Hello,
I have been eagerly waiting to upgrade my Saeco Aroma to a "real" espresso machine and came across a deal on a 2006 Silvia that could not be passed up.

The machine has had a fair amount of use according to the owner, but he claimed to have taken care of it meticulously, he even included the original box, paperwork, a blank basket, and a Reg Barber tamper He claimed to descale and back flush the machine regularly, but the screen was quite filthy.

Anyway, the machine works great, I descaled and back flushed the machine with some Cleancaf, and I have already pulled shots with it that surpass anything that has ever come out of my Aroma.

I am however concerned about one thing, and want to make sure it's not an issue before I spend more time working on other variables to get a better shot.

The pump seems to "peter out" at around 2 oz when I'm just running water through the portafilter.

The machine acts as if it's run out of water, the pump becomes louder, then all of a sudden the pump kicks back in and water starts to flow again through the portafilter.

I have never noticed any indications that the machine experiences a pressure drop when it's brewing a shot, or abnormal function when the hot water switch is activated and water is being directed through steam wand.

Is this normal for a silvia?
Is there anything I should do?

Thanks in advance.

nautilus wrote:... He claimed to descale and back flush the machine regularly, but the screen was quite filthy.

...The pump seems to "peter out" at around 2 oz when I'm just running water through the portafilter.
The machine acts as if it's run out of water, the pump becomes louder, then all of a sudden the pump kicks back in and water starts to flow again through the portafilter.
Is this normal for a silvia?

Right off the bat my advice would have been to walk away.. Why? Either he didn't know what he was talking about, or he was looking for an easy mark. But anyway, No, the water should continually flow. My first thought would be to try another outlet and circuit. Check to see if the drop in flow coincides with heating element activity. If you have a Kill-A-Watt meter, use it to check current draw. Does it do it when pumping water through the hot water wand? Try it with the wand tip removed and see. If it doesn't, disassemble and clean the 3-way valve.

Thanks for your reply Randy, but at $250 for the whole package I'm still glad I picked it up. The outside of the screen was very clean and I didn't want to ask the man to take the machine apart before I purchased it at that price. I do not have a Kill-A-Watt meter. I have never noticed the problem when water is flowing through the steam wand.

Oddly enough, I just went out to check if the flow coincides with the Heating element kicking on and I could not get the problem to recreate. Not bad news, but very strange as I have noticed the problem every single time I've used the machine.

I suppose time will tell if it comes back?

OK... Here's what I would do.. I would remove the outer shell (case) and disconnect, clean, and silicone grease every connection I could. Check for corrosion on any of the terminals. It could be a high-resistance connection somewhere, and some preventative maintenance could save problems in the long run...

Forgive me if this is too simplistic, but is the boiler full when this is happening? In other words, have you run the steamer switch in the "on" position until you get a good flow out of the nozzle? Just trying to eliminate a variable; I always make sure my boiler is full before pulling a shot.

Woops double post

It could be that there is simply air in the water line. The Silvia as far as I know does not have a self prime pump. When I owned mine I once literaly injected water into into the hose with a large syringe while running the pump. That probably was not necessary but it worked.

When I bought both my Silvia (now sold) and my Brewtus for the first time I had these minor difficulties with priming espessially with the tiny water hose filter on the Brewtus but once you get solid air free water into the brew water circuit the problem for the most part goes away unless accidentally run your machine with an empty tank at a later time.

If I were you I would fill the water container and literally pour some water into the hose before dunking into the water container and try running about a cup or two of water through the steam wand one cup at a time giving the pump rest in between. Running a good amount of water through the circuit is a good way to flush those air pockets out.

Every time you hit an air pocket the pump will make that rattling loud noise I would give it a few seconds about 5 or less to see if some water will kick in if not then turn it off it and try again until you get a good amount (1 or 2 eight oz cups) of uninterupted water flow.

Do not turn on the steam switch just open (turn) the steam wand with the steam switch turned off and fick the brew switch to operate the pump. This will cause a circuit in the Silvia to redirect the water flow through the steam wand (also used to fill cups with hot water when the machine is hot) that is how you prime the boiler in the Silvia if you don't already know that (you may I am just telling just in case.)

It is best to do this (primming of the boiler and filling of the water path with air free water) before the machine heats up.