Hi All,

My wife recently descaled our machine that is about 1-2 years old. First time for this machine. I was a bit more regular about cleaning previous ones. Immediately after (like the next day) water stopped coming out of the brew head and I could hear a bunch of steam leaks inside. The steam and hot water functions are still working. When I push manual brew button the pressure reading stays at zero and no water comes out.

I replaced the main pump (I didn't think this was the issue as the hot water function still worked), and as many o-rings as I could find. This fixed the leaks but didn't fix the brew head water flow or pressure. I ordered a solenoid but not sure this is the problem and it'll take a couple weeks to get here. I also took the solenoid apart and clean it.. it looked pretty good and the parts seem to move well... no scale build up or corrosion. Is there an easy way to test the solenoid to see if it's the problem?

Also the steam wand is leaking from the on/off knob... I can see steam where it connects to the metal piece inside the machine at the valve. If I slightly lift the knob it almost goes away. Any ideas if this can be fixed? I took it apart and cleaned it but it didn't seem to help. I also noticed water dripping from the top of the wand so that part might be leaking somehow too.

This is my 4th machine... first few were replaced by Breville under warranty or repair. They seem to last us about 2 years max... We have a whole house water softening system and RO so not putting hard water into this thing. I'm tired of paying Breville money every two years and capable of fixing things so I decided to try to do it myself this time. Also it would take Breville 2-3 months to send me a new (or fixed) unit. It's not been too hard so far but unsure of what to fix if the solenoid doesn't do the trick.

Any ideas?

I can post pics and videos if that helps.

Thanks in advance!

achap wrote: Also the steam wand is leaking from the on/off knob... I can see steam where it connects to the metal piece inside the machine at the valve. If I slightly lift the knob it almost goes away. Any ideas if this can be fixed? I took it apart and cleaned it but it didn't seem to help. I also noticed water dripping from the top of the wand so that part might be leaking somehow too.

Hi, have you tried replacing this gasket yet? Please see attached picture. I am thinking that the leak at the on/off knob is caused by the gasket being old and not being able to keep a good seal.

ah.. thanks! I didn't know that came apart but it make sense now that you mention it. Do you know what size the o-ring is there?

One of the o-rings of this size should work: https://www.allworldmachinery.com/itemd ... fIQAvD_BwE

And here is Peter's detailed instructions on how to service this valve: Breville Dual Boiler ball valve detail, pics

achap wrote: My wife recently descaled our machine that is about 1-2 years old. First time for this machine. I was a bit more regular about cleaning previous ones. Immediately after (like the next day) water stopped coming out of the brew head and I could hear a bunch of steam leaks inside. The steam and hot water functions are still working. When I push manual brew button the pressure reading stays at zero and no water comes out.

Could it be that a piece of scale clogs the water path to the brew head? When you push the brew button, do you hear the pump running?

Yes.. the pump runs.. just no pressure or water comes out. And I put in a new pump too just in case.

Also the hot water feature and steam work fine.

I'll poke around and see if I can find a clog some place.

Thanks for the recommendation on the steam wand handle and valve.. That worked great!

This won't fix your current issue, but have you considered a different brand of espresso machine for the future? I know that certain Breville models appear to be darlings for some here on this forum, but if they give you this much trouble maybe they're not up to snuff?

Just a thought.

I have for sure... in fact the next one I purchase won't be a Breville... but before I spent a bunch of money on something different I wanted to try and understand what issues this machine has and how hard it is to fix... I'm ok with doing maintenance, but before now I've never spent any time trying understanding the machine or opening it up. Most of the issues I've been reading about are simple ware item replacements. That kind of stuff doesn't bug me.

I, too, like to fix things myself, so I get what you're doing. Once you figure it out, definitely post the solution here for future reference.

Will definitely post what the fixes are.... or more questions

What i find troubling with the Breville is that for me it's needed this level of repair/maintenance so often. They really need to sort out why the seals all fail after two years... and the solenoids... and whatever else. I pull two shots a day... maybe more when visitors are around... it's not getting tons of use. I know others with different brand machines that have gone much longer with no issues. And it's not like this is one bad apple either.. same thing for 4 machines now... each lasting 1-2 years before it needs serious maintenance. Most of the parts needed are fairly inexpensive too, so if I can avoid the $400 fee they have and spend a few bucks and an hour as needed that's a win... even better if they make a machine that doesn't need this much attention.