Time to get a new one?

[birv2]

Our Via Venezia just made a loud pop sound over the weekend, then water started to leak.

I tried it the next day and steam came out of the machine when the water heated up.

Both have never happened before. I'm not a coffee machine mechanic. Wondering if it's fixable or should I be looking for its replacement?

Thanks!

 

[froze]

That machine has been discontinued, there are some parts that are still available, I would contact Phillips and see if they can repair it, or do they have a service center near you. But be careful of the cost to repair, because the new machine was about $350, so you'll have to weigh out the cost of the repair vs a new machine, and depending on what is wrong with it you might find out if they can rebuild it, instead of replacing one part only to have another part go bad a bit later.

I think all that happened was the head gasket blew, if that's the case than you need to search for parts, Amazon might have the part, see: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=saeco+pa...94_11093508&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_4z3n83p3r_p

I got this off the internet.

• If water is leaking out above the portafilter instead of passing through it, it’s likely due to a damaged gasket.

• The rubber seal is located just above the portafilter.
• To fix this:
  1. Remove the portafilter.
  2. If necessary, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screw in the center of the dispersion screen (located above where the portafilter attaches).
  3. Gently pry the old gasket out. Newer gaskets are easier to remove.
  4. Clean the inside of the group head where the gasket was located.
  5. Apply a thin layer of food-safe lubricant around the new gasket.
  6. Insert the new gasket into the espresso machine with the smooth flat side facing down toward the portafilter.
  7. Wipe away any excess lubricant.
  8. If you removed the dispersion screen earlier, screw it back into place.
  9. Turn on the espresso machine and check if the leak is resolved.
  10. Try fixing it yourself first, the gasket is an easy fix

 

[froze]

If you decide to replace it consider a manual lever machine, no pumps to break, no heating element to burn out, real simple devices. The absolute best one for long-term durability is the Cafelat Robot, it also has fewer parts to clean, but get the model with the pressure gauge, that gauge makes it a lot easier to pull good shots. Another good manual lever jog is the Flair 58, also get the gauge option, but I don't think it's built for a lifetime of use like the Cafelat Robot is, but it is a good unit.

But if you rather have an electric job than consider the Breville Bambino Plus, that unit is supposedly built to last.

I personally don't trust electric units to last long, they have a lot more to go wrong, and they do go wrong, the pumps fail, the heating elements fail, gaskets fail, etc. And companies are not making electrical stuff to last a long time anymore. Just something to consider.

 

[birv2]

Thanks so much for the detailed response and for recs for other machines. I'll definitely check out the gasket and see what's going on there. Again, many thanks!

 

[Musicphan]

I don't think it would be a gasket... that's typically a small leak around the group head, it would not make a sound. Impossible to tell without inspecting it... most likely it's a valve/pressure problem. Espresso machines get clogged with buildout and the pressure has nowhere to go .. so POP... something breaks.

 

[froze]

Right, but the gasket is a quick check and an easy fix if the check shows a problem, which is why I mentioned it.

 

[birv2]

Update on the search for a cheapo espresso machine:

My wife did some searching and introduced me to the Bialetti Moka pot. It's amazing, cheaper than any espresso machine, and my new fave. Thanks for all the suggestions here.

 

[froze]

I also use the Bialetti Brikka Moka pot, and personally, it makes espresso darn near what I would get from a commercial espresso maker. So why spend $5,000 or more when a simple $50 or so moka pot can get you 98-99% of the way there? And it I wanted to get all the way there I would much rather have something like the Cafelat Robot manual espresso maker because there are no electrical heating elements to go bad, and no pump to go bad, those things are still around from the late 50's and still being used.

Always use a low to medium-low heat, and take it off the heat when it starts to make that gurgling or spitting sound when most of the water has been processed. If you have a glass top that will retain the heat for a long time, I can usually turn off the heat when the coffee is about 1/2 way done. I also set a bowl of water near me so when the coffee pot is full and just as the spitting sound begins, I place the pot into the bowl of water to stop further spitting. You can run it under running water too, but I prefer the bowl. Another strange thing is that if you fill the water to about 1/8th of an inch from the valve, instead of up to the bottom of the valve where a line should also be, it seems to make better coffee, try it and see what you think.

Since you have your Moka pot remember to never put it in the dishwasher, also don't use dishwashing soap on it, doing those things will strip the anodizing off the pot. I use the Bar Keepers Friend on mine, you can find that at any grocery store, after cleaning it with Bar Keepers Friend, rinse it out real well then boil water through it like you would if you were making coffee, you should only have to clean it with that stuff once a month. Always rinse it well with hot water after every use, you can run clear water through it like you would to make espresso but don't put the coffee in, and turn up the heat more than you would to make coffee to get it to really boil through, as soon as that hot water starts to come through the top tube I turn the heat off. Wipe it out after every use.

I don't know what size you got, but there are now filters on the market, called Moka pot filters, there are small round filters very similar to AeroPress filters. You remove the O ring place the filter there, and then put the O ring back on. What this does is raise the PSI by about 1/2 to a pound more which can help create a bit more crema. When you clean your pot, simply lightly spray water on the filter to take the coffee grounds off, you do not need to remove the filter to do that, leave in place. If you treat that filter carefully it should last between 8 to 15 rounds of coffee. I also found that using 2 works better than 1, 1 would rip free of the O ring within the first use, 3 would not allow me to screw down the top to the base securely enough against the O ring and steam and water would escape out the sides. I use AeroPress filters, I never tried the Moka Pot filters so not sure if those are thicker than the Aeropress ones, if so then all you need to do is use 1. I've been doing the filter trick for about the last years, I was doing it before anyone thought of it.

Once you do the higher heat boil to clean, that filter could get torn up, just remove it before you run the boiling water through it. Do not grasp the plastic handle or top lid flipper thing to help with unscrewing the unit, those handles will break. Also cook the pot so that the handles are away from the heat, in other words, cook on the edge of the burner so the handles are away from the heat, failure to do so could melt the handles.

Always remember to follow the directions, if you get confused YouTube has all sorts of videos on how to use one.

If you have any questions obviously just ask, but I can't think of anything else.

 

[birv2]

I also use the Bialetti Brikka Moka pot, and personally, it makes espresso darn near what I would get from a commercial espresso maker. So why spend $5,000 or more when a simple $50 or so moka pot can get you 98-99% of the way there? And it I wanted to get all the way there I would much rather have something like the Cafelat Robot manual espresso maker because there are no electrical heating elements to go bad, and no pump to go bad, those things are still around from the late 50's and still being used.

Always use a low to medium-low heat, and take it off the heat when it starts to make that gurgling or spitting sound when most of the water has been processed. If you have a glass top that will retain the heat for a long time, I can usually turn off the heat when the coffee is about 1/2 way done. I also set a bowl of water near me so when the coffee pot is full and just as the spitting sound begins, I place the pot into the bowl of water to stop further spitting. You can run it under running water too, but I prefer the bowl. Another strange thing is that if you fill the water to about 1/8th of an inch from the valve, instead of up to the bottom of the valve where a line should also be, it seems to make better coffee, try it and see what you think.

Since you have your Moka pot remember to never put it in the dishwasher, also don't use dishwashing soap on it, doing those things will strip the anodizing off the pot. I use the Bar Keepers Friend on mine, you can find that at any grocery store, after cleaning it with Bar Keepers Friend, rinse it out real well then boil water through it like you would if you were making coffee, you should only have to clean it with that stuff once a month. Always rinse it well with hot water after every use, you can run clear water through it like you would to make espresso but don't put the coffee in, and turn up the heat more than you would to make coffee to get it to really boil through, as soon as that hot water starts to come through the top tube I turn the heat off. Wipe it out after every use.

I don't know what size you got, but there are now filters on the market, called Moka pot filters, there are small round filters very similar to AeroPress filters. You remove the O ring place the filter there, and then put the O ring back on. What this does is raise the PSI by about 1/2 to a pound more which can help create a bit more crema. When you clean your pot, simply lightly spray water on the filter to take the coffee grounds off, you do not need to remove the filter to do that, leave in place. If you treat that filter carefully it should last between 8 to 15 rounds of coffee. I also found that using 2 works better than 1, 1 would rip free of the O ring within the first use, 3 would not allow me to screw down the top to the base securely enough against the O ring and steam and water would escape out the sides. I use AeroPress filters, I never tried the Moka Pot filters so not sure if those are thicker than the Aeropress ones, if so then all you need to do is use 1. I've been doing the filter trick for about the last years, I was doing it before anyone thought of it.

Once you do the higher heat boil to clean, that filter could get torn up, just remove it before you run the boiling water through it. Do not grasp the plastic handle or top lid flipper thing to help with unscrewing the unit, those handles will break. Also cook the pot so that the handles are away from the heat, in other words, cook on the edge of the burner so the handles are away from the heat, failure to do so could melt the handles.

Always remember to follow the directions, if you get confused YouTube has all sorts of videos on how to use one.

If you have any questions obviously just ask, but I can't think of anything else.

Thanks for all those tips. I totally agree -- it's not espresso exactly, but I love it and it's so easy to do. And with no breakable mechanical parts, it should last forever.

I've bookmarked your suggestions, but I was already trying a bunch of them. There are so many variables that it's a process to figure out what works best. For instance, should the water be hot or cold when you put it in? I've seen YouTubers say both things, so for now I'm going with cold. And using distilled water, if that makes a difference. Also, what kind of coffee? I've got Cafe Bustelo and Morning Joe from Starbucks, which is what I used in my espresso machine, and I'm experimenting with different ratios of those two. Also using 2% milk with a hand frother to get an approximation of steamed milk. Open to any more suggestions you've got!

 

[froze]

Thanks for all those tips. I totally agree -- it's not espresso exactly, but I love it and it's so easy to do. And with no breakable mechanical parts, it should last forever.

I've bookmarked your suggestions, but I was already trying a bunch of them. There are so many variables that it's a process to figure out what works best. For instance, should the water be hot or cold when you put it in? I've seen YouTubers say both things, so for now I'm going with cold. And using distilled water, if that makes a difference. Also, what kind of coffee? I've got Cafe Bustelo and Morning Joe from Starbucks, which is what I used in my espresso machine, and I'm experimenting with different ratios of those two. Also using 2% milk with a hand frother to get an approximation of steamed milk. Open to any more suggestions you've got!

In regards to hot water, what you don't want is that pot with coffee sitting in slowly getting hotter and hotter cooking the coffee too long. So instead, put the water into the bottom thing, place it on the stovetop, wait for some steam to come up, then drop the coffee basket into the lower thing, place the top on and screw down a bit, then pick it up with a hot pad holder so you can hold that bottom part then tighten it the rest of the way and put it back on the heat, then turn down the heat. You do not want the coffee to come out like a volcano, it should just seep out of the tube, you may have to lift the pot off and back onto the heat to control the flow. With my glass top stove once the bottom chamber starts to steam, then I put it all back together quickly and place it back on the stove top most of the time I can just turn off the heat, and the glass top stays hot enough to complete the process, gas probably won't work like that so you'll have to turn the gas down to low I would think.

There is no need to use distilled water, that's nonsense unless you're on well water with mineral tastes in it. Just use regular bottled water, or in my case, I have Multi Pure water filtration system that works great.

I can't recommend coffee for you, you just have to try a bunch and keep track of the ones you like. I do know that getting whole beans and grinding enough just for a single use is better than buying pre-ground coffee. If you do not have a grinder, then I recommend the 1Zpresso JX Pro S manual coffee grinder, that particular grinder will do a very wide variety of grinds for any type of coffee you would ever want to make, even the super fine powder grind required for Turkish coffee should you ever decide to explore other ways of making coffee.

I pretty much settled on Cold Brew, Moka Pot, Turkish, and the Hario Switch V60 after trying several different ways. I like to change up my coffee pretty much daily, so I'll one type one day and a different type the next, I'm weird!

Turkish coffee has a completely different taste profile than pour-over or espresso, and it makes coffee as strong as espresso, it just tastes different. To buy a Cezve (that's the pot) is not expensive. They did take a huge price increase over the last 2 years, the one that I have called the Copper Bull is the thickest copper Cezve I could find, I paid $24 for it 2 or 3 years ago, and today it's $38?! The thicker copper helps to even out the heat so there are no hot spots.

If you struggle with that Moka pot trying to make the ideal cup of coffee, after playing with it for a long while, then I recommend looking into the Bialetti Brikka Moka Pot, it makes more consistent coffee than the regular one, at least for me, a lot people all over Europe and Italy are experts at the regular Moka Pot, but I was never able get to that point, it was a hit and miss for some reason, with the Brikka I have yet to have a bad cup.

I don't do the milk thing, so I'm clueless about frothing! LOL!!

 

[shadow745]

I will add a few things regarding machine vs. moka, etc. No doubt some tend to think a small fortune must be spent to give great/consistent espresso, but far from the truth. One of my absolute best setups was a barely used V1 Silvia/Rocky I scored for $250 and 3 hrs of driving. Setup was 9-10 yrs old and had been used maybe a dozen times according to the seller. One look at key areas and I agree as it had not a single sign of actual use and that setup performed quite well and surely still does to this day. Granted a quality setup in new form can be costly, but you tend to get what you pay for quite often.

Main thing for me is quality and volume as in I don't have the patience to use a moka or Robot (or similar) to give the volume of espresso I consume daily. Typically do 6 double ristrettos each morning and that would be a lot of cleaning/preheating with anything other than a purpose built machine. Not to mention there's simply no way a moka or manual lever can give the type of heavy texture I expect with espresso I shoot for. I'd likely bend or break the lever/arms of machines like to be honest as I don't stick with typical (boring) basic extraction parameters. Obviously to each their own and yes some machines are a bit involved with preventive maintenance/cleaning, but of course it all depends on your use, expectations, budget, etc. I have a quality setup that will give me espresso that nothing else has ever matched and my main focus these days is green coffee selection, then dialing each batch in manually.

 

[froze]

Making 6 or so espressos a day probably would be more convenient to have a machine, as long as that machine stored enough water and coffee for the entire day without refilling them.

I'm retired, so if I want to make more than one cup using a Moka pot it's not a big deal, it's actually faster than trying to make several cups with the Hario Switch. A Moka pot will take about 5 to 6 minutes "if" you first preheat the water in the microwave, then make the coffee, and that includes the prep time; but the Hario Switch will take about 14 to 15 minutes, and that includes the prep and the first boiling of water that I do to preheat the Hario and the cup. Of course, when I'm preheating, I'm prepping.

If I want fast coffee, I could make cold brewed coffee, which takes about 12 hours to steep, but then after that, it's pour and go.

A manual machine like the Cafelat Robot, or the Flair, would be impossible to bend the arms.

I understand the thick coffee thing, I'm the same way, but espresso machines are pre-measured, you can't alter it much, and since the manual machines work off the same principle, you can't alter those either unless you don't pull the arm(s) correctly, but that's why they now provide a pressure gauge so you don't have that problem. Both electric and manual espresso machines will give you the same quality shots, which is a standard set by the coffee industry so they can legally be called espresso makers.

Moka pot you could alter it a tiny bit by putting in as much coffee as you can, but instead of putting it level you build up a bit of a mound, then screw the lid down which will compress that mound.

If you like thick coffee the only way I know of to make it thicker than normal is to make Turkish coffee, which can be made to taste stronger than espresso.

All this coffee stuff has set standards, but sometimes I think those set standards are a bit too mild. Like with my Hario Switch, it says to use one tablespoon (20 grams) of coffee per 4 ounces of water, The problem is that after much experimenting I prefer 30 grams per 4 ounces. Even after getting a new scale that is what I like, and it doesn't come out bitter, it comes out very flavorable and robust. I had a commenter who read that I was using too much, that it wasn't the "standard" and thus I was ruining my coffee, that's when I found out my scale was broken, but regardless I still like it beyond what the standard calls for.

 

[shadow745]

Well a few things to add... My 'endgame as the nerds wanna call things' machine is a Silvia Pro and after a 20 min warm up can handle anything I can throw at it. Not long ago I cranked out 14 double extractions pretty much back to back. The reservoir holds .5 gal of water and gets topped off every day. For coffee availability I keep 5-7 jars onhand at all times (around 165 grams each) depending on roast days and can grind 19.6 gram average dose per double in under 10 seconds. Not sure as to why you question the possible adjustability of some machines as just varying the dose weight even .5 gram, grinding finer/coarser you can alter the flow rate/characteristics quite a bit. I can really dial any coffee in by green selection/roast development as well. That gives far more control than any machine/grinder ever will.

Yrs ago I had an Olympia Cremina and actually caused the lever arm to flex quite a bit from using a finer grind for ristretto extractions. That machine is as heavily built as any machine really can be and I have no doubt I could bend the lever/arms of some machines made these days. Granted many people might not push a machine to extract like I do, but I'm pushing this pump machine far beyond what most are willing to do. I dial some coffees in as to not see the first drop upwards of 30 seconds of pump activation and the yield at the 60-75 second point is under 1 oz. The end result is literally like warm honey and when the stars align (if that even exists) the taste/texture is mindblowing. Granted not all coffees will end up awesome when pushed to that extreme, but I have quite a few dialed in. Actually will be replacing the stock pump soon with a heavy duty Ulka so I can easily push some extractions as much as 2 mins if needed with no real strain on the pump. That will be interesting to say the least as it really blows the pathetic Italian 30 second garbage standard out the window where it belongs... The thing with established guidelines/standards just gives more to laugh at and find ways to really go beyond that.

All that being said, the best setup to have is what one enjoys using. Doesn't matter how much is spent as long as it provides the expected end result.

 

[CHenry]

If you decide to replace it consider a manual lever machine, no pumps to break, no heating element to burn out, real simple devices. The absolute best one for long-term durability is the Cafelat Robot, it also has fewer parts to clean, but get the model with the pressure gauge, that gauge makes it a lot easier to pull good shots. Another good manual lever jog is the Flair 58, also get the gauge option, but I don't think it's built for a lifetime of use like the Cafelat Robot is, but it is a good unit.

But if you rather have an electric job than consider the Breville Bambino Plus, that unit is supposedly built to last.

I personally don't trust electric units to last long, they have a lot more to go wrong, and they do go wrong, the pumps fail, the heating elements fail, gaskets fail, etc. And companies are not making electrical stuff to last a long time anymore. Just something to consider.

How will you heat the water without a heating element? Unless you are heating water with a firebox, as in old-school samovar heater, you will have to worry about an electric heater which has a coil and does need power. Some manual-fill boiler lever manual pump espresso machines (e.g., Olympia Cremina) have no electric pumps, but some do for auto-filling the boiler from a reservoir (Londinium, e.g.)

If the OP can open his machine and the cause for steam escape is obvious and fixable, then I would try a fix. Otherwise, search for a new machine. Money put into parts and even more, labor, might be better put toward a new machine with a warranty. Steam escaping is possibly a rupture in a water line somewhere with wetting of the boiler or some other hot surface. It could also be a failure of a solenoid or possibly of the pressurestat with boiler overpressure tripping the steam overpressure valve and boiler overheat safety switch.

 

[CHenry]

Well a few things to add... My 'endgame as the nerds wanna call things' machine is a Silvia Pro and after a 20 min warm up can handle anything I can throw at it. Not long ago I cranked out 14 double extractions pretty much back to back. The reservoir holds .5 gal of water and gets topped off every day. For coffee availability I keep 5-7 jars onhand at all times (around 165 grams each) depending on roast days and can grind 19.6 gram average dose per double in under 10 seconds. Not sure as to why you question the possible adjustability of some machines as just varying the dose weight even .5 gram, grinding finer/coarser you can alter the flow rate/characteristics quite a bit. I can really dial any coffee in by green selection/roast development as well. That gives far more control than any machine/grinder ever will.

Yrs ago I had an Olympia Cremina and actually caused the lever arm to flex quite a bit from using a finer grind for ristretto extractions. That machine is as heavily built as any machine really can be and I have no doubt I could bend the lever/arms of some machines made these days. Granted many people might not push a machine to extract like I do, but I'm pushing this pump machine far beyond what most are willing to do. I dial some coffees in as to not see the first drop upwards of 30 seconds of pump activation and the yield at the 60-75 second point is under 1 oz. The end result is literally like warm honey and when the stars align (if that even exists) the taste/texture is mindblowing. Granted not all coffees will end up awesome when pushed to that extreme, but I have quite a few dialed in. Actually will be replacing the stock pump soon with a heavy duty Ulka so I can easily push some extractions as much as 2 mins if needed with no real strain on the pump. That will be interesting to say the least as it really blows the pathetic Italian 30 second garbage standard out the window where it belongs... The thing with established guidelines/standards just gives more to laugh at and find ways to really go beyond that.

All that being said, the best setup to have is what one enjoys using. Doesn't matter how much is spent as long as it provides the expected end result.

IIRC, Olympia makes their Cremina now with a spring lever, so extraction is by spring force and the elbow grease goes into compressing the spring.