I took delivery on a new Linea Mini and it was a major upgrade over my older Vetrano 2B. But after perhaps 20-30 shots, it lost pressure midway through a shot and will not come back to life, zero pressure, reservoir full, line not kinked, connections seem tight, steaming is fine, water only trickles out of the group if you pull the paddle, cool it off and power back on and pump runs constantly, if the pump does stop sometimes will build maybe to a 6 on the gauge but as soon as you pull the paddle drops to zero again and won't come back up. Local tech says they can be finicky. But addicted to the steaming power so not sure which way to turn in the $3k-5k range. Tech likes the Rocket 55 and Lelit Bianca but wonder how the steaming compares (weak point in my older Vetrano 2B). Thoughts?

Seems like you are jumping the gun and maybe need to take a deep breath.

If the pump is running when you pull the handle but you're only getting a trickle of water it sounds like the gicleur in the brew boiler is clogged with debris. Taking the top off the boiler is very easy and you can probably clear it with a very small needle, i've used a PCB drill bit sized to the jet which you can get on amazon prime for a few bucks in the right size. I had my gicleur clog early on with my new mini.

I'd absolutely disagree the mini's are finicky, many long time users on the forum here with it. I just received a GS3 yesterday after over 8,000 happy shots with the Mini and now the Mini is at my buddies how to continue its journey.

Interesting. Would a clogged gicleur cause the pressure gauge to sit at zero, though?

No, it would not.

The clog would need to be before the brew group to have zero pressure on the gauge.

It sounds like the pump may have lost its prime, which can happen if it ever sucked the reservoir dry.

New minis should have a priming port on top of the feed line from the reservoir into the pump. Here is a link to the procedure from LM:
https://lamarzoccousa.com/wp-content/up ... system.pdf

Give this a try.

Cheers!

- Jake

Thanks, Jake. I'll take a look at it.

After letting the machine cool down completely several times, what occurs on restart is the pressure will eventually rise to 12 on the brew side, but as soon as the paddle is pulled the pressure immediately drops to zero and it never comes back up.

I also ran a lot of water through the machine to the point where the reservoir needed to be refilled, let it cool off, turned it back on, heard it refilling the boilers and watched the water level go down, pressure came up but dumped again immediately.

It's not a paperweight, it just needs some love and attention. Take a few deep breaths and have some patience. It's pretty busy over at LM (at least in our country) with deliveries, purchases, cafes re-opening, understaffing etc.

If you're unwilling to wait just return the machine and ask for a refund. I doubt you'll be better off at other brands at this moment (I waited 3 weeks for something as simple as a new mushroom and wasn't amused either).

I understand your frustration and complaining on the forums. Won't defend LM USA either, but it's good to be realistic and once you get the machine up and running it's a dream.

rp911 wrote:...but as soon as the paddle is pulled the pressure immediately drops to zero and it never comes back up.

Is the pump running when the paddle is pulled? It sounds like the brew solenoid is opening, but either the pump lost its prime or it isn't even running.

rp911 wrote:I also ran a lot of water through the machine to the point where the reservoir needed to be refilled...

If water is only dribbling through the group, how are you running a lot of water through it? Are you just letting it sit for a really long time with the paddle in the brew position, or are you drawing water from the boiler using the hot water tap? I wouldn't recommend doing the former (the shot cuts out after 60 seconds, anyway).

rp911 wrote:heard it refilling the boilers and watched the water level go down, pressure came up but dumped again immediately.

So the pump comes on and fills the steam boiler, the brew group heats up, which generates pressure, and then the pressure drops when you swing the paddle over to brew, right?

There are two feeds into the brew pressure gauge (and the brew group). One is the cold water feed, which is parallel with the boiler fill, but does have a 1.5mm restrictor in it. The second feed comes from the heat exchanger in the boiler and has no restrictor in it. Both of these feeds are tied into a cross fitting that feeds the brew group and the brew pressure gauge. This is important because in order for you to have the issue you are seeing, either both of these feeds need to be clogged, the line from the pump to these feeds needs to be clogged (boiler fill would not work in this case) or the pump isn't running when brewing.

Can you confirm the pump is in fact running when you try to pull a shot, and that the boiler fills properly when you draw water from the hot water tap?

Thanks, Jake. I can hear the pump running when I pull the paddle, I hear the solenoid click, the pump runs but the gauge plummets.

I drew water from the hot water tap until it ran dry, had to refill the water tray so I believe it is filling. I can take a video if you think it might help (top is off the machine as I tried priming this morning).

Interestingly, I ran some hot water out, pressure dropped to 9, pump turned on and kept running with no sign of stopping and no apparent motion of water through the visible tubes. After a couple minutes, I hit the paddle, pump stopped for a second, solenoid clicked, pressure dropped to zero, and pump came on and just kept running. I shut it down at that point.

And one more data point, although the pump was running for 3 minutes the water level in the tray was tranquil and did not appear to be lowering.