Manually Prime a Saeco Italiano

ambene

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Jun 28, 2013
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Hello, I thought I'd reach out here to see if anyone can assist with me priming the circuit on my Saeco Italiano. My friend has this machine, I liked it so much I bought one for my Mom and Dad on their anniversary tomorrow. I received it today and tested it - but the machine shows me a red drop which means the circuit must be primed. After going through the effort a few times I receive error #5.

I was fairly sure there was an air bubble or something similar that was causing the issue - as there was no water being expressed from the steaming wand (the instructions indicate this should occur). It does not seem that the boiler is drawing any water, hence my thought there's a bubble. I can't imagine there is an issue with a hose as this is a brand new machine.

Has anyone else primed a similar machine, manually? I don't know how to make the machine think the water tank is inserted - when I take it out the red drop on the display turns orange, indicating the water tank is removed or the water tank must be filled.

Any help is greatly appreciated! I hate to return it after just receiving it.

Thank you!
 

ambene

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Jun 28, 2013
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Hello again all, I was able to resolve my issue and will share it with everyone in hopes it helps someone else. I read where the use of a turkey baster might solve the priming problem and since I had one, I attempted to prime the water tank using the turkey baster. No luck, I think mainly because there was not enough water injected into the water intake line. I cut the end off of the turkey baster thinking I could create more water pressure by having the turkey baster surround the water intake valve (this is a little tube that normally inserts into the water reservoir) and this did not work either.

My friend who works in a dental clinic had come over to see the machine and had recently had a tooth implanted. The thought came to our minds to use the syringe the dentist provided that cleans all the yuck that gets trapped inside the hole prior to the impant becoming fixed - used when there is just a post.

In any case, this worked beautifully, I injected 2 syringes of water into the water intake valve and quickly re-inserted the full water reservoir. I turned the machine on, opened the steaming wand and voila - the machined continued its priming cycle. 3 minutes later I had espresso and 5 minutes later a nice cappuccino.

I hope this helps someone else, I'm happy I was able to fix this for my folks. Great thanks to KK for missing a tooth and for this great suggestion. :)

Pic of the syringe below - I'm sure you can get these at a medical supply company or dentist's office.
plastic implant syringe.jpg
 

JMatchette

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Oct 26, 2015
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Magnet in the water container

There should be a magnet in the water container. If you line up another magnet when the container is out that should override the fill tank problem.

Hello, I thought I'd reach out here to see if anyone can assist with me priming the circuit on my Saeco Italiano. My friend has this machine, I liked it so much I bought one for my Mom and Dad on their anniversary tomorrow. I received it today and tested it - but the machine shows me a red drop which means the circuit must be primed. After going through the effort a few times I receive error #5.

I was fairly sure there was an air bubble or something similar that was causing the issue - as there was no water being expressed from the steaming wand (the instructions indicate this should occur). It does not seem that the boiler is drawing any water, hence my thought there's a bubble. I can't imagine there is an issue with a hose as this is a brand new machine.

Has anyone else primed a similar machine, manually? I don't know how to make the machine think the water tank is inserted - when I take it out the red drop on the display turns orange, indicating the water tank is removed or the water tank must be filled.

Any help is greatly appreciated! I hate to return it after just receiving it.

Thank you!
 

CoffeLover66

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Jun 29, 2016
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hello again all, i was able to resolve my issue and will share it with everyone in hopes it helps someone else. I read where the use of a turkey baster might solve the priming problem and since i had one, i attempted to prime the water tank using the turkey baster. No luck, i think mainly because there was not enough water injected into the water intake line. I cut the end off of the turkey baster thinking i could create more water pressure by having the turkey baster surround the water intake valve (this is a little tube that normally inserts into the water reservoir) and this did not work either.

My friend who works in a dental clinic had come over to see the machine and had recently had a tooth implanted. The thought came to our minds to use the syringe the dentist provided that cleans all the yuck that gets trapped inside the hole prior to the impant becoming fixed - used when there is just a post.

In any case, this worked beautifully, i injected 2 syringes of water into the water intake valve and quickly re-inserted the full water reservoir. I turned the machine on, opened the steaming wand and voila - the machined continued its priming cycle. 3 minutes later i had espresso and 5 minutes later a nice cappuccino.

I hope this helps someone else, i'm happy i was able to fix this for my folks. Great thanks to kk for missing a tooth and for this great suggestion. :)

pic of the syringe below - i'm sure you can get these at a medical supply company or dentist's office.
View attachment 1156

I did everything you said and right now my coffee machine is totally broken. All water from the tank is on my floor now!!!

Pidor.
 
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alphaboy1

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Mar 4, 2018
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Hey all. So this solution also worked for me. I used the primer that came with my first Saeco Vienna Deluxe years ago. Must have been a clog or just needed a kick? Also keep trying to put the water tank in the machine when the machine is on. This message indicates the machine needs to be primed. This message appeared after a successful descale.
b2f1f3912ee7a516b8679c7c707344f4.jpg


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Last edited:
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