La Marzocco Linea Mini with low pressure in San Jose
Problem: Their Linea Mini had low pressure, and it was due for general maintenance anyway. We picked the machine up and took it to our bench.
Diagnostics: We opened it up. The heating system and the water system were both heavily calcified. There was crust along the edge of the water tank. With a camera inside the boiler, we found the heating element coated white and loose flakes of scale settled inside. Scale had even gotten into the thin capillary tubes that run to the two gauges. You can’t clean scale out of those tubes, so the gauges had to be replaced.
Solution: We descaled the heating and water systems and replaced the pressurestat. We rebuilt the left valve, the one that supplies water, and put in two new gauges. Then we brought the machine back home.
Result: It went back on their counter descaled, with a new pressurestat, a rebuilt water valve and two new gauges. If your machine starts losing pressure and it’s been a while since its last descale, scale is a good first suspect. Don’t wait until it reaches the gauges. We repair La Marzocco espresso machines in San Jose and across the South Bay.
