I called a tech at Kitchen Window because I wanted to bring it in for service. He mentioned before I bring it in, to descale the machine first. He said that lime buildup can cause some rather strange effects and he's also seen where it can do strange things with the thermostat where it locks it the open position. Even though I didn't understand everything he said, I took his advice and purchased some Durgol. It worked. There is still a little steam but it isn't near where it was and also doesn't spit anymore.

In the youtube Rancilio Shot walkthrough seen here: He shows the temp surfing technique in which a little steam needs to be bled off in order to get the correct temperature in the group head.

Before descaling, I had 10 times the steam and spitting as the video. After descaling, it was the same as the video.

Thanks for the support and help. The bright side...I'm learning how to use a VOM.

d.f. wrote:... and he's also seen where it can do strange things with the thermostat where it locks it the open position.

Strange, indeed! The thermostat is outside the boiler

But in any event, happy to know that the problem is solved.

Jim

I hope I just didn't discredit the guys at Kitchen Window. They were very helpful and seemed to know what they were talking about. I know good espresso. I don't know how to fix the machine it came from

I think that the most likely culprit is a brew thermostat which is remaining closed (fused contacts).

how would one fix that?

new thermostat...

actually no scratch that.. might as well PID at that point

I somehow doubt that descaling fixed your problem.. the thermostat is outside the boiler

how dirty was the water that came out?

When I pulled the group head screen prior to descaling, there was lots of black coffee oil residue. I didn't notice lime scale, however, previous to descaling, I hit the brew head switch without the screen and the water came shooting out like it was coming from a power washer; very fast and spitting. After descaling, (again without the screen) water flowed normally so there was obvious blockage from the boiler.

The thermostat seems to have a wide range of acceptable boiler temperatures. I know this is a no duh from reading the umpteen posts on HB regarding Silvia. I just didn't know how wide the temp range could be.

Does a PID just give you the temperature or does it control the temperature? If it controls the temp altogether, I will have one installed asap. (any chance I could install this myself? - my technical aptitude is pretty low but I can follow directions)

Thanks

controls the temp to +/- .3 degree if setup correctly
if you look it up it is the #1 upgrade you can do to the silvia

UPDATE

After descaling and cleaning, everything works fine. I panicked for no reason. I guess I was nervous because I purchased at such a good price and thought I got duped. Thanks for all your helpful advice.

It is a good reminder to descale your machine on a consistent basis. Failing to do so will result in weird, potentially damaging, effects.