Hi,

I'm still learning a lot about espresso machines but I've had an Elektra Nivola for about 8 years but has been kept in storage for the last 5 years (moved country).

I'd like to start using it again but it's not working as it did, everything looks fine, I can clearly hear the machine boiling and getting to temperature. However when I move the dial to coffee or froth then I can hear the pump but nothing is coming out.

Do I simply need to do a backflush?

Any help very very much appreciated, or if someone can recommend a repair place in London that would be great too?

The Nivola can't be back flushed as it doesn't have a pressure relief valve. The other issue could be the circuit board behind the stainless plate behind the plastic tank. One of the Nivola faults is the board is not sufficiently protected from heat so they will prematurely fail, doing all sorts of strange things. After other issues and going through two expensive boards with mine I came to the conclusion these machines are not worth fixing. I turned it into a lamp.

It might just be a bit of gunk in the take up valve under the tank or it might be the pump. Getting at the pump is impossible without dismantling the entire machine which entails taking the head off, splitting and removing the boiler, removing the back plate, circuit board and electrics and splitting the case in two.

The Nivola is Elektra's bastard child and they don't even like talking about it. A distributor here at the time dismantled all remaining Nivola stock to use as spares and for warranty claims and if you ask what they think the response will make you blush.

Sorry if I sound harsh but if I can stop anyone wasting time and money on these lovely looking but useless machines then good.

Thanks for the honest advice, although I've not given up on the old girl yet.

I had heard of a lot of problems with the circuit board overheating and failing, and at an extortionate cost but I'm preying its not that (although it would give me an excuse to get the soldering iron out).

I did briefly check the take up value, I think it's time to get my screwdriver out and see what I can do. Will check the pump and valve, any other tips please let me know!!

You can still try a descale first using a strong citric solution or a commercial grade descaler. It's easy enough with the tank. If you are happy playing with the machine yourself take pics and go for it. You'll save a mint in tech fees.

Edit; Had a thought.

If it's been sitting for years chances are there was water in the boiler all that time and have scale but if there was no water then the boiler has to be primed. This means the pump will run but no water will come out the group. From memory, you switch to steam with power off, power on and it will beep for a short time then start priming. It stops by itself. Even with water in the boiler you can try a reset by putting it through a priming cycle. This worked for me early on.