Fix that bloody cappuccino maker for the 500th time!
Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Hard
Process:
Other blog post/fixes for the same model cappuccino machine:
- Fixing my Coffee Machine - May 2013
- Cappuccino Maker Leak - Jun 2012
- Final Cappucino Maker Fix (Hopefully) - Jul 2013
- Fixing a Delonghi Magnifica EAM4500 Cappuccino Machine - Jan 2017
The issues I've had so far with this machine over the last 6 years were as follow:
1. Leak in the top boiler (Leak Fix)
2. Broken thermal cut-off switch (no blog)
3. Broken water hose connector (Connector Fix)
4. Generic alarm
5. Water pump
#1 was a pain in the butt, but it was simply a mechanical issue so after I figured out how to make a proper gasket it was all sunshine, rainbows and cappuccinos
#2 was a simple order and replace fix that cost me about $30 bucks a few years back
#3 was definitely the easiest one
#4 was a royal PIT@!!! This, and #5, is what this blog is about
Shortly after I fixed #3 above, the machine started acting up and giving the intermittent "Generic Alarm" which was quite dreaded on the DeLonghi forums. The solutions ranged anywhere from broken motors, broken pumps, broken sensors, broken boiler units all the way to a broken triac on the main electronic power board.
When I plugged in the machine it said "Heating up please wait..." for quite a long time and then it switched to "Generic Alarm".
Somehow I deduced that it had to do with the heating of the boiler units of which there are two: one on top which does the main hot water for brewing the coffee and a second one in the back which comes after the first one and is used to create steam for the cappuccino attachment.
There could be three possible problems:
#1 one of the two temperature sensors (one on each boiler)
#2 one of the two heating elements
#3 the main power board (I have a used main power board I'd sell for $100 CAD; they're $200 new)
I found a great Parts Replacement Resource Website so I figured that the chances are fairly small for both temperature sensors to go at the same time so I ordered one replacement sensor which came to about $30 bucks with shipping.
Two weeks later I got the part, replaced it, turned it on and IT WORKED!!! Except for, it only worked for about two days! So that was no good.
Then I measured the heating elements and they registered at 14.2Ω and 14.8Ω respectively. Using Ohm's laws, and knowing that the heating element were both rated at 1000W, the voltage was measured at 123V, the amps I was drawing through the heating process should be:
I=P/V
I=1000W/123V
I= 8.13A
I measured the amperage and it was 8.2A so that was good. Then I calculated the resistance which should be:
R=V/I
R=123V/8.2A
R=15Ω
So that was pretty good too, so I knew that the heating elements were working fine.
The only logical conclusion (and this was the painfully expensive realization) was that the main power board was fried. I took it off, had a real good look at it but it didn't look burnt or anything so I put it all back together and IT WORKED!!! Except for, it only worked for about a day or so!
So, I had to bite the bullet and ordered the $200 replacement power board. Crazy to think that I'd pay more for a replacement part of a cappuccino maker than most people pay for their entire coffee machine, but the only other alternative was either a $10 cheapo walmart coffee maker that makes nothing but slop, a $100 kuerig for which the k-cups are ridiculously expensive (and I refuse to pay 80 cents for a cup of coffee at home) or another real machine for another $1000-$1500. Needless to say, my tenacity (or stubbornness as Melanie calls it) took over and I ordered the replacement board (of course with Melanie's agreement, she missed a decent cup of coffee, too!!!).
About two weeks later I got it, put it in and whoohoo, IT WORKED!!! Except for, it only worked for two days. I was NOT a very happy man, that's for sure. Melanie was getting annoyed by this time so I didn't get any sympathy from her either and I still didn't have a fix.
I think what was bothering me more than anything is that IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't. I tested and/or replaced every possible scenario and it was so inconsistently not working that I was at my wit's end. I just could not for the life of me figure out what could possibly cause these malfunctions! Frustrating!!!
The last glimmer of hope I got when I remembered something I read about the water pump possibly causing the "Generic Alarm" but since (for the most part) the water came out fine I dismissed that possible cause until the power board replacement didn't fix it.
So, last week I ordered a new water pump (another $50, but the pump was on its way out anyways) and said to myself that if that didn't fix the machine I would take a sledge hammer to it and cut my losses and go back to drinking slop.
Last night I plugged it in again just because I couldn't let it go and luckily it worked for a couple of cups but then stopped working again. Out came the volt meter (AGAIN!) and I just happened to notice that there was a little spark inside of the thermal cut-off switch (TCO) on the back boiler. Interestingly I had tested that switch many times before and it always showed continuity (which it's supposed to have), but I never tested the continuity throughout the entire warm-up cycle. As a desperate last measure (before getting the new water pump) I by-passed the thermal switch in the back and wouldn't you know it: it never gave me the "Generic Alarm" again.
Today UPS delivered the replacement pump, I put it in, found another thermal fuse that I had lying around, rigged it up and put it all back together. This may actually have been the problem all along: The thermal cut-off switch would allow power through it until the back boiler heated up just almost exactly to the temperature it would have to be for the computer to register the OK, but then the TCO would open, the power would get interrupted and the heating element would cool down again until it was cold enough for the switch to close again. And so it would go, a continuous cycle of heating, opening the TCO, cooling, closing the TCO and heating it up again until the computer said something's wrong and threw the "Generic Alarm". I guess I'll find out in the next few days, but the sledge hammer definitely IS still a possibility!!!
In summary, I paid:
$900 for the cappuccino maker in 2008
$30 for the thermal cut-off switch (TCO) in 2009
$5 for the gasket material for the top boiler in 2012
$30 for a replacement temperature sensor in 2013
$200 for a replacement power board in 2013
$50 for a replacement pump in 2013
Total: $1215
Which works out to be only about 8 cents/cup over the years plus the actual coffee grinds. This is still a saving of $21,285.00 over going to Tim's (I guess I have to justify it somehow)!!!
Videos:
Pictures:
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| Power board close up of the two triacs and the heat sink |
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| Power board that didn't end up having to be replaced after all. Anybody want a $200 power board? |
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| Inside of the water pump |
 |
| The housing of the water pump |
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| The worn-out components of the old water pump |
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| Another view of the water pump housing |
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| The TCO that ended up being the cause of all my troubles |
Screwdriver
Pliers
Materials:
Salvaged thermal cut-off switch
Main control/power board
Water pump
Cost:
$250
Time:
30 - 40 hrs...WAY too much for my liking
Savings:
$21,285.00
Conclusion:
Lord have mercy on me! Let this be the last time I have to fix this oh so hated and at the same time so wonderfully loved machine!!!
Additional Note:
I've had some requests to write down the steps on how to get into diagnostics mode. There are actually two different modes. Here are the details:
1. To get into Regular Test Mode: press "one shot" plus "long shot" while plugging in the machine
2. To get into Display Module Test Mode: press "two shot" plus "long shot" while plugging in the machine
3. To get into the Coffee Count Screen, hold the "menu" and "change" button while plugging in the machine
in
display module test mode, each button will display "button 1", "button
2" etc to test the buttons
in
regular test mode, the buttons are as follows:
Button
1 (Menu): Heater on
Button
2 (Next): N/A
Button
3 (Change): Pump on
Button
4 (OK): Grinder
Button
5 (On/Off): Motor up
Button
6 (Bean grind): Motor down
Button
7 (1 shot): EV1 on
Button
8 (2 shot): EV2 on
Button
9 (long shot): vaporizer
Hi. I have had this same machine since 2008. Has worked great until recently it seems the steam pressure has dropped. I opened the case and the top boiler is all corroded. I assume there is a leak somewhere. The part is about $100. Since you have already taken this apart, how hard was it? It doesn't look that difficult, just a few screws, hose clamps and wire connectors. Was there more to it than that?
ReplyDeleteAlso, how did you get in diagnostic mode? I am dying to see how many cups of coffee we have brewed. Will help me justify a replacement if this one dies.
Enjoyed reading about your Rialto repairs. Inspired me to take a shot at fixing it.
- Chris
To the person that left the above comment. please email me at eigenheerc..at..hot mail..com. i'll be more than glad to help.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI have a question since you seem quite informed about the Delonghi 4500. I have a leak, opened up the machine, and found the leak. Then, found a parts manual and, I believe, the part….
I’ve included a picture of the part replacement and a picture of where the leak is occurring (red arrow). It only occurs when I engage the spout, not the coffee…. I’ve had a few “grinds too fine” which necessitated running the spout. Also, need the spout to descale the unit.
So, do you think I have the right part? How would I access this piece. Seems I take the heating element off, or disconnect so that I can get to the part. Is the leak a seal? Or the entire part. I can’t seem to find a seal in the diagram.
Any help you could supply would be great before I purchase and take apart….
Thanks
@john zurbuchen, I have updated the blog to hopefully answer your question.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this info! Our ESAM5500 was getting the dreaded "general alarm", sometimes when trying to brew, and sometimes when just sitting idle. From other web sites, I figured out that the o-rings in the brew unit had swelled and were making the plunger stick. (If it's difficult to move by hand, the o-rings are bad.) I ordered a new set (which came with food-grade grease) on eBay. They arrived from Germany in just over a week. That solved the brewing problem, but the "general alarm" would still appear after the machine was left on for a time. From reading this site, I suspected the thermal cutoff switch. Following your example, I jumpered around it, and the machine is working fine now. I ordered the TCO on eBay, and will remove the jumper and install it as soon as it arrives.
ReplyDelete@Richard, I'm glad you got it working. This machine brews some nice java! I've had mine for almost 9 years and it's still putting out wonderful coffee!
ReplyDeleteYes, we love ours. We've had it since 2009. We hadn't seen them until we checked into a little no-frills hotel in Cologne, Germany, and the nice Iranian-born owner said "If you'd like a cup of coffee, just push this button." We decided we had to have one of these machines. It worked perfectly for about 5 years, but has had the main generator replaced twice. I wasn't able to diagnose the problem myself; we sent it out of state (which was not cheap -- but far less than replacing the machine). We'd pretty much decided that we weren't going to put a lot more money into it, so it's great that I'm able to fix some things myself. It's hard to go back to drip coffee when this thing isn't working, so we're hoping these will be the last repairs for awhile.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteOutstanding Blog work and great information on this DeLonghi EAM 4500 repair topic. I have also had mine since about 2007 without issue. Recently I am getting the dreaded Generic Alarm during start up. I opened up the machine and noted the boiler on top is getting hot but the horseshoe shaped boiler to the rear is remaining cold (and I assume it should get hot during the start up cycle as well. So I suppose the rear boiler has gone bad, or the TCO has failed or perhaps you have some other insight. I have a multi-meter to poke around the components with, but just need a little of you terrific guidance and expertise if you don't mind. Thanks so much.
Michael, I'm sure Chris will have some ideas. But I'll throw in my two cents worth. As you've figured out, these machines have two boilers -- the top one for brewing coffee, and the rear horseshoe-shaped one for steaming milk. Since your machine is failing during startup, it's possible that the steam boiler TCO has completely failed. It should show zero resistance with the machine off and cold. If it shows infinite resistance, it's stuck open and the steam boiler can't heat up at all. If that's the case, you can do what I did -- jumper around it temporarily and order the part. If it doesn't heat up even with the TCO bypassed, the boiler itself is probably defective. Since it's in the rear of the machine, it should be pretty easy to replace and should run you about $50 on eBay. Search for part # 7332212600.
ReplyDeleteRichard, that was it. Checked the TCO for resistance, and it seemed stuck open. I jumper-ed it, turned on power, and voila... the rear steam boiler heated up and the machine cycled on with no error. Ran some coffee cycles and it appears to be nominal. Ordering the TCO part and we'll see how the unit holds together going forward. Thank you so much for your reply!!
ReplyDeleteMichael & Richard, I'm glad you guys figured it out. That's what I would have guessed the problem was as it was the same thing for my machine. Sorry I haven't responded sooner; I was working on another project outside (blog coming soon)
ReplyDeleteMicheal, that's great! Our machine worked for a day or two with the TCO jumpered, but got the "ground too fine" error repeatedly this morning. At first I suspected the the transmission, since the brew unit was parked in the fully-up position. But I noticed that the rinse cycle wasn't happening when the machine was turned off and back on, so I suspected that the pump was going bad. I took the pump and valve assembly out, disassembled them, and reassembled them, reinstalled everything, and the machine seems to be working now. I didn't see any obvious problem, except a little scale on one of the o-rings, which I cleaned off. Since this is the original pump, I went ahead and ordered a new one. I see that the replacement is now model EAX5, which has brass parts instead of plastic.
ReplyDeleteRichard, for some reason, one issue that has resulted in the "grounds too fine" before on my machine was when the o-rings needed to be lubricated with some food-grade silicone grease (two o-rings on the brew unit and one o-ring up inside the machine on the brew piston)
ReplyDeleteChris, that's good to know. I had just replaced and lubricated the two o-rings on the brew unit. I know the old ones had swelled and were causing the piston to stick. The o-ring on the brew piston seemed OK, and was new with the replaced coffee boiler a year or so ago. But I have a third new o-ring that came with the set, so I'll go ahead and replace it.
ReplyDeleteI’ve the “ground too fine” error. I can bypass that by tapping hot water on the machine for just a couple of seconds. After that the message is gone and I can make coffee again. What is te fist step to take to solve this problem?
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, the "ground too fine" error shows up when not enough hot water is getting to the brew unit. It could be a failing pump, or the little check valve on top of the pump could be partially clogged. Since dispensing hot water temporarily fixes the problem, I'd also suspect the solenoid valve that's mounted behind the steam boiler. I recently replaced both the pump and the solenoid valve on my ESAM5500, and it wasn't too difficult. I was able to order the parts on eBay. But first, I'd remove, disassemble, and clean the check valve on top of the pump, #62 in this diagram:
ReplyDeletehttp://bit.ly/2brLATQ
Hope this helps!
Thx for your advice. I first ordered 3 new gaskets for the brew group. I found out that those 3 gaskets were very dirty. I was not able to clean them properly so I ordered them to replace. It’s simple. In the meanwhile I’ll check the mentioned check valve. I’ll let you know the results.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a good move. On our machine, the three o-rings swelled over time, and were causing the plunger to stick. If you can't move it easily with your finger, you definitely need new o-rings. They should come with a packet of food-grade silicone grease, which you need to apply to them when you install them. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI replaced the 3 o-rings (gaskets) It is an easy job. I ordered them on eBay and found the following youtube movie where you can see how to replace the o-rings. So far so good. Fingers crossed if I’ll see the “ground to fine” message.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ful0ZjbiU
If the espresso maker goes straight to "General Alarm" after plugging it in, is it safe to assume that it just needs to be cleaned or are there other possible problems? I just changed the o-rings on the infuser and lubricated it, but i didn't change o-ring on the piston. Any help is appreciated. This blog post has been one of the more informative ones on this machine
ReplyDeleteMark, it's really hard to say without doing some more research. Does it do anything at all before it gives you the generic alarm? It could very well be the motherboard as well. I would check to make sure you have voltage for both heaters (check either side of the thermal cut-off switch). After that I'd go into the diagnostics mode and test each button as well as each part of the machine. The process to get into the diagnostics modes (there are two different diagnostic modes) are at the bottom of the blog. Also, at the top of the blog are two links to two other blogs I did on my machine; you might find something there that helps.
ReplyDeleteThis thread is great. I have the same model—and it "boots," rinses and makes coffee fine. THE STUMPER: it won't dispense hot water or descale. The same pump sound as in rinse mode is present, but very muted. Then I get the "Ground too fine" and "Insert hot water spout" prompts. Anyone willing to wager if it's a clogged line or a solenoid? Or something else? Thanks for any advice~!
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't detect that the water spout is inserted, it could be the microswitch or a broken or loose wire.
ReplyDelete@Richard, get into Display Module Test Mode (press "two shot" plus "long shot" while plugging in the machine) and find the EV2 button and listen for a little click. That's the solenoid that opens the line into the horse-shoe shaped "steamer" boiler element. I actually just had to deal with a similar issue where the EV2 solenoid was shot. For my machine it ended up being another thing as well: the steam boiler element was plugged with a small piece of calcium/scale build-up. I had to use a small needle and break it open, put it all back together and it's working fine now. The EV2 solenoid can be found here: https://www.encompassparts.com/item/10311108/Delonghi/5513225801/Solenoid_Valve hope this helps
ReplyDeleteThanks @Richard, yes the microswitch does detect. @Chris, I did try test mode but need to go back and make sure . . . but I'm inclined to think it's a buildup, since the previous time I descaled, it "let loose" with a blockage. And, recently after any brew cycle, I hear a little wheeze. That's the only audible abnormality after ~7,500 cycles on the unit. Again, thanks, and I'll post what I find about the EV2.
ReplyDeleteHope it works out for you @J.P. Weiksnar; she makes a mean brew!
ReplyDeleteAw, I genuinely appreciate it, Chris. It turns out I hear the "EV2 on" click in test mode. But nada for EV1. Plus, "Pump on" is very muted (just as when I try to descale or request hot water). But since the main brewing works fine, I'm not sure it pays to tinker. "If it ain't broke." . . . I suppose I could try descaling with Durgol and see if it loosens up like last time, as a first step. :-)
ReplyDelete@J.P. Weiksnar, EV1 I believe is the solenoid right up by the water spout that is activated or deactivated when making a cappuccino with the cappuccino jug attachment. Maybe that solenoid died in the closed position which would explain why you can't get any water and it's telling you to insert the water spout. One thing you can try is open the machine, find the little water hose that goes from the back to the front right top into the front solenoid and disconnect it from the solenoid input. Then you can push the water pump button and see if it sprays hot water out of the little vinyl hose. If it does, you know that the problem is the EV1 solenoid. Then, if that works, you can plug in the cappuccino maker jug (if you have one) and press on the round "Clean" button, that should make a bunch of steam come out of that same vinyl hose that you disconnected from the EV1 solenoid. IF both those scenarios are as I suspect you'll just have to either test the EV1 solenoid for proper voltage or possibly replace it. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we're discussing solenoids and steam... I'm still having a minor glitch with my ESAM5500. After replacing the o-rings on the milk jug connector, it's usable. When we first attach the milk jug in the morning, we press the clean button for ten seconds or so, and it releases steam as it should. But when we press the cappuccino button, it releases more steam without drawing milk, at least for a time -- about 10 - 20 seconds. Finally, it sputters to life and starts drawing milk, but even then it's not as frothy as it should be. I've replaced the EV2 solenoid, so it's not that. I've also replaced the milk jug top. Could the EV2 solenoid be defective or partially clogged?
ReplyDelete@Richard, my suspicion is the milk jug. I can't say for sure because that's actually one part I have not yet taken apart, but it almost sounds like the slider adjustment on the milk jug (if yours is the same as mine - the one you can adjust from latte to cappuccino) might not be working properly. Is it possible that the second jug lid you tried is clogged up maybe? Just thinking out loud...
ReplyDelete@Chris, thanks for the quick reply. I don't think it's the milk jug since 1) it's nearly brand new and 2) it does the exact same thing with the old one. Also, when I attach the hot water outlet and press the hot water button, I get mostly steam for ten seconds or so. I suppose I could have two defective or clogged milk jug tops, but it seems more likely that it's something inside the machine.
ReplyDelete@richard, interesting, it almost seems like you're not getting enough water through the steamer. having said that, when I first heat up my machine the hot water button does produce mostly steam for the first little while. have you tried pressing the hot water button until you get hot water flowing and then try the cappuccino/frothing action?
ReplyDeleteGood thought. I'll try that in the morning. What's strange is that once it starts drawing milk, it will continue to do so for subsequent cappuccinos, even some time later, and even after the milk pitcher is detached and reattached. So it's like something is being set to dispense steam for the cleaning operation, and then sticking in that position for a time when making the first cappuccino.
ReplyDeleteOne more time, thank you @Chris. I will try to report back when I eventually get around to testing the innards--it's bound to be something in that part of the system!
ReplyDeleteOk, this morning I fired up the machine, installed the milk pitcher, and pushed the clean button for ten seconds or so as usual. Then I removed the milk pitcher, installed the water spout, and dispensed hot water for tens seconds or so. Then I reinserted the milk pitcher, pushed the cappuccino button, and it drew milk almost immediately. Tried this sequence a couple of times with the same result. Not sure what this tells us, though....
ReplyDeleteWell, I finally found the problem with the frother! I noticed a little steam coming out of the side of the machine during attempted frothing. I removed the side panels and the front control panel, and found that the nut on top of the EV2 solenoid valve was very loose, and steam was escaping out the top of the solenoid. A copper sleeve around the plunger in the solenoid had completely broken. I could pull the solenoid apart with my fingers. Apparently, they have redesigned the EV2 solenoid valve, so I'll also need to order the connector pieces that attach to both sides, and the o-rings that they use. In the meantime, the thermal cutoff on the steam boiler -- the one I had just recently replace -- has failed again. So I'll order that as well. Hope this helps someone who might be having the same problems.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to replace a pump on my Rialto. Do you have an photos or videos of that repair?
ReplyDelete@mcIntosh designs, no, unfortunately the only pics I have are the ones in this blog.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have the ESAM 3500 and just replaced the generator which was leaking. Afterwards I ran the descaling and now I get the Generic Alarm. The alarm comes up after the Warm Up cycle which is taking a long time. Sometimes I can unplug and replug the machine when its on the Generic Alarm and it will work fine. I'll check out if its the Thermal Cutoff Switch or the rear heating element. Do you know what the replacement part# for the TCO is or maybe a link to the eBay item? I tried googling it couldn't find it.
ReplyDeleteRob
@Robert Lew, here's the part I got: http://www.ereplacementparts.com/tco-p-695163.html. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, I just replaced thre pump on my 3500 but it didnt resolve the problem, which is that a while back the milk frother stopped working, so we didnt use that any more, then I couldnt get any hot water out of the hot water spout, ok, didnt use that any more, now after 6 months, no water comes out of the 2 coffee spouts, bit stuck now, help!
ReplyDelete...oh and I get the ground too fine message on trying to get hot water or make coffee! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was getting the "ground too fine" error on my ESAM5500, it was because the o-rings on the brew unit plunger has swelled and were causing the plunger to stick. Try taking out the brew unit and pressing down on the round screen. If the plunger doesn't move fairly easily, that might be your problem.
ReplyDeleteAs for the frother and hot water spout not working at all, I'd suspect a solenoid valve.
ReplyDelete@Brian, ground too fine usually means that the water that's supposed to flow through the brew unit is obstructed. There are a few points in the path of the water that could be the case.
ReplyDelete1. Pump (you already fixed it)
2. Water filter (small plastic filter between pump and water reservoir)
3. Rear Solenoid
4. Horseshoe heater (back)
5. Main heater (top)
6. Front solenoid
7. Male brew unit (the one with the piston, that's attached to the top heater)
8. Female brew unit (the one that moves up and down with the coffee)
Unfortunately, it's hard to say which one it is. I would recommend you go into diagnostics mode and test the solenoids (listen for the click), then disconnect the water hose right after the pump and test the pump (water should spray out of the water hose), then connect the hose to the boiler, but disconnect the brew unit and make sure the water goes through the boiler, then reconnect the brew unit and make sure it goes through the brew unit...etc...you get my point. I hope this helps. Do some more testing and let me know what you found out...
Thank you Chris, I cleaned up the plunger (it was stuck pretty hard, now much better) - next is to replace the rear solenoid! Your testing plan makes sense. Thanks for all the help and advice! I'll post back if I fix it!
ReplyDeleteTo work properly, the plunger o-rings need some food-grade grease on them. If you buy new ones, they usually come with a little packet of grease.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you can help. My initial problem was that the machine was leaking water. Now I’m getting the Generic Alarm after a prolong heating startup. Here’s what I’ve do so far:
1. Replaced the Generator Assembly (top heating unit). No more leak.
2. Ran Descaling program and it worked fine a couple of times. But next day it showed heating for a long time and then show “Generic Alarm”.
3. Checked all the water flow from tank to flowmeter to pump to generator to solenoid to rear heating element to front solenoid using the test menu to pump water through or blowing air.
4. Cleaned diffuser and replaced O Rings and then lubricated the plunger. No change.
5. Replaced the Thermal Cutoff Switch on rear heating element. Probably didn’t need to as both heating units were getting hot. Got “Ground too fine” message a couple of times. Ran Descaling program and it worked fine a couple of times but then back to “Generic Alarm”
6. Lubricated the threaded rod on the transmission as it was making a lot of noise. No more noise.
7. Replaced pump and flowmeter. No Change.
8. Checked all the water connections again. Starting working, ran descaling program and brewed about 5 double long shots. Next day back the “Generic Alarm”
Occasionally, I can unplug/replug the machine and it would work. What does “Vaporizer On” do in the test menu (I don’t hear anything happening)? I don’t think there is anything wrong with the solenoids as they click and the descaling program works. I didn’t change the water filter but I did remove it and run water through it. All I can think of is to replace the control board. Is there anything I missed?
Thanks,
Robert, I must admit, you have done a very thorough job at troubleshooting your machine. I'll try to answer your questions as good as I can without actually seeing your machine. I ran into a similar issue with the generic alarm and the thermal cut off switch tested good. however, as it heated up, the TCO cut out just before reaching the necessary temperature. sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't. I ended up buying a new main board but that didn't fix the issue. I would "unofficially" recommend bypassing the TCO in the back heater and see if it will still give you the generic alarm. I once replaced the TCO with the OEM part and that broke again so now I just use the cheap $0.25 one-way TCO "fuses" and I haven't had any issues since. Please let me make sure to note that bypassing the TCO could cause a fire hazard, so please ONLY do so for testing purposes.
ReplyDeleteThe "ground too fine" message happens when there's a restriction in the water flow. it could be because the coffee ground is actually too fine, or it could be a faulty solenoid or a plugged pipe.
The vaporizer is actually the back heating unit. it is used to create steam for the cappuccino maker attachment.
One thing you might want to consider doing is taking out the solenoids and test them by blowing air through, then engaging the solenoid and making sure it works properly.
other than that, you may have to replace the main board but that's fairly expensive.
keep me updated; I'd love to hear what you ended up doing/finding out...
good luck
chris
Chris, can you provide a link to the $.25 TCO fuses you're using? The OEM part I've been ordering is also a one-time fuse -- but it's a lot more expensive. And I've gone through several of them.
ReplyDeleteRichard, if you do an ebay search for "10 x Electronic Circuit Cutoff 250V 240 Celsius Temperature Thermal Fuses" you'll find plenty. The only thing you're gonna need to make sure that the temperature rating is correct for your machine; you'll definitely want to make sure to match the temp rating!!! Here's a link to what I ordered: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-Pcs-Circuit-Cut-Off-TF-240-Celsius-250V-10A-Thermal-Fuses-T1-/252477917525
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fast replies. I did test the solenoids by blowing air in them. Good point, I did jump the new TCO and it did work correctly. But I thought to myself that it couldn't be that since it was brand new. I will try the thermal fuse. I just need to find it somewhere shipping from the US. Thanks again.
ReplyDelete@Robert, email me your address and I'll send you one (I think I have a few left). eigenheerc at hot mail dot com.
ReplyDeleteI think I found it on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SF240E-SEFUSE-Cutoffs-Thermal-Degree/dp/B015675DA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482336351&sr=8-2&keywords=Thermal+Fuses
ReplyDeleteTried jumping the TCO but no success. So I just ordered the PC Board. Nobody seems to have it in stock so it'll be a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteFor my machine, ESAM5500, the stock thermal fuse, Delonghi part #5232105000 is rated at 318 degrees C. So the 240 degree fuses should work fine, I think, and wouldn't provide any less protection. Guess I'll order a package.
ReplyDeleteChris, how did you attach these thermal fuses to the boiler?
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteFinally replaced the PC Board but no luck. It's still giving the "Generic Alarm". I think I'm done with trying to repair it, at least I got 8 years out of it. Thanks for your help and maintaining this blog. It was very helpful.
I won't be able to afford another Delonghi, so any recommendations on a replacement?
Rob
@Robert Lew, can you email me your phone number? My email address is in the second post from the top. I might have a proposition for you. Chris
ReplyDeleteChris
ReplyDeleteI have magnifica where everything works except no steam. Just says warming up.
I checked the two thermostats on the back and found the 318 degree one open circuit. I have an older machine and took the same fuse from that one but it seemed to fail very quickly. Before temperature seemed to be reached.
If i bridge out the thermofuse it seems to work ok...i dont want to leave bridged out for obvious reasons.
Resistance on the newer horseshoe heater is 57ohms while the older machine is 54ohms.
Any idea why thermofuse failed?
Sorry newer machine is primadonna. Older machine is magnifica.
ReplyDelete@crusaders.fan, I found that the fuse on the steam boiler is one that trips and then resets automatically. After the second one failed, I just put in a one-use fuse (once it trips, it's dead) and haven't had any issues with it since. Here's a link to what I ordered; just please make sure it is the right part for your machine: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-Pcs-Circuit-Cut-Off-TF-240-Celsius-250V-10A-Thermal-Fuses-T1-/252477917525
ReplyDeleteI found that on my machine, the thermal fuse would fail when the horseshoe-shaped steam boiler wasn't getting enough water. That could happen if the pump is failing, or if a line is clogged.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping this blog running. I have an ESAM5500 which has been good to us for 2 years but now is showing the dreadful GENERAL ALARM. My alarm comes on immediately when I switch on the machine (...welll after some display note on English ). I have taken machine apart and have:
- Cleaned all parts, disassembled the infuser and greased it so it runs welll!
- Run LOAD TEST and all functions are kicking in as they should apart from the steam boiler which doesn't get warm...But is it really supposed to become warm when you run the HEATING under the load test? The reason I ask is if both the water boiler and the steam boiler would switch on in parallell under this test, they would exceed the effect marking for the machine (1350W).
- The steam boiler shows about 16ohms resistance which I think is a sign of life.
- The TCO should be OK, I have also replaced the TCO with no luck....
- Nothing on the power board seems burnt or anything.
I am tempted to connect the steam boiler directly to 120V to see if it heats but I am a bit concerned that I may blow it ??
Any clue what my problem could be? Any problem to test the boiler by connecting it to 120V directly?
@Fredrik A, did you try going into the test mode (instructions are at the end of the blog) and test all the components? If you turn on the boiler it definitely should get warm. Did you try to by-pass the TCO? Plugging the heater directly into 120V shouldn't be a problem as that's what its rated Voltage is.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply. I have taken all the test and all are working as it should except for the steam boiler. I have tried to short-cut the TCO without success. Should be noted that when I test the heating there is not voltage on the steam-boiler...and thus it doesn't get warm. So of course this could indicate a problem with the power board. But again to my question about test-mode Heating indeed should heat both boilers at the same time? Wouldn't the power rating of the machine be exceeded in case both boilers are on at the same time?
I will connect 120V directly to the steamer to see that it gets warm.
Assuming it will get heated do you think the conclusion is a busted power board?
Thanks!
Fredrik
@Frederik A, if the steam boiler heats up with direct connection, the next thing I would do is trace the wires from the steam boiler to the main board and hook up a voltage tester on the electrical clips there. My suspicion (after telling me the info above) is that you might have a broken wire or a short in one of those wire clips. Let me know what you find out. I'm always happy to learn...
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteInteresting detective job this. The boiler works and gets hot when I connected it to 120V. I have now removed the power-board and I believe I have the varistor protecting the boiler power outlet blown. It has much lower ohms than the other similar varistors (indicating that it is bad) and I can also see that some of the solder is mis-coloured and very much thinner at one of the varistor's connections. I will replace this component to see if it solves it (it will be a cheap solution compared to buying a new board...). I can almost smell the expresso!
Will update when I have tried this.
Thank you for keeping this blog running.
ReplyDeleteI have a esam3500s, and various issues, some sorted from reading this forum. My machine is 2008.
Latest issue: just changed the pump, as water delivery was causing an error of coffee grinds too fine. Replaced pump, now good water delivery. Now, during warm ip, the rinsing now takes nearly 2 minutes to complete. I did change the water metering part, but no change. However, when turning off, the water delivery appears normal. Thanks again for this valuable resource, David
@david taylor, it almost sounds like there is some obstruction in the water line between the pump and the spout. a "grind too fine" error usually means that there's not enough water going through the water meter. I would disassemble the water lines all the way from the pump, through the solenoid and to the water spout as well as the boiler lines, blow through them with air to make sure it's not plugged. One of the machines I fixed (http://chris-eigenheer.blogspot.ca/2017/01/fixing-delonhi-magnifica-eam4500.html) it ended up being a little piece of calcium that had clogged up the steam boiler intake. All I had to do is use a little dental pick and scrape it out and it was back to normal. Also, if you feel adventurous, you could open up the main boiler to make sure there's no obstruction in there...anyways, let me know what you find.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris. I did not mention that I cleaned out the generator, somewhat dirty.
ReplyDeleteI will have a look at your suggestion, and post a reply, thanks again, David
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am back with an update. I have replaced the varistor suspected to be the cause of my General Alarm.....it didn't solve my problem.
So, I have no power to the steam boiler coming from the power board when I run the Heating test.....the power board looks OK and I cannot imagine it would be bust since it powers the rest of the equipment (e.g. if the triac would be bad it would affect the power to e.g. the water boiler).
So could it be the temperature sensor which is not working? I tried by swapping the sensor for the water boiler and with the one for the steam boiler (just moving the connectors at the power board and not swapping at the boilers)....same result....water boiler working, steam not.....
Cables to steam boiler are OK, and again no power at the power-board outlet....
I am running out of ideas...any further hints?
Thanks - Fredrik
@Frederik, I don't want to be the one to suggest bad news, but the "no power at the power board" does have me worried a bit. I had a generic error that showed up after a few minutes and it ended up being the TCO, but on a second machine, the "Generic Alarm" came on right away and for that machine it did end up being a faulty main board. Again, I don't want to suggest that it is the main board because they're expensive to buy "just to try it", but you may have no other options left. I can't really think of any reason why it would not have power right at the power board...
ReplyDeleteglad to see all the posts. I thought I put this on here, but could not find my post. I was thinking my machine was toast. I was having trouble getting decent foam for about a month. I kept thinking something was clogged in the milk pitcher. Well, about 2 weeks ago I got the dreaded generic alarm. I am disabled and not super mechanically inclined. Any suggestions for me?
ReplyDeleteLaura.
@Laura (Thrift Chic), it's pretty challenging to suggest things to try as you said you're not super mechanically inclined. The first thing I'd look at is whether the steam boiler in the back is clogged. Then follow all the pipes all the way up to the front solenoid. You can check individual components by going into the regular test mode (instructions on how to do that are towards the end of the blog post). Let me know how you make out...
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd post an update. I've finally and definitively fixed the frothing problem with my ESAM5500. Before the fix, it would spew steam, sputter and spew out mostly steam and a little milk, then eventually draw milk -- but not make it very frothy. I had replaced the carafe top and checked the machine for any internal blockage, but to no avail. A few days ago, I replaced the carafe coupling (Delonghi part #5513214821), and that completely fixed the problem.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ereplacementparts.com/coupling-carafe-p-1071541.html?osCsid=quanjqnjtea912vmvhstbie6n6
Replacing it required removing the back cover, then both side covers, and the control panel. Also the cover that goes over the bottom of the coupling. (Once you remove the two screws holding it in place, you slide it down a bit, then snap it out from the left.) The carafe coupling mounts to the machine with two screws, one of which also holds the two microswitches that detect the presence of the carafe top or water spout. You need to get these realigned properly when the new coupler goes in. In order to get enough slack in the tubing to attach it to the coupling, I removed the other end from the solenoid valve, then reattached that end after the new coupling was in place.
Sorry if I'm making this sound harder than it really is. It's not particularly difficult.
Hope this helps someone!
@Richard, I'm really glad you got it fixed. Thank you for posting the update; I'm sure that will help someone looking for a solution to the same problem!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris. The coupling is a Venturi tube, and it's the differential pressure that creates the suction to draw the milk.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_effect
I'm guessing that the precise geometry of it, and the size of the internal opening are critical to its working properly. If it's partially clogged or somehow worn, it's not going to work.
Mine just stopped pumping water, any idea how to confirm if it's the pump that's bad? I am not getting any errors
ReplyDelete@Unknown, go into Regular Test Mode by pressing "one shot" plus "long shot" while plugging in the machine. Then press button #3 to activate the pump. You'll probably have to take the cover off and disconnect the water hose that comes out of the pump and see if water goes through the pump. Then re-connect the water hose until the next connection and test it there. Go like that all the way to where it should come out and you'll know which component is not working. Hope that helps. Chris
ReplyDeleteSo I took the back and sides off the unit. I can't seem to get it to go into test mode, holding the two buttons you mentioned above. So I tried using the hot water button and it magically started working but not a consistent stream of water. It was start and stop and even start steaming. So I then tried making a coffee and it worked again 1 time, 2nd cup was back to no water but you can hear the pump going.
ReplyDelete@Chad Yates, you have to press the two buttons AS YOU PLUG IN THE MACHINE. That's how you get in the test modes. It almost sounds to me that part of your machine is clogged up. have you tried to descale it lately? I usually just use vinegar and water although delonghi recommends their $100 (I'm exagerating) "special" descaler solution...
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess I spoke too soon about the frothing being definitively fixed. It worked perfectly for two days. Then I needed to descale, and I did so, using the same powdered Dezcal that we've always used. (I'm careful to make sure it's all dissolved before starting the descaling process.) But when I tried the machine the next day, the frother coupling quickly became clogged -- completely clogged. Today, I removed it, and pushed a piece of thin wire through the opening from the outside. A small, shriveled piece of rubber or plastic came out -- apparently part of the coupling's orifice. Now, it's not clogged, but it doesn't draw milk. I'm going to order yet another new coupling...and some new liquid descaler. Wish I knew why descaling seems to have destroyed the new coupling.
ReplyDelete@Richard, it almost sounds like you have some heavy duty scales somewhere in your system and they're now starting to fall off. You may want to take off the steam boiler and blow it out with some compressed air. Also, I would try taking the main boiler apart and see if you got some calcium deposits there. I would use a dental pick and scrape off all the calcium. That would be my best guess as to what's happening. Oh, you also might want to check the little water filter and see if that may be clogged.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply, Chris. Heavy duty scales falling off and clogging the frother connection was my first thought, too. But the shriveled piece of whatever that was clogging the opening is black, not white, and way too large to have gone through the tubing from the steam boiler. So I'm pretty sure it was something that was in the coupling to begin with -- maybe a rubber orifice. Also, now that it's gone, the frother doesn't draw milk at all anymore, where it had worked perfectly before. So I ordered two new couplings (the shipping cost is the same as for one), and some official DeLonghi liquid descaler. I'll report back on how things go. Oh, and I had earlier removed and flushed out the little water filter. I'm pretty sure it's not causing a problem, since the machine makes coffee just fine, and the tubing from it is full of water.
ReplyDeleteI have taken my machine apart. I cleaned and lubricated the infuser system. The boiler in the back does not get hot. does this mean it is bad? The one on top has plenty of heat. When I said I was not super mechanically inclined, I meant that I do not know the mechanics of why things work. However, tell me how to do something and I can do it.
ReplyDelete@thrift chic, on the last picture on this blog post I circled the thermal cut-off switch. if you can by-pass that switch (TEMPORARILY ONLY TO TEST), you'll be able to see if the heater element heats up. most likely, that TCO went bad (happened twice on my machine). If the heater does heat up with a by-passed TCO, just order some one-way TCOs off of ebay and you're set. Here's to the link of the ones I bought: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/10-Pcs-Circuit-Cut-Off-TF-240-Celsius-250V-10A-Thermal-Fuses-T1-/252477917525
ReplyDeleteIs there supposed to be a long spring inside the left hose that connects to the top of the rear boiler?
ReplyDelete@Thrift Chic, yes, it's put there to prevent the silicone hose from kinking.
ReplyDeletecan I just use a jumper wire that i stick inside each coupling?
ReplyDelete@Thrift Chic, what would you use the jumper wire for? Just to de-clog the coupling? If so, then yes, or a straightened out paper clip but I wouldn't leave anything in the pipe long term unless it's stainless steel or it will start rusting and will give the water an unpleasant taste.
ReplyDeleteFigured it out That did it. Now I need to order the TCO and figure out how to install it. Thanks to you!
ReplyDelete@Thrift Chic, I'm glad it worked. When you install the new TCO (assuming you'll buy the cheap ones off ebay), just make sure that the TCO is clamped right against the heating element and that there's no space inbetween. If you're not sure how to hook up the cheap ones off ebay, you want to prefer buying the OEM part from encompass parts or ebay (if you can find it)
ReplyDeleteIs this the right part? https://www.encompassparts.com/item/9614760/Delonghi/5113210421/Spring_Microswitch
ReplyDeleteI think i found the right part. http://www.ereplacementparts.com/tco-p-695163.html
ReplyDeleteIf i decide to use the ebay ones, How did you secure them to heating element?
@Thrift Chic, the one from encompassparts is NOT the right one but the one from ereplacementparts is. I bought the ones off ebay and if I remember correctly, I simply crimped two male crimp terminals to the end (like these: http://www.easternbeaver.com/single-crimp.jpg) and then used a bent piece of metal to hold it down and against the boiler.
ReplyDeleteI ordered the OEM TCO. Actually ordered 2, in case there is another problem and it happens again. I ordered new o rings for the infuser and upper piston. I found a video on line for cleaning and lubricating the infuser. A question I have is because the piston on the generator have the same oring, does it need lubricating also?
ReplyDeleteI just read all the comments over again and found my answer. Yes the piston o ring gets lubricated.
ReplyDeleteHI Chris,
ReplyDeleteI am back with an update after now having received and installed my new Powerboard (ordered from the US and delivered to an address in the US so it took a while before I had a colleague to pick it up). With the new powerboard the machine starts as it should and no GENERAL ALARM :-) And Steam heater is getting warm as it should. BUT.....now when I try to brew a cup I get the message "LESS COFFEE" which indicates that the Ground coffee funnel is clogged...but it is not. I have cleaned everything and tried to figure out what could be wrong.
Could it be the component counting the number of turns the engine lifting the infuser are doing? If this is not counted correctly I assume the engine brings the infuser up too high (all the way until the upper switch is activated..?) or....? Did you hear about a similar problem or have any idea about my problem?? .....I am longing for my coffee!!!!
@Frederik A, I actually think if you go into the menu and instead of "strong" coffee, select "medium" or whatever other choice you have. Then, inside the coffee compartment, if you make the grind a bit finer (a lower number, I think, such as 2 or 3), it will naturally put less coffee into the piston. Lastly, if you have some food grade silicon grease, grease the 3 large, red o-rings in the piston (two inside the brew unit and one up underneath it). That should hopefully fix the "less coffee" issue.
ReplyDeleteHi again,
ReplyDeleteI have tried all these things (even tried to brew with Pre-ground setting and NO coffee added and it still said LESS COFFEE). So what I am trying to figure out is where is the sensor that makes the machine believe I have too much coffee. Is it a pressure sensor on top brew unit "piston"?
The reason I am on this is also that while I was trying to figure out my previous GENERAL ALARM problem I was running the LOAD TEST (too many times) and I think at one of those moments I by mistake (I don't remember how I made it possible) I ran the motor up without having the infuser installed....and then of course the it moves the infuser attachment upwards without having the MOTOR UP stop sensor being activated (I think it is the infuser itself which is hitting the sensor and makes the motor stop). I wouldn't be surprised if something happened with the motor unit at that point? BTW I have taken the infuser apart previously and greased all o-rings, also the 3rd top o-ring.
@Frederik,
ReplyDeleteLess coffee happens when the "up-limit" switch does not get pushed. The only thing I could imagine is if the little "up-limit" switch either got bent or broken. If you look at the youtube video at the beginning of this blog at 0:34 at the top right you can see a yellow-ish switch with two wires going in. That's the one I would have a look at to see i:
1. it works(no continuity when off and continuity when pressed) and
2. it's not cracked, broken or possibly bent
Hope that helps.
@Frederik,
ReplyDeleteOn my other blog post (http://chris-eigenheer.blogspot.ca/2017/01/fixing-delonhi-magnifica-eam4500.html), the first picture, at the left side you see a molded plastic "arm" sticking out from the translucent piston. That's actually the one that gets pushed up when the coffee gets compressed. It could possibly be that the little arm that's sticking out got broken. In that case you'd probably have to replace the whole part.
@Frederik,
ReplyDeleteOn my other blog post that I just mentioned above, the 5th picture shows you a close-up of the little "up-limit" switch I was referring to.
So great of you to engage on this blog, thanks! When I try to brew, the "up-limit" switch gets activated and then the infuser gets moved down, "swept" (i.e. coffee removed from the infuser) and then "LESS COFFEE" is displayed. So the water never gets pushed through for brewing. It seems as if I need to take the brew-unit apart and find out if the molded plastic arm is broken; great at least a lead of what could be the problem. I will travel on vacation tomorrow morning so I will have to get this sorted in a week. I will let you know the result
ReplyDeleteTnx - Fredrik
Hi again Chris,
ReplyDeleteI took some photos from "underneath" and I think I captured the part (see link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hbe8q8zrqxg8so3/AACntKbdGOo2dGWme7tlekUpa?dl=0 )
What do you say? It looks intact and fine. If it is, what else could be the cause?
- Fredrik
@Frederik A,
ReplyDeleteDo you get a "add coffee" error if you go into pre-ground, NOT add any coffee, and then press ok?
A "less coffee" error could possibly also mean that the infuser is clogged. You said you took it apart, did you blow any air through the pathways? I'm just thinking that maybe one of the little pipes, channels or holes is plugged. Lastly, you might have to take the main boiler apart. There are quite a few different places where it could be clogged. I have some pics of it taken apart on my other post (http://chris-eigenheer.blogspot.ca/2017/01/fixing-delonhi-magnifica-eam4500.html). Let me know how she goes...
@Frederik A,
ReplyDeleteOne more thing to add to my comment above. Have you used a multi-meter to actually test if the switch DOES work. I know that you can probably hear the click when the button gets pushed, but does the switch actually let electricity flow once it gets activated?
For those of you that bought the OEM TCO. How the heck did you attach it to the boiler. I cant figure out how to hold the nut in place to attach it!
ReplyDelete@Thrift Chic, use a piece of scotch tape to tape it in place until the little bolt that goes through the TCO grabs hold of the threads and you should be able to tighten it afterwards. Another option would be to find a long tweezer that is normally closed, one which, if you squeeze together OPENS the tweezer ends and grab the nut with the tweezers until the threaded bolt grabs a hold of the threads. hope that helps. chris
ReplyDeleteChris Eigenheer, thanks to you my baby is up and running. THank you for all your helpful instructions and guidance!
ReplyDelete@Thrift Chic, I'm glad to hear you got everything up and running. Would you mind doing a quick write-up as to what the actual problem was and what you did to fix it? It would be helpful for anyone else that might run into the same scenario. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteHi again Chris,
ReplyDeleteI am back after vacation and on to this machine again....
1) Yes I tried to brew pre-ground with no coffee...(did this quite a while ago....). I get the LESS COFFEE....instead of the ADD PRE-GROUND COFFEE message which I assume should come on!!!! Is this a lead?
2) I have taken brew-unit apart and cleared all pathways.....
3) There is connectivity at the up-limit switch (I measured it) and also when running load-test it confirms functioning of the up-limit switch...
4) I didn't take the main boiler apart since I cannot believe it can be the cause (the machine has not been used that much and I have descaled it regularly).
Do you know when in the brew-cycle the machine finds out that there is no coffee added when you brew with pre-ground setting? Is this when infuser is moved up to the brew-unit and it somehow senses that there is no coffee? Or is it earlier?
I have another question which I been wondering about. In the manual it says that the LESS COFFEE message is caused by either
- too much coffee or
- clogged coffee funnel (which in my mind would mean there is too little coffee coming to the infuser?
I guess what I trying to get to is if there is another sensor (which may be malfunctioning) for the ADD GROUND-COFFEE and LESS COFFEE (in the case the coffee funnel is clogged and not enough coffee gets to the infuser....)?
All the best
Fredrik
@Frederik A, wow, that's a tricky one. Whereas I'm by no means a delonghi specialist, from what I can gather, the less coffee either indicates to the machine that there is no water going through the infuser, although, I would think that it would give you the "grind too fine" message instead. The second thing could be that the infuser never makes it all the way up to the piston and doesn't push on the upper limit switch, but you said that you heard the click, and that the switch was on with continuity when you press it and off with no continuity when it's not pressed. It's hard to trouble shoot through the internet, but have you tried using the test mode that the water is in fact going through the top boiler and coming out through the piston? Secondly, have you disassembled the infuser and tested that the water goes through the piston, then through the infuser and out the little hole above the cups? That's probably where I'd go to next. Other than that I'm not sure what else to try...my biggest fear was always that the main board was fried and it ended up not being that, but a simple issue of a broken TCO (different symptoms than yours of course though)...
ReplyDeleteHI Chris,
ReplyDeleteYes this is tricky. Well there was a problem (you remember I had the GENERAL ALARM) with the power board. The new power board cleared the GENERAL ALARM and the machine came on as it should (and I assembled it and brought my wife for a long awaited Cappuccino.....just to find LESS COFFEE alarm....).
I like to get your input if you know;
- In my previous message I asked; if you run Pre-Ground with no coffee added; when in the brew-cycle is the ADD COFFEE message coming? Immediately? Or after the Infuser gets pushed up to the brew-unit (and thus after the up-limit switch gets activated?
- Let me ask about the TEST Mode; When I run test mode I can run MOTOR UP/DOWN, PUMP, HEATER, EV1/EV2/GRINDER and possibly some more? I don't recall though that I can run a test which would push water through the boiler/brew-unit/infuser? Or is supposed to happen when I run the PUMP? When I run the PUMP in test mode, I hear the pump starting but it doesn't get any water flowing. Could this indicate a blockage? But if there is a blockage why can I get warm water (through the water sprout) or even when I switch off the machine it is able to run the cleaning cycle (i.e. water being pushed through the infuser)??
@Frederik A,
ReplyDeleteI tested your scenario last night by running a coffee with pre-ground selected, but not putting in any coffee. this is what happened:
1. Infuser moved up
2. Infuser moved down and I heard the click of the little arm that normally pushes the puck of ground coffee into the ground coffee container
3. Infuser moved back up to where coffee is normally filled into the infuser
4. Message shows up: "Add Pre-ground coffee"
As for test mode, I disconnected the water hose right out of the pump and pressed the pump button. Naturally, water sprayed out of the pump. Then I assembled the next section of hose (I think it was the one that went to the solenoid 2 - the one in the back) and did it again. no water came out. then i pressed the solenoid switch and heard the click and while pressing the solenoid on, i pressed the water pump button and water came out of the solenoid. that's how I progressed, one little section at a time until I was at the front. for me, the issue ended up being that the steam boiler was clogged, but with your machine, it could be that maybe it's the main boiler unit, maybe it's the little channels and valves inside the brew piston, maybe it's the solenoid, i'm not sure. I would take one section at a time and confirm that you do in fact get water through everything all the way up to the front and out the little spout right above the coffee cup. I hope this helps. keep me updated...
Hi Chris with the Dutch name. Inspiring and helpful post. Did not solve my problem. To repair the top heater I was having trouble with, see http://www.vanderworp.org/Repair_DeLonghi_Magnifica_Pronto_Cappuccino_ESAM_4500
ReplyDeleteBest regards, Wiebe
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI want to give an update about my "LESS COFFEE" issue (after several other problems "reported" earlier in this blog). My machine is now working perfectly, happy days!
Since last time I wrote about my challenges to identify the issue, our different hypothesises about root cause, I managed to isolate the problem to the hall sensor.. I think I had hinted that I suspected the hall sensor to be the problem but at the same time...what could break in that simple circuit? Well it turned out that one of of the wires (in the flat wire bundle) was broken. I didn't find this out until I took out the transmission kit and more or less as a fluke happened to see that one of the wires was broken. Soldering it together and then it all worked. I must have torn the flat cable when trying to fix some of my earlier problems.....
Now when espressos and cappuccinos are flowing my relationship with my dear wife is back to normal!
Thanks for your support in getting my machine back in shape.
- Fredrik
Wow, that's crazy hard to find. thank you for sharing your follow-up Frederik. I hope it will help someone else out.Funny how you said your relationship with your wife is back to normal! My dear wifey is a bear without her coffee... :)
ReplyDeleteI've solved one problem with my ESAM5500...but I'm still having frother failures. The door was popping open, which interrupted the cycle until I closed it manually. This was relatively simple to fix (once I found the solution). There's a Youtube video showing the same problem. A comment said: "This is a common problem on the esam series... The brew unit moves up and down and pushes against the sprung flap inside the door - if this sprung flap is sticky (which it will be) instead of the sprung flap moving it pushes the door open...
ReplyDeleteThe fix is to remove the 4 screws and separate the door halves (the best way to get access) and clean behind the flap to remove the deposits that gather there... One of the many pleasures (apart from good coffee) of owning an esam!" I dismantled the entire door assembly, and cleaned out a lot of coffee gunk. Now the door stays closed. Hope this helps someone with the same symptom.
But I can't seem to keep the frother working. I've replaced the carafe coupling multiple times, and frothing will work for a day or a week, and then start to fail. First, it starts sputtering and only partially drawing milk. Then, it only shoots out steam, but no milk. Finally, it clogs completely. At that point (which happened again this morning), steam backs up in the steam boiler, preventing water from getting in, and the thermal fuse trips.
ReplyDeleteSo the question is -- how is coffee gunk (that seems to be what it is) getting into the frother coupling? Is there a check valve that's failed? Do I need to replace the steam boiler (along with the frother coupling)? I've replaced quite a few other parts, so I'd like to get this fixed once and for all -- before I throw the machine out a window.
Hi, my delonghi rialto had the generic alarm. , I took it a part and cleaned it out. Then it worked for the espresso and the Americano options. But the Cappuccino option did not work. I'm thinking I might have switched wiring or pipe connection. Does any one have a pictures showing the connections of the wires and the pipes. I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why displayed as unknown, Dan
ReplyDeleteHi! Chris, great post and lots of useful comments from others. I have similar issue with my ESAM4500 that the machine stops at "Generic Alarm" after a long "heating" period. The froth-milk boiler (the horse-shoe shape on the back) seems to work properly that I can feel it turns hot very quickly, but the water boiler (the one on top) is "cold". I am hoping that the issue is due to a defective TCO, but it is not that straightforward for me to diagnose the issue. I bypassed both the two TCO (the ones that are "attached" to the U-shape milk boiler), and nothing happened on the top boiler. so is the top boiler broken? I read from somewhere saying that the top boiler has two heating coils that are attached to each side of the plate. I measured the one on the top. it registered as open circuit, which implies broken to me. Actually before it got broken, it has been a while that the heating period is longer than usual. Maybe one of the two heating coils was already broken, and now the other got broken too? Do you have some other suggestions that can help me to confirm it? thanks!
ReplyDelete@qudhs, there are two heating elements, EACH of which has a thermal fuse. The back has a "resettable" TCO, the top has a fuse-type, one-time thermal fuse. There are two things I would do, check the fuse at the top of the top heating element with an ohm meter, that should have 0 ohm (continuity, which is good). Then, disconnect the two electrical clips on the side of the top boiler and measure the resistance of the heating coil. For my 110V coffee maker it should be around 14.5 ohm which indicates a good heating element. My top element actually just broke recently and I knew it was dead because I had infinite resistance. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeletethat was a fast reply, thanks! but I am wondering where is the fuse located. I could not find anything look like a fuse on the top surface of the top boiler. It seems to be big work to dismantle the top boiler, and I am trying to avoid doing it now. maybe I have an older version of the machine and the fuse is somewhere else?
ReplyDelete@qudhs, you may have a different version than me. Can you send me a picture of the boiler to eigenheerc at hot mail dot com and I'll see if i can find it. you can still do the ohm test. if you have around 14.6 ohm resistance between the two heating element ends your boiler should be ok. if you have infinite resistance the heating element is shot. make sure you unplug the wires from the heating element though; you don't want to measure resistance through the control board...
ReplyDeleteChris, great blog. I did read through carefully and performed various tests on my EAM4500. I wonder if anyone would know why in regular test mode when the motor is up (button 5 - limit switch up) the pump works well and water flows normally (using button 3), but when the motor is down (button 6 - limit switch down) the pump - using button 3 - struggles irregularly with a lower sound and water does not come out. Any idea what to read from that? I'd appreciate any insight, thx.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI first had the general alarm and replaced TCO
My generator showed corrosion and pushed the lower end up. I did a temp. fix and ordered a new one.
I ordered a new pump. get alarm coffee grinds to fine adjust and put water spout in and press ok. if I do that the it tells me to program water quantity.
The pump is not running at all. If I put 120 V external to the pump it runs. What on this machine tells it to start the pump. I cannot find anything on this. I think it must be the main circuit board. Any thing else works in test mode.
evert faber
Evert Faber, have you tried pressing and holding the water spout button for about 10 seconds? That should put the machine into "program hot water" mode, then you let the water run until you have enough in your cup, then press the button again to set the quantity and end the programming. Another thing you might want to try is to disconnect the water hose right BEFORE the rear solenoid and press the pump button to see if you have water flow going through the pump. hope this helps
ReplyDeleteHi Chris and others,
ReplyDeleteJust come across this excellent blog. I have recently had to recommission my Delonghi Prima Donna ESAM6600. I has spent the last 18 months in the loft. It is dispensed 8666 cups over the years and been back for repair under extended warranty three times! It took quite a while to get the pump properly primed, but then it gave good service for a couple of days. Then it started playing up at switch on with the do something with the water spout and press OK message. However it would go on to dispense coffee. But shortly after all the hot water and steam related functions stopped working. When the hot water button was pressed the display would show "heating up" for a couple of seconds and the revert back to the "ready for coffee" message, no clicks from the solenoids, no sound from the pump. I decided have a look inside. I stripped and cleaned the ULKA pump. The non return valve looked a bit gummy. The coffee side water circuit is now fine, but steam/hot water is still not working. Checked both solenoids via the test menu both sounded OK. So something is stopping the hot water cycle from progressing. Any ideas anyone? I am planning to check the pump with the screwdriver method to see if it is actually being powered. Then looking at the steam/hot water pathways and sensors.
Any help gratefully received.
Roger
Hi Chris and others,
ReplyDeleteI may have posted this before but it seems to have disappeared.
My Delonghi Prima Donna ESAM6600 has stopped producing hot water or steam. For example, when I press the hot water button the display shows "Heating up" for a couple of seconds then reverts back to "Ready for coffee". No clicks from the solenoids. No sound from the pump. Espresso dispense works perfectly.Testing the EV1 and EV2 solenoids via the test menu, both sound OK. Something is stopping the dispense cycle from continuing. Any ideas anyone?
Hi Chris and others,
ReplyDeleteThis is my third go at trying to get a comment to appear in this blog. Everything seems to work. I even get an email notification. However every time I return to the blog the comment has disappeared. So I may have posted this before, sorry.
My Delonghi Prima Donna ESAM6600 has stopped producing hot water or steam. For example, when I press the hot water button the display shows "Heating up" for a couple of seconds then reverts back to "Ready for coffee". No clicks from the solenoids. No sound from the pump. Espresso dispense works perfectly.Testing the EV1 and EV2 solenoids via the test menu, both sound OK. Something is stopping the dispense cycle from continuing. Any ideas anyone?
@wearyhacker,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why it wouldn't let you post your comment. I'm not sure how the 6600 model compares with the 4500, but what I could think of is the main motherboard, the actual button, the hall sensor (measures water) and possibly a clogged solenoid.
My guess is that you have a clog somewhere in the line between the pump and the water dispenser.
I would start at the pump and disconnect the water hose that comes out of the water pump, and then use the diagnostics menu to manually turn on the pump. You should see water squirting out of the pump. Then assemble the hose all the way up to the first solenoid and test that. after that, hook it up to the solenoid and make sure that it is not clogged. I'm not sure if you can press the EV1 and the water pump at the same time. If you can, open the solenoid by pressing the EV1, then press the water pump to make sure the water goes through the first solenoid. After that, follow the line, assemble one piece at a time until you're all the way up by the water dispenser "faucet". That should give you an idea as to where the blockage might be.
I am glad my post has only appeared once! The problem appears to be related to the Lightning browser and the Android Privacy Guard. Posting with the beta Firefox browser seems to have worked.
ReplyDeleteAnyway the post I recently made is a very much abbreviated version of the first one that went missing. The water supply through the pump and to the diffuser is fine. Espresso dispensing is working fine.
The innards of the 6600 look pretty much the same as the 4500. The only difference being the display module.
My current plan was to test the pump to see if it was being powered at all in the couple of seconds the display was showing "heating up", and the move on through the water dispense circuit as you suggested. But my hunch is this is sensor related. Any info you have on the water circuit would be much appreciated. I am much more familiar with the innards of Saeco machines that the Delonghi.
Cheers
Roger
While I had my meter out. I just thought I might as well check for voltage across the back heating element. It measured 94v. That coupled with the fact the element was cold puzzled me. So I pulled the plug, disconnected one end of the element, and measured its resistance. It was O/C!!! I guess/hope that 94v is down to the triac on the control board, which is hopefully not fried. I was expecting to find either zero or 240. I do not know why this did not trigger a general alarm.
ReplyDeleteNew element is now on order.
Roger
Great blog! I have a Perfecta that showed a general alarm and have been thru the complete cleaning descaleing and milk cleaning process, and the rebooting proces with De’Longhi. So my issue right now is that the cappuccino will not engage. The coffee brews fine but when i press the cap button it reverts right back to “matching heating up” any suggestions
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I have a Perfecta that showed a general alarm and have been thru the complete cleaning descaleing and milk cleaning process, and the rebooting proces with De’Longhi. So my issue right now is that the cappuccino will not engage. The coffee brews fine but when i press the cap button it reverts right back to “matching heating up” any suggestions
ReplyDeleteYou might have an issue with the horse shoe boiler in the back. cappuccinos use steam whereas regular coffee only uses hot water. I would check to make sure the vaporizer boiler in the back of the machine heats up and has the proper resistance (about 14-15 ohm for a 120V machine). good luck. I hope you can get it going.
ReplyDeleteThanks..will check
ReplyDelete@Unknown - The issue can also be that one of the two over temperature circuit breakers that are wired in series with the boiler element is open cicuit. The boiler is either 240v AC or 110v AC. So do not go anywhere near them until the plug is removed the electricity supply socket. If the boiler is warm then the element is probably OK, see below. These breakers are screwed in to the centre of the boiler assembly one horizontal one vertical. Each has two connectors one going to one end of the boiler element to other to the ac supply. You need to remove one (or both) of the ac supply connections and use a meter to check the whole cicuit for continuity one step at a time.
ReplyDeleteIf the element and the breakers check out it could be a broken thermocouple. The thermocouple is the strange little disc thing with two wires coming out of it that is held against the outlet end of the boiler by a small clip. To check, trace the connection through to the power control board and remove the plug in two wire connector. Use a meter to check that the thermocouple is not open circuit. If is not, before you buy a replacement, check that it is making good thermal contact with the surface of the boiler element. Use some new thermal paste if neccessary. If you have to replace the thermocouple you must clean the the surfaces of old thermal paste and use some new stuff.
I have finally got my ESAM 660 making coffee and steam again. The steam side issue as was a broken element and an iffy thermocouple. The thermocuple metered OK, but I replaced it with a new one and some new thermal paste. That worked, so either the old one was not making good thermal contact or was U/S.
ReplyDeleteSo I fired it up and tried out the hot water, that worked. I then tried the coffe side. At this point I nearly laucnhed the thing through the window, at the point the diffuser reached the top of the compression cycle, it baled with "Ground too fine etc.." message. I had an idea that is was something to do with the upper limit switch. So after calming down I went back to test mode and found it was teetering on the edge of not working. 3 iterations later and some packing with slivers of wood and double sided sticky tape. I got it just about working. It seems the switch housing has deformed due to its proximity to the boiler. But I can make coffe and steam now! I will give it a couple of days before I dare try putting the covers back on.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have ESAM5500 4th year now, and today as many others, sadly my machine failed. Its display now "Heating up, please wait" and after couple of minutes get General Alarm. Is anyone successfully repair machine with same fault or its waist of time and I should look for new one? Anyone knows How much would cost repair with delonghi? Im in UK.
@Unknown, here's how I would go about checking:
ReplyDelete1. Measure resistance in top boiler and rear boiler (should be about 14-15 ohm for 120V or around 40 ohm for 240V). If you get infinite resistance, the boiler is shot and needs to be replaced
2. Measure voltage at the 2 boilers, you should have 120V or 240V, depending on where you are. If you do not get the proper voltage, most likely, it's the thermal cut off switch that's broken.
3. If you don't have any voltage at the boiler, trace the wire to the main board and in diagnostics mode press the heater on button and verify if you have voltage at the main board. If you do not have the proper voltage at the board you might need to have that replaced.
4. If all the above pass, by-pass the rear vaporizer boiler cut-off switch (should be in this or another one of my blogs)
5. Lastly, if you have any more questions, email me at eigenheerc at hot mail dot com. I would love to pay for postage to get your machine in case you decide to just throw it out.
chris
Thanks. I ordered TCO fuse but I have problems with removing top plastic as it's hold by knob which control grinder.. Can anyone have any idea how to tear this apart?
ReplyDeleteI cant remove part 7&8 from A
https://www.ereplacementparts.com/delonghi-esam5500b-coffee-maker-parts-c-122345_122351_122773.html
@anonymous, in response to your question "Thanks. I ordered TCO fuse but I have problems with removing top plastic as it's hold by knob which control grinder.. Can anyone have any idea how to tear this apart?" that seems to have got as far as the comment notification system, but not as far as the actual blog.
ReplyDeleteCarefully prise out the small plastic insert on the top of the grinder control knob. There is a screw underneath it.
Thanks, but there is no way I can unclip this as Im afraid to break in it... top holds plastic tray and its like in this knob. I will need to remove it as I manage to change Termal cut off fuse with no luck, and get my mate to check with multimeter resistance etc and we found that top generator/boiler have infinite resistance. But also back generator have resistance but doesn't have any voltage? And question he raised is "are they both in circuit"? I don't have idea what he talking most of time when he was checking parts, just quoting now... Also both boilers doesn't even warm up when machine left on for few minutes. I read elsewhere that water is going first by top boiler and then to back boiler so it would have sense why they both cold, but should rear boiler have any voltage showing on it? Isn't there also some faults on pcb causing this and if so what should we check? Thanks!
ReplyDelete@Mariusz
ReplyDeleteif top boiler has infinite resistance it means the boiler is broken and needs to be replaced. i had to do that on my machine.
if the rear boiler has no voltage, short-circuit the tco (i think i described how to do that in a previous comment). just make sure you do this on a TESTING basis ONLY. Most likely the tco is broken and needs to be replaced.
both boilers are NOT in circuit, they are individually powered by the main board.
check the diagnostics menu to test your main board. the how-to is at the bottom of this blog.
hope this helps
Hi,
ReplyDeleteTCO on back boiler was replaced at first.. So I assume, even top boiler is gone, back boiler still should have show voltage right?
I tried diagnostic mode but in my mashine i don't have long shot button. Only single, double, cappuccino, P, cleaning, and hot water. I couldn't go to diagnostic menu. I remember my friend said something as it looks like the top boiler showing correct voltage on both sides, and rear didn't neither on pcb or boiler connection... TCO was replaced on new one, we may try switch it back to older one to check as maybe new is broken... I'm just confused now as I don't want invest in boiler to find out that pcb is dead as its going to be pretty expensive repair.. Thanks, will update soon.
So, how to test pcb board in esam 5500 as I cant find any info om net and those method from blog dont work (I dont have long shot button). I tried combination of difrrent butons but I may doing something wrong. Any idea? Amd what and how I should test it to find out why no voltage is showing om rear boiler? Sorry Im a bit confused what to do now.. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteESAM 5500 test mode. Disconnect machine from electricity supply, either pull out plug, or if outlet is switched turn it off.
ReplyDeletePress and hold "1 cup" and "water" buttons.
Whilst keeping buttons pressed, reconnect the supply. Wait until the machine shows "test mode", then release the buttons.
To exit remove electricity supply.
Info on delonghi test modes is at
ReplyDeletehttp://computer-aaaargh.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/delonghi-magnifica-coffee-machine-test.html
It is bit confusing, as it is mostly auto translated from German. You need to read through the whole lot to work out what bits relate to your machine.
Oh thanks a lot. So, till now all I know is that top boiler have infinite resistance, and have correct voltage, but back boiler showing resistance but its om 0 voltage. We checked it on boiler and also on main board, both sides showing zero (as I been told by my friend). New TCO was replaced for back boiler. What I should do / check now and how to find out is TCO causing no voltage on rear boiler or its fault relating to main board? I belive its safe to assume that no resistance mean dead top boiler - one part to replace, but whats can be done / check to eliminate possibility of faulty main board ? Thanks for all help guys.
DeleteMariusz, I think most of this has already been covered by Chris in January 1, 2018 at 3:04 PM comment.
ReplyDeleteHere some extra tips. When measuring the resistance of an element measure it directly at the ends of the element with at least on end completely disconnected from the rest of the circuit.
To apply power to the the back boiler in test mode press the cappuccino button. Measure the voltage at the power board end first with one or both back boiler connections removed. Then reconnect and check again. If you still have voltage then move one of your test probes back round the circuit to find the break.
There are a number of other conditions need to be true for the power board to switch on the back boiler in normal usage. These are bypassed in test mode.
Hi, Chris. Thank you for such a useful blog. I got ESAM 5500, and it worked fine for 3+ years, but last week it stopped making Cappuccino - it starts frothing milk, but after few seconds (about 1/4 of regular size) it stops and I got message on display "Ground to fine adjust mill!".
ReplyDeleteMy idea was that TCO on steam-heater is faulty and it shuts down steam production, causing this message, so I shortened (bypassed) it, but this did not solve a problem.
Any idea what could cause this problem?
Hi Atlant, "Ground too fine" usually is a water supply issue. Sometimes that can happen if you have a small piece of calcium plug up the boiler or water line, or, if you do actually have your coffee grinds too fine. What I would try is to make the grinds as coarse as possible and try it again. If that doesn't work, the next thing I'd try is disconnect the water hoses and trace it from the pump all the way up to the top boiler, through the boiler (horse shoe shaped boiler/vaporizer in the back) and then to the water dispenser. Most likely you'll find an issue somewhere between the water pump and the dispenser. If that does not work you might have to take the boiler off and take the brew unit/piston assembly apart. It's the one attached to the top boiler. It could be that a small o-ring got broken off and is plugging a hole. Good luck and keep us updated on what you find!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great blog and detailed answers.
I have ESAM 5500 and its been working fine until recently i started experiencing following issues
1. machine displays "Insert water spout" when i press how water button and then goes back to Ready for coffee display, no hot water dispensed.
2. After I press Cappuccino button after a few seconds machine goes back to Ready for coffee display, so frothing function no longer works.
I recently changed solenoid valve in the back of the machine (3 way solenoid valve), I disassembled and reassembled water pump and brewing unit, changed carafe coupling and one microswitch. Coffee function works fine, no issues at all.
I got machine into testing mode and it seems that there maybe something wrong with the solenoid valve at the front of the unit (2 way one). The solenoid in the back makes a clicking sound when tested, the one in the front makes a weird long sound something similar to a human saying long MMMMMMMMM and then it dispenses hot water but very slow trickle and very small amount.
Can you please let me know what should i do to fix the hot water and milk frothing functions.
Thank you
Elya
Hi Elya, I actually ran into a similar scenario once and it turned out to be my water spout had cracked and didn't engage the little push button properly so my machine thought that the water spout was missing. Now, about your solenoid, it definitely should not sound like a mmmmhhh, but it should sound like a click. Depending on how mechanically inclined you are you might want to take it off and hook it up to the proper voltage directly and observe what happens. If it still makes the mmmhh sound you might want to take the solenoid apart to see if there's any visible damage. Lastly, if none of that solves your issue you might have to get a new solenoid...hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteoh, and I forgot, check out my YouTube channel (Chris of all Trades). I have a bunch of videos on there that might help
ReplyDeleteThank you for a quick reply. Do you think solenoid valve malfunctioning is a cause of milk frothing function issue ?
ReplyDeleteI just checked a horseshoe shaped vaporizer in the test mode and machine displays message Vaporizer is on, but when I turn machine in a normal mode the vaporizer stays cold. Is it supposed to heat up everytime machine is on or only when I press Cappuccino button? thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Elle,
ReplyDeleteYes, I think the solenoid malfunction could cause milk frothing issues. Having said that, you said that the vaporizer stays cold in normal mode. You didn't share whether the vaporizer turns hot in test mode. Let me know if the vaporizer heats up in test mode. If you have an ohm/resistance meter, disconnect one of the cables on the vaporizer and measure the resistance. It should have about 14.5 ohm resistance for a 120V machine and approx 45 ohm resistance for a 240V machine
Thank you Chris.
ReplyDeleteHow do I get the vaporizer to heat up in the test mode ? Is there something I have to do besides starting machine in the test mode and then waiting for it to heat up? Unfortunately I don't have ohm meter
Elle, just press the "vaporizer on" button and keep holding it for about 20-30 seconds. You should definitely notice that it's getting warm. If it does not get warm, it could be a TCO issue, a main board issue or the vaporizer heating element could be shot. I would recommend that you buy a multimeter. They're fairly cheap (under $20 bucks); it's really the only reliable way to check whether you have the proper resistance (ohm) and the proper voltage.
ReplyDeleteThank you . I will get a multimeter and let you know
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI finally got the multimeter but I am afraid I don't completely understand how to test the ohms.
ReplyDeleteCan you please explain in detail? Thank you very much
ok i used google and figured out how to test resistance.
ReplyDelete- I tested TCO on vaporizer - resistance meter read OL
- I tested Vaporizer - resistance meter read 18
I assume TCO needs to be changed. How can I jump TCO to make sure thats the problem?
@Elle, I think all I did was pushing a metal wire into one of the female connectors and then into the other female connector. It's probably not to safe to do it that way so I don't recommend you do that, but you might be able to find two male electrical connectors and make a short male-to-male wire to bypass the TCO. Hope this helps. Let me know how you're making out.
ReplyDeletei ended up just ordering new TCO and new solenoid. I will update you once i get the new parts. Thank you !
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI got the parts. After installing new solenoid and new TCO, heating horse shoe shaped element is heating up and machine recognizes the Hot water spout. It was not recognizing the milk jug so i ended up taking apart top of milk jug and changing Orings, and it looks like it did the trick. Machine recognizes milk jug as well.
The only issue I have now - when i use hot water option - no hot water coming out from how water spout and if i use Cappuccino option - no steam. Machine seems to go through the process but no hot water and no steam. Also it looks like the tubes that lead to the solenoid in the back of the machine have air bubbles in them and it seems as the water going down not up. I dont know if it makes sense. tube i am talking about is the one leading to the top of solenoid(in the back of machine). so it seems that the water with lots of bubbles going from the top of the solenoid thru this tube down towards the front of the machine.....is it clear or should i record a video and email it to you? What should i do next ? Thank you for your time and feedback.
@Elle, most likely you have a piece of calcium stuck in the rear solenoid. I described how to fix that in one of my comments. Basically, you take it apart, clean it out and put it back together. All you need is some pliers and an adjustable wrench and a dental pick or sharp pin. hope this helps
ReplyDeleteChris, I am almost afraid to say it out loud because i dont want to jinx it. I think I got it fixed. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI decided to run test mode first and noticed that solenoid in the rear was not making clicking sound, instead it was the dreading sound "MMMMM" I took apart solenoid valve in the rear but did not find anything stuck in it, then i decided to use resistance meter and of course, solenoid was dead. It is a new solenoid that i just changed a couple of months ago, so what possibly killed it?
Anyway, luckily i still had old solenoid lying around which showed resistance of 445 Ohm so i reassembled the old solenoid and used mechanical parts from new but electrical body from the old. Put it back and voila, i got the hot water coming out from the spout and i got the steam function back too!
The only concern i have is that when i use hot water function - the how water comes out with a lot of steam and maybe only 1/4 or 1/3 of cup, and when i steam the milk, i have a lot of steam coming out as well which causes the condensation on front display. Is it normal? I dont remember if it happened before since frothing action has been out of order for over a year now.
i am really hoping it is not going to die on me anytime soon and i can perfect the steam and hot water functions.
awesome. glad to hear you got it working. as for the steam? It does it for me too. my solenoid is getting plugged up again so I don't have a lot of water going through so it does take a bit longer for the steam to turn back into hot water.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your help! Great blog, please keep it going!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Chris
ReplyDeleteWondered if you could shed any light on a problem I have on my Esam 5500 please;
The machine will say it's Ready to make coffee but then I find that the brew head/diffuser is not positioned underneath the spout where the coffee grinder is but over to the right hand side where the boiler/water assembly is so when it I go to make coffee it just grinds the beans up and fills the drip tray.
I've had the back and sides off the machine and found the drive assembly to have a bit of play on its pivot arm and disconnected/reconnected it and found it was in sync for about 10cycles then lost sync. I,m on the lines that it bypasses the grinds spout because it's not making a limit switch?
Any help would be great.
Thanks, Mark
@mark walker, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that the belt might be missing some notches/teeth and will slip and after a few times back and forth it would have wiggled its way over to the right side. The other thing it could be is if the shaft of the motor is not perfectly connected to the gear and so the shaft turns inside the gear but the gear doesn't move the belt to the right position. If you go into diagnostics mode you can move the brew unit up and down to test the upper and lower limit switches and it will tell you "limit up reached" or "limit down reached" so you know that it will go all the way up/down and whether the limit switches work. hope this helps. chris
ReplyDeleteWow, how happy I am to find such a good resource about the Delonghi machines! I hope you don't mind me publicly brainstorming here:
ReplyDeleteI have an ESAM3500 (quite similar to yours) which has been going strong for probably 10 years and 15000 cups. We had one issue in the past where the frother stopped frothing (much like was mentioned above), solution was to replace the venturi fixture where the milk jug attaches.
Just the other day, I started getting a "insert brewing unit" message (of course the brewing unit is in the right place). The machine turns on, warms up, runs the usual cycle where it moves the brewing unit through its full range of motion, but instead of rinsing and going "ready", it doesn't rinse, and at the end of the startup cycle it gives the "insert brewing unit" message. If you open and close the door, it "tries again" and repeats the whole cycle.
After doing a lot of reading I theorized that maybe the upper limit switch wasn't working, but when I put it into test mode and run the brewing unit all the way up, I get a message about upper limit, and same with the lower limit. I've also confirmed that the upper limit switch is working via multimeter (it reads 5V when closed, I assume that's right). I haven't found the lower switch yet but I assume it's also fine.
Upon very close inspection I see that the "slide" (where the brewing unit attaches) is cracked from the mounting screws down to the bottom. Lacking any better leads, I went ahead and ordered a new slide as well as o-rings (only two though, I didn't realize until today there's a third!), but I'm not really confident this is my issue.
So while I wait patiently for my parts... any troubleshooting tips? What else could the computer be expecting and failing to see which would make it think there's no brewing unit?
Thanks!
@Tad, the only two things that come to mind is that maybe there's some coffee grinds lodged behind the brew unit preventing it from completely seating in the chassis that rides up and down. The second thing you might want to try is to lubricate the big red o-rings on the brew piston. I've had some issues in the past where the resistance prevented the brew unit from riding all the way up. You can also listen for a little click when the brew unit engages the upper limit switch. I'd be interested to see the cracked "slide" you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply Chris. I've ordered new O rings along with my new slide, now I just need to figure out what to lube them with.
ReplyDeleteI took some pics (in the album below). Interestingly, I found a couple random bits of plastic lodged behind the "slide" (the chassis you mentioned which carries the brewing unit - it's labeled "slide" on the parts diagram I have). I wonder if those are a key to the mystery.
I'm guessing the limit switches aren't the issues since they seem to engage during the test cycle, but maybe I will check if they engage during a "normal" startup cycle. I don't get the "horrible noise" that others have reported when limit switches aren't working (and the motor tries to push the slide too far), so I think that's another vote against the switches being the issue. I just can't figure out what other criteria the computer might be seeing/not seeing to result in the "insert brewing unit" message.
https://imgur.com/a/8gjgo1w
Well the new parts showed up yesterday, and it seems to be fixed. Not sure if it was the slide or the o-rings (or some combination). The rings were pretty gunked up as until this adventure I never realized that the brewing unit could be disassembled!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your input, and I hope this helps someone else with the same issue.
Here's to more years of good coffee from our machines!
(as for root cause, I'm guessing that the limit switches were being triggered inconsistently due to flex from the cracked slide or perhaps clogged o-rings).
ReplyDeleteWell, Tad, I'm really glad you got it working and thanks for giving the update. Happy coffee-ing!
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, I have a Delonghi Magnifica. The machine is seriously clicking when I engage the steam wand. No water is coming out of the steam wand or the espresso unit. The sound is right near the the water pump. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteJust an update for posterity - my "insert brewing unit" error isn't fully fixed, and has been occurring with increasing frequency over recent weeks. :( Not sure what to do next... I was thinking about shimming the upper limit switch as I saw described somewhere, but now I can't find where I read it (there were even pictures).
ReplyDeleteIf anybody remembers what I'm talking about, please let me know.
Thanks for reading!
Greatly shared. Its amazing. Contact us for expert Coffee machine repair services
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, I have an ESAM5500B and recently it started the dreaded "ground too fine adjust mill" and "insert waterspout". I did what it said to no avail. I changed the O rings and greased the infuser and took apart the water pump and the springs and assembly seem ok. The problem I have is very weak flow and a very muted pump sound for a bit then This loud repetitive clicking kicks in from around the water pump. I also get no water coming out during the rinse cycle when I first start up the machine. the pucks are not formed at all, just a bunch of moist ground coffee in the grinds container. Any ideas? Maybe a faulty flowmeter? thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteHello, I have the ESAM5500. Just before Christmas it developed a fault and displayed general alarm. It's taken me a while to get round to look at it. Firstly I noticed at least one of the thermal switches was open circuit which got replaced. Still not working so I measured the resistance across both heaters. The main heater was open circuit. I replaced the main heater and it would switch on but after about 1 minute it would trip the house RCD. Removing the second heater (steam/milk/horse shoe) and it worked and didn't trip the RCD. I replaced this heater as well and everything worked. However, While testing the hot water function, it stopped making hot water, I measure the resistance of the element and it was fine. I then bell'd the thermal switches, the lower of the two was open circuit. Second thermal switch ordered and replaced. Everything worked again, but again the hot water function stopped working. And again it was the lower thermal switch. This is the thermal switch on the live feed into the horse shoe element. I can't figure it out, why it keeps blowing this thermal switch. 230volts passes through it until it reaches 318deg then it should open, cool a bit and close. But they are either sticking in the open position or being destroyed.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone shed some light?
Another thought is that I have bought the thermal switches of ebay, could it be a bad batch of components?
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI'm a long suffering Delonghi coffee maker owner too and my most recent investment, a ESAM3500 has decided to go AWOL with the rather useless message "General Alarm" after some loud noises and a period of time with "warming up please wait"...
I've opened it to investigate and there seems to be several heating elements. Two on the top of the machine, wired in parallel and reading 40 Ohms. Then, in the center of the machine near the pump there's another element which is reading open circuit. So, I'm inclined to presume that element needs replacing. The loud noises are more worrying though as I can't isolate. It's like the motion of the brewing device is obstructed and the motor struggles. But I'm still looking for the cause.
I'm just wondering if your adventures inside these machines might be able to help me... I presume the element in the middle of the machine should not be reading open circuit for example.
I'm also wondering if there's any on-line exploded views or service manual sources that you are aware of?
Happy New Year too :-)
Thanks,
David
Ireland, Europe
@David, it looks to me as though you have a 220V machine which I believe has the two top elements sitting right on top of each other and are wired in parallel. 40 ohm sounds about right. As for the rear element, when you say "open circuit" I'm presuming that means infinite resistance. If so, it is most likely that the vaporizer (rear element) is burnt out. In that case you'll have to replace it. I get my parts from ereplacementparts.com. Here's a link to the ESAM3500 model: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/delonghi-esam3500-magnifica-parts-c-122345_122351_122768.html but if you want a diagram I found one here: https://coffeemachineparts.com.au/index.php/coffee-machine-parts/delonghi-spare-parts/delonghi-esam-3500-spare-parts. As for the noise, it could be the little knob that's sticking out at the back of the brew unit. It has a fairly strong spring and when that gets compressed it makes a loud clicking noise. If it sounds more like the motor is struggling, you might want to clean the brew unit and remove the orange o-rings from the piston at the top inside of the machine and lubricate it with food-grade silicone. That should make the piston slide into the brew unit a little bit easier and hopefully eases the motor's work load. I hope you can figure it out; all the best and happy new year to you too!
ReplyDeleteChris, Thanks for a great blog. Have You had any issue cappucino, especially the milk, not being hot enough? Even if I heat the cup and the milk jug with the cleaning function, still the cappucino is almost luke warm. I’ve done regular descaling also. Do you think the temperature could be raised by changing either of the termistors or adding trimmers in series w/ the NTCs to adjust the temp?
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris for the water pump diagram, I took my apart to look for clogs and not able to put back together the same way.
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks a lot! Slightly different model (ESAM3500), same exact symptoms (issue #4), same pain for 6 months, same replacements made (except the board), then I found your blog. You posted that more then 5 years ago ... amazing!
ReplyDeleteSo I’ve ordered the part 5513225801 to replace the EV2 solenoid however the holes for mounting on the new part are not threaded. Is there a reason? How are you supposed to reattach the part?
ReplyDelete@andtokyo, I think i vaguely remember that I had to screw it into the plastic part. the threads will cut into the pre-drilled holes in the plastic. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteWow this blog is still alive, and how useful! Here is my story:
ReplyDeleteTL/DR: ESAM 3500.N, generic alarm, even though everything works in test mode.
It started with leaking water all over the place.
Open it up, the top boiler is a giant pile of rust. Ordered a new one. Of course the engineer in me wants to fix it. Tear it apart, using penetrating oil for the rusted screws, phosphoric acid to eat the rust, etc. etc.. clean it up real nice. Reassemble try to make a coffee, and laugh as water goes everywhere. The o-rings are shot on the brew unit side, and I cannot seem to find replacement for those. Laugh at myself and wait for the part to arrive in the mail.
In the meantime, I serviced the brew unit that had never been done. In doing that, the brew unit got stuck in up position. At the same time, my unit started getting GENERIC ALARM of death immediately at power on. No heating delay, just pretty much instant GENERIC ALARM.
The test mode did nothing, none of the buttons responding. After much troubleshooting, I realized the wires to transmission motor the were weakened from all the back & forth that the transmission assembly does, and no doubt my putting my hands inside was the nail in the coffin. So, I cut both leads, resolder, heat shrink, now test mode works!!! I can do everything:
Button 1 (Menu): Heater - Heats up!
Button 3 (Change): Pump on - WORKS, if I unplug the wire from the pump it sprays quite far. If I don't unplug, well I think I'm straining the pump for nothing, since none of the solenoids are activated the water has nowhere to go.
Button 4 (OK): Grinder - Grinds and dumps coffee no matter where the brew unit is
Button 5 (On/Off): Motor up - Works all the way to upper limit switch
Button 6 (Bean grind): Motor down - Works all the way to lower limit switch.
Button 7 (1 shot): EV1 on - Loud CLICK on one valve
Button 8 (2 shot): EV2 on - Loud CLICK on the other valve
Button 9 (long shot): vaporizer - Heats up horseshoe heater in the back
I measured both heating elements they were approx 8 ohms and 12 ohms, which makes sense for respectively 1000w and 1500w more or less. The TCO are NC, as expected since the heaters work and they are in series with the heaters. Both thermistors provide reasonable value at room temp, I think 130k, which matches my rusted old generator assembly.
So now, I'm kind of at a loss. Test mode is clean, and that covers alot of what the machine does. At some point, while I was playing in the machine but with the new generator assembly, I got it to start up again, but this was when the motor wires were "bad", so it got stuck in up position and threw GENERIC ALARM. It's almost as if the machine knows it got the infuser stuck, so it's not trying to do anything else for risk of damaging further.
My feeling is one of these...
1) I need to hard reset this machine to clear this stupid alarm
2) Some other failed component not covered in self test but tested in power on diagnostics
3) Main board is dead
Same as Chris, I found some people suggesting it's a triac, doubt it since the heating elements work in test mode. As for reset, I read that I should put the used grounds container in the machine (raised slightly to hit the microswitch) but no water tray, and close the door. Doesn't seem to do much to be honest.
Well, thanks for keeping this post alive. And if someone with a seemingly bad transmission assembly / motor is reading this, make sure to test the wires for conductivity!
^^^ I posted this above, for some reason, it posted as anonymous, but my name is Eric. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteEric, the only thing i can think of is the thermal cut-off switch malfunctioning. I would try bypassing it with some wire and test it. That's what happened with mine. it worked, but just not quite long enough for the proper temperature to be reached. I hope you can figure it out. good luck!
ReplyDeleteFound your post searching for triac repair. Read the part about jumping the TCO and you just saved me a ton of money and time! New TCO is on the way. Much love to you Chris!
ReplyDelete