I'm afraid I fried my Semi's heating element partly through carelessness (let it run out of water) and partly through a ropey pressurestat. Anyhoo I have a choice to try and fix it myself or send it back to the supplier for repair. The supplier is a good 300 miles away and the courier charge for transport there and back is going to be significant, especially if I fully insure for in transit. Not counting labour and parts for the repair itself.

So the questions are: Has anyone replaced their semi's heating element and if so, is it easy or difficult? Any tips etc?

Also for UK peeps: Does anyone know of a reliable repair service in and around Glasgow?

It's a straightforward procedure using common sense and a methodical approach. Just make sure you have a seal kit on hand. There are quite a few good pics here with a little searching. The schematics courtesy of Stefano's espresso care are also always invaluable. Here they are for the pre 2005 and later model.

Good luck!

http://espressocare.com/PDF-Files/PDF-S ... c-Semi.pdf

http://espressocare.com/PDF-Files/PDF-S ... a-2005.pdf

Thanks Dr Dregs that's useful. Are you saying there are pictures on this site or on the web more generally?