer and then close the service door. Turn the machine on. The gear automatically returns to the initial position so the Brew Group can be inserted. | |
| There is a lot of coffee ground under or on the brew group. | The coffee you are using may not be suitable for automatic machines. | It may be necessary to change the type of coffee or the coffee grinder settings. |
| The machine is adjusting the grinder due to new coffee beans or preground coffee. | The machine automatically adjusts itself after brewing several cups of coffee to optimize the extraction of the coffee to the compactness of the ground coffee. It may take to up to 2-3 products until the grinder is adjusted. This is not a failure of your machine. | |
| The machine produces coffee grounds that are either too wet or too dry. | The grinder needs to be adjusted. | By adjusting the ceramic coffee grinder, the quality of the puck can be adjusted. When the pucks are too wet, make the grind coarser. When the pucks are too dry, make the grind finer. |
| The machine grinds the coffee beans but no coffee comes out. | There is no water. | Fill the water tank and prime the circuit. |
| The brew group is dirty. | Clean the brew group. | |
| This might occur when the machine is automatically adjusting the dose. | Brew a few coffees | |
| The dispensing spout is dirty. | Clean the dispensing spout. | |
| Coffee is too weak. | This might occur when the machine is automatically adjusting the dose. | Brew a few coffees |
| The coffee is too coarse. | Change coffee blend or adjust the grind | |
| Coffee is brewed slowly. | The coffee grind is too fine. | |
| Circuits are clogged. | Perform a descaling cycle. | |
| The brew group is dirty. | Clean the brew group. | |
| Coffee leaks out of the dispensing spout. | The dispensing spout is clogged. | Clean the dispensing spout and its holes. |
| FAULT | POSSIBLE CAUSES | SOLUTION |
|---|---|---|
| The machine does not switch on | No power supply | Check the electrical circuit |
| The machine does not warm up | The thermostats have intervened The power supply does not reach the boiler | Replace the thermostats (if of the One shot type) If they are manual, reset them If they are automatic, they are reset automatically Check the electrical connections |
| The pump is very noisy | There is no water in the tank The pump has disengaged from the supports The silicone pipe that carries the water from the tank to the pump is pinched or blocked | Fill the tank Insert the pump into the supports once again Check the water circuit |
| The coffee is too cold | The filter holder is not inserted for the pre-heating process The cups are cold | Run hot water through the filter holder Pre-heat the cups with hot water |
| The milk does not froth | The milk is not suitable (powdered or skimmed milk) Dirty nozzle or Cappuccino maker | Use whole milk Carefully clean the nozzle or the cappuccino maker with water |
| The coffee flows too quickly and does not form the cream | Little coffee in the filter holder Grinding level too coarse There is a missing component in the filter holder | Increase the quantity Use a different mixture Verify that all the components are in place and installed correctly |
| The coffee does not flow or it flows in drops | Grinding level too fine The coffee is pressed too much in the filter holder Too much coffee in the filter holder Blocked water channels Blocked filter in the filter holder | Use a different mixture Agitate the coffee Reduce the amount of coffee Descale the machine Carefully clean the filter |
| The coffee does not flow from the edges | The filter holder has been inserted incorrectly into the coffee dispensing unit The upper border of the filter holder is dirty The seal of the boiler is dirty or worn Too much coffee in the filter holder | Insert the filter holder correctly Clean the edges of the fiter holder Clean or replace the seal Reduce the amount of coffee |
| Problem | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The machine does not turn on. | The machine is not connected to the power source | Connect the machine to the power source. |
| Coffee is not hot enough. | The cups are cold. | Preheat the cups with hot water. |
| No hot water or steam is dispensed | The hole of the steam/hot water wand is clogged | Clean the hole of the steam/hot water wand using a pin. Make sure that the machine is off and has cooled down before performing this operation. |
| Pannarello is dirty (if supplied). | Clean the Pannarello. | |
| Espresso does not have enough crema | The coffee blend is unsuitable, the coffee is not freshly roasted or the grind is too coarse. | Change coffee blend or adjust the ceramic coffee grinder |
| The machine takes a long time to warm up or the amount of water dispensed from the hot steam/hot water wand is too small. | The machine water circuit is obstructed by limescale build-up. | Descale the machine |
| The brew group cannot be removed. | The brew group is out of place. | Turn on the machine. Close the service door. The brew group automatically returns to the correct position. |
| The coffee grounds drawer is inserted. | Remove the coffee grounds drawer before removing the brew group. | |
| The brew group cannot be inserted. | The brew group is not in the off position. | Make sure that the brew group in the off position. |
| The gearbox is not in the correct position. | Insert the drip tray and the coffee grounds drawer. Close the service door. Turn on the machine without inserting the brew group. The gearbox returns to the correct position. Turn off the machine and reinsert the brew group. | |
| The descaling cycle cannot be finished. | Most probably you have used not enough water for rinsing. | Unplug the power cord and follow the instructions described in the sector " Interruption of the descaling cycle" (Look under the table) |
| The machine grinds the coffee beans but no coffee is brewed. | 1) The brew group is dirty. 2) The water circuit is not primed. 3) This might occur when the ma- chine is automatically adjusting the dose. 4) The coffee dispensing spout is dirty. | 1) Clean the brew group. 2) Fill the water tank with fresh water and dispense hot water. 3) Brew a few cups of espresso coffee. (Coffee is a natural product and its characteristics may change according to its origin, blend and roast. The machine is equipped with a self-adjusting system that allows the use of all types of coff ee beans available on the market except for raw, caramelized and fl avoured coff ee beans. The machine automatically adjusts itself after brewing a certain number of cups of coff ee to optimise the extraction.) 4) Clean the coffee dispensing spout. |
| The coffee is too weak | 1) This might occur when the machine is automatically adjusting the dose. 2) The ceramic coffee grinder is set to a coarse grind. | 1) Brew a few cups of espresso coffee. (Coffee is a natural product and its characteristics may change according to its origin, blend and roast. The machine is equipped with a self-adjusting system that allows the use of all types of coff ee beans available on the market except for raw, caramelized and fl avoured coff ee beans. The machine automatically adjusts itself after brewing a certain number of cups of coff ee to optimise the extraction.) 2) Adjust the ceramic coffee grinder to a finer setting. |
| Coffee is brewed slowly | 1) The coffee grind is too fine. 2) The water circuit is not primed. 3) The brew group is dirty. | 1) Change coffee blend or adjust the grind setting. 2) Fill the water tank with fresh water and dispense hot water. 3) Clean the brew group. |
| The drip tray gets filled although no water is drained. | Water is drained automatically by the machine into the drip tray to manage the rinsing of the circuits | This is a standard operating procedure. |
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