Hey fellow coffee enthusiasts,

I'm reaching out to the community because I'm facing a perplexing issue with my beloved Rancilio Silvia V6 espresso machine. Lately, I've noticed that there's something off with the steam wand, and I'm hoping someone can shed some light on the matter and provide guidance on how to resolve it.

The problem I'm experiencing is that the steam wand takes an unusually long time to heat up, and when I'm purging or steaming milk, the temperature drops significantly. Furthermore, when I refill the boiler and attempt to release steam, it only comes out in a weak flow until the temperature drops to around 50 degrees Celsius. This behavior is completely different from how the steam wand used to perform.

Here are some additional details to give you a better understanding of the situation:

Water: I use r palvis water with a ppm (parts per million) of 56-60. I've been using this water without any issues before.
Maintenance: I make sure to descale the machine every month to maintain its optimal performance and cleanliness.
To help you visualize the problem more accurately, I've recorded a video demonstrating the steam wand's behavior at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. In the video, you'll notice that it takes several seconds for the steam to start flowing, whereas it used to quickly reach 120 degrees Celsius, allowing me to purge it a couple of times during the process. Now, it seems like the steam wand is heating up at the same pace as when I initially turn on the machine - and it actually drops a degree while purging, something that it didn't do before swell.

Video + pictures of the inside of the machine:

I would greatly appreciate any insights, suggestions, or troubleshooting tips from those who have encountered similar issues or possess expertise in dealing with the Rancilio Silvia V6 espresso machine. Is there a potential cause for this sudden change in steam wand performance? What steps can I take to address and rectify the problem?

Thank you in advance for your valuable input. Your assistance will be immensely helpful in restoring my machine's steam wand to its former glory!

EDIT: I should add that while I steamed milk yesterday, it didn't even mange to reach the desired temperature for the milk (around 65 degrees Celsius), the steam temperature fell too quickly. Then when I purged the wand in order to fill the boiler, the temperature fell immediately more than 10 degrees Celsius.
Best regards,

What do you descale with? Did you happen to descale just before the change you've noticed?

Hello!

Thanks for your answer. So I haven't changed anything on the PID itself. So that's out of the picture.

Regarding the thermostat sitting on top of the boiler; I have though about that, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the temperature while the machine itself is heating up - and when brewing it also seems to be fine. So the odd stuff really only happens when the steam button is turned on. However it should be mentioned that when hitting the brew button the machine will afterwards make a whistling/hissing sound.. It's quite loud.

The PID doesn't have any steam settings, it's brew only.. Or boiler temp only.

Hello!

I descale with Urnex (10 to 1 using the liquid version). No, actually not. However I descaled yesterday, didn't seem to help. But now I do hear a whistling/hissing sound which is quite loud - and as far as I remember that sound wasn't noteable yesterday.. Should I try to descale again? Maybe regarding the sound, something has clocked somewhere.

But as I have written in the other reply, I don't think it has anything to do with the steam wand?

I just gave the Auber thermostat a look; it seems fine. However I can move the black "box" around and I don't know if that has been possible before. It's like the "glue" doesn't have any effect. Maybe I should try replacing the thermostat, just to be sure. But where can I find it? Tried to search for "Auber thermostat" which didn't gave any results.

When I brewed the coffee, the temp fell 10 degrees Celsius according to the PID.

EDIT: I've uploaded a new video showing how slowly it goes, or actually it doesn't really move. Also: after a while it started smelling like something melted.. Can't see where the smell comes from, but yea, something is off.

I have the full Auber kit, but the it's the PID w/o steam control - there is one and one w/o that (as far as I know).

Is it possible to reset the PID? The thing is however, I dont know if it's the PID that causes the issue?

Have you taken the end of the steam wand off and made sure there isn't a buildup of milk in there ?