Coffee machine repair
Is your espresso machine leaking, is the coffee cold or does the display show an error code? Below you can read what is usually wrong, what you can do yourself and how we repair your coffee machine.
We repair and service fully automatic espresso machines and built-in coffee machines from all major brands, such as Miele, Siemens, Bosch, De’Longhi, Jura, Philips and Saeco. How we do it depends on your machine:
- Built-in coffee machine: a technician comes to your home, in the Brussels and Liège regions.
- Freestanding espresso machine: you bring the machine to our workshop in Vilvoorde.
For a repair at home, the diagnosis costs €69. If you choose the repair, the total is at most €179, parts extra.
Prices
How much does a home repair cost?
One fixed price for every appliance and every brand. No hourly rate, no surprises afterwards.
A technician finds the cause of the fault at your home. If you then decide not to go ahead with the repair, you only pay for the diagnosis.
If the technician can repair it, you pay €110. No time limit: even if it takes long or a second visit is needed.
Spare parts are not included. The technician tells you in advance if a part is needed and what it costs.
Chrono surcharge for a visit in the evening, at the weekend or just a few hours after your request.
Second appliance during the same visit? The technician can check and repair it too for €80.
Maintenance as well? The technician can also clean and check your appliance thoroughly, for €50 per appliance on top of the diagnosis and repair.
Prefer remote help first? A video repair costs €49. See all our prices →
At home or in our workshop?
How do you repair a built-in coffee machine?
You can’t just take a built-in coffee machine out of the kitchen unit. So the technician comes to your home to find the fault and repair it. He carries most original parts for brands like Miele, Siemens and Bosch in his van, so the problem is often solved in one visit. For now we offer this home service in the Brussels and Liège regions.
How do you repair a freestanding espresso machine?
We repair freestanding espresso machines of all brands in our workshop in Vilvoorde (Schaarbeeklei 636, 1800 Vilvoorde). You drop off your machine during office hours (8:30 am to 5 pm). It is usually ready within a week and a half, and we let you know as soon as you can collect it.
Why not at your home? A repair, and especially a thorough service of an espresso machine, takes a long time. In the workshop we can open the machine completely, clean it and test it.
Common coffee machine problems
Why is there water under my coffee machine?
An O-ring or a small pipe inside has probably split, often because of limescale. Stop using the machine: water near the electronics can cause more damage.
Why is my coffee no longer hot?
Usually the thermoblock that heats the water is faulty or completely scaled up.
Why does the coffee run very slowly or only drip?
First check that the grind setting isn’t too fine. If that is fine, the brew group or its small filter is probably clogged with coffee oils, or the machine is heavily scaled.
Why does my machine ask me to empty the drip tray when it is empty?
Usually the metal contacts at the back of the drip tray are wet or dirty. Clean and dry them. If the message stays, the internal microswitch is often faulty.
Why does the brew group creak or get stuck?
The brew group is the mechanical heart of the machine. If it is dry, dirty or worn, it runs stiffly and the machine shows an error. Never force the brew group.
Coffee machine error codes by brand
Many machines show a code or a fixed message when something is wrong. These are the ones we see most often:
- Miele, F73 or F74: usually a problem with the ceramic valve or the brew group drive. The machine can no longer find the position of the brew group.
- Miele, F10: a problem with the water supply. It could be a faulty pump, but first check that the water tank is seated properly and the filter isn’t clogged.
- Siemens (EQ series) and Bosch, “Clean brew unit” when it is clean: the sensor that measures the brew group’s resistance detects a problem. Often the drive mechanism needs lubricating or replacing.
- Siemens and Bosch, Error 8 or “Call hotline”: a blocked brew group or a fault in the drive.
- De’Longhi (Magnifica, PrimaDonna), red warning triangle: the brew group is stuck, the inside is very dirty or a heating element is faulty.
- De’Longhi, “Water circuit empty” when the tank is full: often an air bubble in the system, a faulty flow meter or a pump that needs replacing.
- Jura, Error 8: the brew group is blocked, runs stiffly or can’t reach its starting position. On a Jura the brew group is built in and you can’t remove it yourself, so a repair or overhaul in the workshop is needed.
- Jura, “Fill system” or “System empty”: a problem in the water circuit, such as an air bubble, a saturated water filter or heavy limescale.
Write down the code or message. The technician then knows in advance where to look.
How does an espresso machine work?
A fully automatic espresso machine is really a small factory. Knowing how it works helps you understand where things go wrong:
- The grinder grinds the beans. Too fine gives bitter coffee, too coarse gives watery coffee.
- The thermoblock or boiler heats the water to about 90 to 96 °C within seconds.
- The pump forces the hot water through the ground coffee, often at a pressure of 15 bar.
- The brew group compresses the ground coffee, and that is where the coffee is brewed. It is also the part that needs maintenance most often.
Maintenance: make your coffee machine last longer
What should I do every day?
- Use fresh, cold water every morning.
- At the end of the day, empty the drip tray and the grounds container, rinse them and let them dry. That prevents mould.
- Rinse the milk system with hot water straight after use. Dried milk residue causes smells and blockages.
How do I clean the brew group?
On most brands, such as Philips, Siemens, Bosch, De’Longhi and Miele, you can remove the brew group yourself. Do this every week:
- Take the brew group out of the machine.
- Rinse it thoroughly under lukewarm water. Never use soap or washing-up liquid: it affects the lubrication.
- Let it air-dry, not with a towel, and then put it back.
- Meanwhile, wipe the inside behind the brew group with a soft cloth.
How do I remove coffee oils?
Coffee beans contain natural oils that build up in the pipes and the brew group. Water alone won’t dissolve them. So run a cleaning programme with a cleaning tablet every month.
How often should I descale?
That depends on your water hardness and how often you use the machine. Never ignore the descale light. Limescale around the thermoblock and in the pipes leads to lukewarm coffee, leaks and eventually a faulty pump. Use the descaler the manufacturer recommends, not cleaning vinegar: it is too aggressive for the rubber O-rings. If you use a water filter in the tank, replace it every 2 to 3 months or when the machine asks for it.
Should I lubricate the brew group?
Yes, about every six months if your brew group is removable. Apply a thin layer of food-safe silicone grease to the guides and O-rings. That keeps the mechanism running smoothly.
Your coffee machine working again, with no surprises
We are an independent repair service, not an official service partner of any brand. We repair coffee machines of different brands every week.
Does the coffee no longer taste right despite good maintenance, does the water run slowly or do you hear strange noises when grinding? Then a major service is often the answer. We clean the machine, replace dried-out O-rings and recalibrate the grinder.
For a good fully automatic or built-in machine, a repair is almost always much cheaper than a comparable new one. And it saves electronic waste.
Is your machine still under the manufacturer's warranty? Then we refer you to the manufacturer or the shop. A repair by us could void that warranty.
Where do we repair coffee machines?
Our technicians work in Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region, East Flanders, West Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg, Liège, Namur, Hainaut and Walloon Brabant.
Coffee machines are an exception: we repair built-in machines at home in the Brussels and Liège regions. Freestanding espresso machines are dropped off at our workshop, Schaarbeeklei 636, 1800 Vilvoorde.
Do your technicians have to set off from Vilvoorde every morning?
No. Our technicians live all over Belgium and set off every morning from their own municipality. The parts they need are delivered straight to their homes. That way we get to you quickly, without long drives, and often as soon as the next working day.
Other appliances
Is another appliance broken too? During the same visit we repair a second appliance for an extra 80 euros.
Frequently asked questions about coffee machine repair
For a built-in coffee machine we repair at your home, the diagnosis costs €69. If you choose the repair, you pay at most €179 in total, parts extra. For the price of a repair in our workshop, please call us on 02 615 45 20.
For a built-in machine we try to solve the problem during the visit itself, thanks to the parts in the van. If you bring a freestanding machine to the workshop, it is usually ready within a week and a half. We let you know as soon as you can collect it.
No. A repair, and especially a thorough service of an espresso machine, takes a long time. That is why we do it in our workshop in Vilvoorde. You drop off the machine during office hours, from 8:30 am to 5 pm.
For now, we only offer home repairs of built-in coffee machines in the Brussels and Liège regions. If you live elsewhere, call us on 02 615 45 20 and we will look for a solution together.
In most cases, yes. For a good fully automatic or built-in machine from brands like Miele, Siemens, Jura or De’Longhi, a repair is much cheaper than a comparable new machine.
Our focus is on fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machines and built-in coffee machines. For those machines we have the knowledge and the original parts in-house.
No. If your machine is still under the manufacturer’s warranty, contact the manufacturer or the shop where you bought it. A repair by us could void that warranty.
We give a 3-month warranty on every repair we carry out. If the same fault comes back within that period, we fix it free of charge.
Use the button on this page, or call 02 615 45 20. Mention the brand, the model, whether it is a built-in or freestanding machine, and any error code.