Coffee Machine Repairs: Frequent Issues And How To Resolve Them

There’s nothing worse than having a faulty coffee machine, especially during a busy service period. Instead of serving one amazing cup after another, you’re having customers come back to tell you that the coffee tastes off, you suddenly can’t froth the milk, or your coffee is being dispensed too slowly, resulting in a bitter tasting coffee.

Sounds stressful? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ve put together this troubleshooting guide, so you can figure out how to resolve the common issues that may arise when using your espresso machine frequently. Take a look below and get in touch with us today, if your issue still persists, even after trying to resolve it on your own.

The Issue:

The steam wand can no longer froth milk

The Cause:

There are a few reasons why your coffee machine may not be able to froth milk. Your steam nozzle could be blocked or your steam pressure could be too low or too slow. However, it could also be due to the quality of the milk you’re using or if you’ve simply tried to reheat already steamed milk.

The Fix:

There are some easy fixes for this, as most of the issues are down to common human error. If the quality of your milk is off, simply switch to a different milk. Don’t try to reheat steamed milk as you will burn it, leaving an unpleasant taste. If your nozzle is blocked, remove it and clean it thoroughly. If none of these apply to the reason why you cannot steam your milk, it may be due to the pressure of your boiler. Check that the boiler pressure is at 1.0 bar and that the machine is switched to position 2 (the element symbol) on the on/off switch. If the boiler pressure is not in the correct range, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today, as you may be overdue a boiler inspection.

The Issue:

The coffee is being dispensed to slowly or too quickly.

The Cause:

Depending on whether you’re experiencing the coffee being dispensed too slowly or too quickly, there can be quite a few various reasons why these issues occur. If your coffee is dispensed too slowly, it may be because your group head is blocked, there’s too much coffee in the filter holder, the grind is set too fine, or the coffee in the tamper is too compressed. If on the other hand, the coffee is dispensed too quickly, it may be because there isn’t enough coffee in the filter, because the grind is set too coarse, or the coffee in the tamper is not compressed enough.

The Fix:

In order to fix these issues, there’s a few things you can do. Firstly, double check that you’ve put the correct filter basket in the correct filter holder, for example, a single filter basket in the single filter holder. If the issue has occurred because the grind is too fine or too coarse, then change your grind settings. If the tamper has been too compressed or not compressed enough, then get rid of the coffee from the filter, add new coffee instead and tamp with the correct pressure. If the coffee is dispensed too slowly due to a blocked group head, then you need to clean the group head as per your usual daily cleaning. If none of these suggestions fix your issues, then please reach out to us today so we can send one of our engineers your way.

The Issue:

The coffee from the espresso machine turns cold quickly.

The Cause:

There are three common reasons why this might happen. Firstly, the machine may not be up to operating temperature. Secondly, the portafilters could not have been heated up enough and thirdly, the cups you’re pouring the coffee into may be cold.

The Fix:

If your espresso machine has not yet reached its optimal temperature, you may have not waited for long enough when turning on your machine. Once you turn on your espresso machine, wait for approximately 15-20 minutes for it to heat up properly. If your portafilters aren’t warm enough, then lock them into the group heads and flush hot water through them for approximately one minute. Always leave your portafilters in the group heads once you’ve finished your coffee in order to ensure that they’ll stay warm. Equally, always preheat your cups prior to pouring your coffee in them.

If none of the suggestions above help resolve the problems you may have encountered when using your espresso machine, then there’s only one thing to do: call us as soon as possible so we can arrange for a coffee engineer to pay your coffee shop a visit to help fix your espresso machine. You can contact us through phone or email on either +44 (0)20 8568 1828 or [email protected].