Saeco wrong pump timing & leaking

mkaravel

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Dec 15, 2014
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Hello
I own a Saeco Syntia auto espresso machine, which has developed some issues. It is not too old, I own it for like 6 months, and has produced well less that 500 espressos.

The first issue is that it leaks water under the brewing unit, and water mixes with coffee powder and produces a mess. I read that this could happen due to coffee clogging a small (and obscure) drain that I am going to unclog. However, I have noticed another issue, the last weeks: The water pump operates when (I think) it should not.

When I press the espresso shot button, a sequence of functions happen, and corresponding sounds are produced. The usual sequence of sounds for the production of a simple espresso shot, when I got the machine, was the following (sorry for the long description)

(Espresso button Pressed)
1.Some motor rotating fast and loudly (coffee grinding)
(small pause)
2.Some slower motors operating/inner parts moving (probably pressing the ground coffee in the brewing unit)
(small pause)
3.Harsh loud sound for ~1 second and 1 or 2 drops of coffee in the cup (pump operates, for some kind of pre-infusion, I guess)
(small pause)
4.Long harsh sound (obviously pump operating) and brewing of the coffee
(small pause)
5.Some slow motors operating (similar to step 2) probably disposing of used ground coffee and cleaning.
(then, coffe machine stand-by)

What I have noticed, during the last weeks, is that during step 1 and 2, and the pause between them, I hear the pump operating. It is as if another pre-infusion happens, it has the same duration (about 1 second) and sound character with step 3, but I guess that the timing is wrong. I think it is after this behavior started, that I notice the water leak I described above, that's why I wonder whether those 2 issues are related. Could this behavior be due to re-programming of the small espresso button?

I am hesitating to send my Syntia to the service, as the last time I sent a machine there, it took them about 2 months, and I am not willing to stay another 2 months without coffee.

Has this happened to someone else? Thanks for your time.
 
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UPDATE

My coffee machine has no drain that can be clogged, as other Saeco machines, so there is nothing that I can unclog in order to prevent leaking. See picture at the end of the post.


I have also made a small video, with the sound sequence of espresso brewing, where you can hear the incident I am talking about: (sorry, I am not able to post links, yet, so please copy/paste it in some browser)

youtu.be/NjO4r78Gbgs

Lastly, I have noticed that this incident is on-off-cycle-dependent. Meaning, that if the machine does it, it will do it for all espressos made until it is powered of. Whether or not will it happen after turn it off and on again, cannot be foreseen.

Thank you guys for tolerating me!
 

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