Rancilio Silvia won't heat

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Dabler37
Posts: 2
Joined: 8 years ago

#1: Post by Dabler37 »

I have a version 3 Silvia whose heating element failed. I replaced it with a new version 4 boiler with the removable heating coil. It worked a couple of times and stopped heating. I tried the high limit switch multiple times, but no joy. I replaced both t-stats and the high limit switch, but still no joy. What should I check next? I have a multimeter, but have limited experience with it, so if I know what setting to use, I can check for continuity, if necessary.

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Randy G.
Posts: 5340
Joined: 17 years ago

#2: Post by Randy G. replying to Dabler37 »

- Unplug from power, remove the wires from the heating element, and test the resistance of the element (ohm function). I think it will be around 20 ohms or so but cannot remember.

CAUTION: Next test has you testing live wires. You could die if you screw it up. Or worse- you could damage the machine. Seriously, be careful!

- Next, with the wires reconnected, find the neutral connection point (should be any black wire connection point, or the black with red stripe wire of the power cord (old colors maybe- see this diagram on my website). With the machine plugged in and turned on, set the meter to AC volts (150 or 200 will be fine) Touch one test probe to a neutral connection and the other to one heating element connection point at a time. You should read line voltage at both connection points.

Let us know what you find and we can go from there.
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Dabler37 (original poster)
Posts: 2
Joined: 8 years ago

#3: Post by Dabler37 (original poster) »

I ran the first test and got no reading. My multimeter stayed at 1 so I did not move onto the next test. If it is the coil, I'd rather not mess with live current. Does that mean I've got a bad coil?

petr0x
Posts: 81
Joined: 9 years ago

#4: Post by petr0x »

Reading "1" means infinite resistance, therefore the heating element probably failed.
But it seems strange. You should figure out why this happened (wrong voltage rating, run without water?). Hopefully you have warranty on this one so you can return it.

dsevier
Posts: 33
Joined: 8 years ago

#5: Post by dsevier »

If you heat the element in a boiler that is empty, the element will fail. Its possible that you got a bad element, too but I think this is not so likely. I just replaced a heater in an Expobar and filled the boiler with the element wires disconnected because I wanted to be sure it had water first. If you do that, be sure to tape over the connectors are taped over well to prevent shorting to something. Also, as a general tip, if you ever do work with a machine with the electrical power, do so using a GFCI circuit. That will help protect you if you have unexpected contact with electricity.

An alternative to disconnecting the element while filling would be to leave the power switch off, turn the brew switch on, and crack open the steam wand. Then cycle the brew on for say 5 seconds, and off for say 30 seconds, This would let the heating element a chance to cool down if it was in an emply boiler. Do this until you get water out the steam wand. This is probably conservative but stacks things in favor of preserving the element.

Lastly, many emphasize the importance of keeping the boiler full by leaving the steam wand open and turning on the brew switch. This is important after a lot steaming where boiler water is lost but not directly replaced.

I hope this helps!

Dick