Saeco Aroma - can't prime it for the life of me!

[gfilicetti]

Please help, I'm freaking out here...

My Saeco Aroma has performed brilliantly (or as brilliantly as possible given its shortcomings) since I bought it about a year ago.

In recent months (about two to be exact), it has seen zero use due to factors out of my control.

So tonight we had a dinner party, and here i am all excited to fire up the machine again and get some nice espresso from it, and the darn this refuses to prime itself.

I did what I always do and double checked the instruction manual... I start the boiler, turn on the coffee button then open the steam wand and wait for a steady stream of water.

Well no water is coming through this thing at all... I can see the clear hose and it isn't sucking up any water. I tried filling the tank completely in case there's a hole in the hose and I would cover it, still no go.

The pump is definitely running and sounds like it always does when it runs dry. But there's nothing I can do to get it to pump up the water... This is maddening!

Am I truly screwed here? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Our water isn't notoriously hard and I've always used water from our Brita filter for the coffee machine, could this be a calcification thing? How can I decalcify the machine if it won't suck up any water?

I'm desperate for help.. anything would be appreciated. Thank you.

G

[Randy G.]

I don't know the machine at all, so a general guess...:
Have you tried applying a slight amount of positive pressure to the intake tube while the pump is in operation? [turn it on and blow into it...] After that, I would access the pump to see if it can be disassembled at all. You could then check to see if the piston in the pump can move, if the output tube is clogged, etc. it's a start...

[Alan Frew]

I have been in your situation and feel for your pain. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when a supposed "coffee machine expert" can't get a simple domestic machine to prime? Fortunately I have found 2 solutions that (except if the pump is kaput) always solve the problem.

1) Get a narrow needle and make sure the hole in the steam wand isn't totally blocked with old dried milk.

2) Get a CLEAN squeezable tomato sauce bottle (ketchup to you) and fill it with water. Push the water input hose on to the nozzle of the bottle, turn on the pump and squeeze the bottle.

One or the other solution will work unless your problem is quite serious.


Alan

[gfilicetti]

Alan, Randy,

Thanks for your quick replies. I was sure that your suggestions would solve my problem, but alas they did not.

I found a length of clean electrical wire, and sent it up the steam wand as far as I could, and there was no obstruction there.

Also, I got a clean squeeze bottle and tried to force water through, the interesting thing here is that even with a great amount of pressure applied by me to the bottle, I was not able to force any water up the hose, it was as if I was pressing against a solid blockage.

This was true both with the pump on and off, both with the steam wand knob open and closed.

The hoses in the machine are all clear plastic and they do not look blocked to me at all. The pump itself does make a loud sound, so something in there is working.

The pump and mechanism is all fully accessible, but I'm weary to disassemble it (even though I'm technically inclined). This machine was purchased in May 2007, hopefully it is still under some kind of warranty. Guess I'll have to wait until Monday to speak with Saeco's 1-800 number.

I'm at a loss.... I still don't understand how this could have happened.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

G

[peacecup]

Try a turkey baster and manually prime the pump by squeezing water into the intake tube while the pump is running. This is a fairly common problem, and at least two others have asked lately. Never heard back from them, so I think they figured it out.

PC

[espressme]

My thoughts same as above, been there! Try to get a little vinegar into the intake hose and milk it to get it to the pump, hold it up to have gravity help. Try to start the pump a couple times and let the vinegar work. It may take a couple days as vinegar is not the fastest scale remover.
Good luck. This happens quite often when a vibe pump dries out.
richard

[gfilicetti]

You guys sure vinegar will be ok? The Saeco instructions EXPLICITLY say not to use it... but maybe that's because they want me to buy their own expensive descaler?

So, I've done the equivalent of the turkey baster using a ketchup squeeze bottle, and I've tried letting gravity do its thing. But it is very hard to get any amount of water into the pump whatsoever.... and when I squeeze on the bottle, the pressure just builds up and the water goes nowhere.

This is the same even if I close the steam knob and allow the water to redirect through the group head.

I'll try my best to get some white vinegar in there, unless I can find the little packet of descaler that came with the unit.

I'll say again, the pump definitely sounds like it is working and doing it's thing... it is NOT quiet.

G

[espressme]

Here is a start at what you are looking at, a pump taken apart and rebuilt.
HERE
And longer, more information:HERE
Good luck
Richard

[gfilicetti]

Since Monday's rolled around, I figured I'd call Saeco and see what they had to say.

I must say I'm impressed. They offered to fix the machine under the warranty which expired in May. So all I need to cover is the shipping cost to them.... they'll do the work and ship it back under warranty.

They think it's most likely a vapour lock.

Thanks for the help from all of you... this experience has made me kick myself even harder than usual for not being patient and researching my machine more before jumping the gun on the purchase. Otherwise I would have had a Silvia instead...

G

[peacecup]

Well, from what I keep reading about Silvia I don't know that starting with a Saeco is such a bad thing,

PC

[jnthnbrnnn]

I have a Saeco Espresso Classico which is almost identical to the Aroma. I've never had a priming problem, but I've had pressure/flow problems on two occasions. My first pressure problem was an actual physical obstruction in the water line between the pressure valve and the brass 90 degree fitting. One of the small plastic tabs that keeps the spring in place in the pressure valve broke loose and got lodged in the brass fitting.

The other most recent problem turned out actually being the coffee. I get my coffee from a local roaster, who also grinds it. I always get the same grind, but for some reason it recently wasn't working properly. Maybe the coffee was roasted darker than usual. Next time I'll get a coarser grind. Anyway, I always assume it's something mechanical with my machine. I replaced the pump and S3 pressure valve to no avail. I then removed and disassembled the boiler to check for excessive (highly unlikely) limescale deposits. Everything checked out fine. The mechanics of this machine are relatively simple. I've removed and replaced almost everything on my machine. My only problem is getting the parts I need from Saeco (e.g. Too slow, no response, wrong parts sent).

Moral of the story: It's usually something relatively simple and inexpensive that causes the biggest problems. I've had my machine for six years and the pump still works fine after daily use. It was probably a good thing I tore everything apart anyway because I discovered a small leak that was remedied with a new O-ring.

[Squidlyspresso]

Just for the record...(since you sent the machine back to Saeco)

It seems to me that the problem is a stuck or clogged valve output. If the machine has been sitting for a while with the steam knob tighten to hard, there may be some rubber gasket or plug that got stuck in place. For some reason, it wouldn't move out of position upon turning the knob open.

C.

[espressme]

Adding to the thread. FWW, I just did an unclog for a friend. The photo shows where to separate the line to allow citric acid or vinegar solution to enter and dissolve the scale on the pump piston and valve. I used a small syringe to put the solution into the "T." I also used a pin to get the bubble of air out and allow the solution to get all the way into the valve unit. I immediately noticed bubbles forming.Then after about an hour I reassembled the connection and tried the pump, which now worked. I did a normal descale of the machine and cleaned the shower screen while I was at it..For the money, these are good machines and built like a tank.

Cheers
Richard

[gfilicetti]

I guess I should've posted my final results...

Well, I called Saeco and they took pity on me and fixed my machine under warranty even though I was 3 months out of warranty.

I packaged up the machine nice and tight and sent it to an authorized dealer in NY state (from NH)... a few days later I get a call from the guy at the shop, "Hey, just wanted to check with you exactly what's wrong with the machine? It's working fine here...".

Sure enough, the machine was priming and working with no problems at all... so the guy descaled it for me anyway and sent it back... It's been working ever since.

Of course now I make sure not a day goes by where it doesn't get at least some use!

G