Why is my coffee machine making cold coffee?
Author: AMT Serwis
Is your automatic coffee machine serving lukewarm coffee? Here is how to rescue your morning and get rid of the cold-coffee problem for good.
You want to start the day the usual way, with a hot, aromatic coffee — and suddenly it turns out that the machine is not heating up properly and the coffee it brews is lukewarm at best. That is a clear sign that something is wrong. Do you have to book a service visit straight away? Not necessarily. Here is what might be causing the fault, and how to tell whether you can deal with it yourself.
Limescale stops the coffee machine from heating up
Limescale is one of the most common causes of coffee machine faults. Scale that builds up on parts such as the heating element, the hoses or the temperature sensor stops them working properly. The result is coffee that arrives in the cup cold and tastes disappointing. So the first thing worth doing is running the machine's descaling programme — and, going forward, remembering to repeat it regularly.
A damaged thermoblock or boiler
Heating the water in a coffee machine is the job of a thermoblock (a flow heater) or a boiler. If your machine is serving cold coffee, whichever solution your appliance uses is worth investigating. The most common problem here is blocked water hoses. A thorough descaling and cleaning should clear the flow and restore normal operation. Things are more complicated if there is a leak — in that case the boiler will have to be replaced.
A burnt-out heating element
It goes without saying that a burnt-out heating element will not heat the water you need to brew a drink or froth milk. A burnt-out element usually looks wrong at first glance: you will most likely see scorch marks or heavy deposits on it. If you want to check its condition properly, use a multimeter.
An electronics failure in an automatic coffee machine
The control board is what governs how an automatic machine works — above all, how it makes coffee. Unfortunately it can fail. The symptoms of an electronics fault vary widely, and trouble with heating is one of them. It may turn out that the only fix is a new board, which is a significant expense. In this situation you are best off relying on a professional workshop, which will confirm or rule out an electronics fault and then propose the right solution.
If you are looking for expert help with coffee machine servicing and repair, get in touch with our technicians.