garconmeansboy Senior Member Joined: 12 Mar 2012 Posts: 2 Location: boston Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Mar 12, 2012, 11:55am Subject: Fixing an old espresso machine.
I've got this espresso machine...it's not the greatest machine ever built, but I'm in college, and having an espresso machine is certainly better than no espresso machine at all. Problem is, it's sat in a cabinet in my dad's basement for about 6 years, and it doesn't completely work. The steam wand seems to, but when I press the main button to make coffee, it makes this horrible buzzing/shaking/growling sound and nothing comes out. Is this something a descaling agent could fix (and, on the topic of being a poor college student, would half water, half white vinegar make an acceptable substitute for a descaling agent)? What might cause this? I've cleaned it as extensively as I can (short of descaling, like I mentioned). It's an old Starbucks Barista (back from the day when Starbucks used to sell coffee makers—I don't have a dead sbux employee in my dorm kitchen), if that helps any.
Posted Mon Mar 12, 2012, 3:54pm Subject: Re: Fixing an old espresso machine.
Having and using one of these machines for years, my first thought is, how fine were your grinds? These are built for a little coarser grind and they are extremely easy to choke.
Posted Mon Mar 12, 2012, 5:07pm Subject: Re: Fixing an old espresso machine.
The vibe pumps on these needs a bit of water to work. When they dry out, they need to be primed.
try to push some water up the suction hose while the pump is running, while keeping the steam valve open. If you just get enough water to reach the pump, that might get it started.
The boilers on these are made of stainless steel, so at least you dont have to worry about corrosion there.
If you do get it running, I would try to descale it too.
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