# Delonghi Dedica - hardly any water coming out of group head



## UWonBiDVD (Sep 19, 2018)

Hello, did a search but can't find the same issue.

I have a 13-month-old Delonghi Dedica EC.685. It has a fault whereby hardly any water leaves the group head when pulling coffee. I've run 3 descales through it to ensure it isn't a build-up of limescale (we regularly descale anyway), have also reset it to defaults but no change. Looking at a few youtube videos it 'looks' like it could be the pump...

But interestingly the wand seems to put out full pressure and the usual amount of water. Not sure whether the pump feeds both of these - but it makes sense that it would, which then has me wondering whether there is a fault with the pump at all.

So confession - we decluttered earlier this year and threw out loads of old boxes, including the box for this. And then my wife remembered we put the receipt inside it. So there is no receipt. Bought at John Lewis but they don't keep electronic receipts and my bank statement just shows a purchase amount from them, not what I bought.

I'd like to try repairing this if I can. If I can't, I'll cut my losses and buy a replacement Sage DTP.

Thanks

Alex


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## Amvantage (Jun 20, 2018)

I can't help with your fault but I went from a Delonghi Dedica to a Sage DTP and the difference is ridiculous. Such a massive improvement and flexibility to make different coffees other than just caps with the delonghi. I'd say upgrade anyway.


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## jimbojohn55 (Jan 15, 2016)

hmm apart from stripping down the group and sending for a repair then the sage is the way to go - if you want something that is fully repairable and future proof have a look at some of the other options with less electronics in a bigger case, though the warranty available from some suppliers of the sage is three years

consider browsing Bella Barista website or even better go for a visit


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## UWonBiDVD (Sep 19, 2018)

Goodness, I literally went to run another stronger descale through group head only, and I have two replies! Thank you both

Yep, I have a friend with the DTP and he raves about it - I've just never tried it because he lives a long way from me. I have done some further tests and the wand is putting out plenty of power and can fill a cup in a couple of minutes (it's only a thin stream), so if the pump is attached to both, I don't think the pump is at fault. Shame, this is the 2nd Delonghi espresso machine that's packed up on us. We drink a lot of coffee (we have 4 kids), but have always descaled frequently and kept it clean and never abused either machine. Rather than fork out on replacement parts that might not fix it, I'll buy the DTP instead.

EDIT: Bella Barista has some awesome kit. Maybe one day! Next time I buy I'll make sure I don't throw my receipt in the bin DOH


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## UWonBiDVD (Sep 19, 2018)

Just to update.

I took the Delonghi Dedica apart. Damn, that thing is a PITA to undo. I found some posts on another forum that said Delonghi warranty techs didn't even both fixing the Dedica, it was simply replace - not worth the techs time. I ended up sacking it off and am now the proud owner of the Sage DTP. It pulls a beautiful Lavazza espresso, and I'll be even better off once I buy a decent grinder to use beans.


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## Dumnorix (Dec 29, 2017)

A very sensible purchase. What grinder do you have in mind?


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2020)

Hi I had exactly the same problem with my dedica machine.

After seeing some answers here about changing the pump which I did not want to do,I decided to buy a new one as my dedica was over 3 years old and I love the machine to bits

When my new machine arrived just out of curiosity I tried the new filter holder and filter on my old machine and low and behold my old machine worked perfectly.

Guess all I needed was a new filter as the old one was blocked ofter years of use.

Try it before forking out on a new machine might save you a bit of money.


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## MartinD (May 9, 2020)

I had the same problem after about 18 months of use and having read the above thread I opted to also purchase a Sage DTP as they had a deal on Amazon. On the day of delivery I decided to start stripping down the Dedica but stopped after finding that there is a metal filter screen above where the coffee holder wand is fitted when in use. This is held in place by a single phillips screw. Removing the screw and the filter revealed a build up of coffe residue on the top side of the filter which i washed off and then cleaned the holes in the filter with an artists brush (use anything with fine bristles). Reassemled the machine now works like new again. I now have two working coffe machines ... dooh. I have since found YouTube videos that decribe this simple process !!!!


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## Treby (Dec 24, 2020)

I know exactly what the cause of this problem is.

I had this with a Delonghi EC680 (the earlier virtually identical model)

To reiterate the symptoms.

Hardly any water leaves the group head when pulling coffee despite the steam wand seeming to put out full pressure and the usual amount of water.

De-scaling doesn't help and the group head is not blocked up with lime-scale or coffee grounds.

*Cause is a defective (worn-out) over-pressure valve* (often incorrectly called a safety valve) which sits on top of the pump ... this part costs £8.50 from Amazon even less on ebay!!!https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-7313286129-Delonghi-Valve/dp/B01FOEZEVG/ref=pd_sbs_60_6/260-5397262-2429444?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01FOEZEVG&pd_rd_r=d800d510-2979-4c7f-88b6-5ddfdde29d4e&pd_rd_w=ShL85&pd_rd_wg=yPh7h&pf_rd_p=2304238d-df78-4b25-a9a0-b27dc7bd722e&pf_rd_r=BFBARFWG7FPD6R8G9MVV&psc=1&refRID=BFBARFWG7FPD6R8G9MVV

It's a fiddle to fit but will for a bit of time & effort, but minimal cost will restore your Delonghi machine to as new working condition.

This YouTube video shows what goes wrong inside the valve and a temporary fix ... 




You may also need to buy a tamper proof / security bit set to unscrew the screws (Torx 20 heads with central post to prevent unscrewing with standard T20 bit) in the base of the machine ...a security bit set costs £4.99 from Toolstation-- Draper Security Bit Set | Toolstation

So total cost of repair would be a max of £13.49 ... not bad to restore a very expensive and rather beautiful appliance!!

An essential YouTube video to show you how to dismantle the EC680 or EC685 can be found here ... 




Some listings for the over-pressure valve refer to it as a safety valve which is erroneous. It is in fact an over pressure valve to maintain the perfect brewing pressure to prevent a bitter coffee brew. If you are interested in a fuller explanation, there is a comprehensive very informative YouTube video here... 




There is also a very comprehensive pdf with an explanation about the OPV (over-pressure valve) in the better quality coffee machines accessable from here...http://coffeetime.wikiidot,com/opv-over-pressure-valve

So, there you are... everything you need to know to be able to fix your Delonghi espresso machine, plus all you might want to understand about how it works in this respect. So don't chuck it unless you're time poor... fix it instead!!!


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## BioffoBear (Mar 16, 2021)

I had this exact problem with an EC685 I purchased at the end of November 2020 from John Lewis.

Early Feb 2021 (i.e. 9 weeks after first use), the low flow problem started. It was sent back to DeLonghi service people and returned to me almost 4 weeks later allegedly repaired. It worked fine for two days then the exact same problem occurred again. JL said it would have to go back to the service agent again but I stood my ground and insisted on a refund. They agreed so the machine was collected yesterday and I await my refund.

It's a shame as I quite liked the format of the machine and when it worked, it did produce a coffee that I liked. But failing within three months and not getting repaired properly is not good enough and I would never have been confident with it. In the meantime, I've just ordered a Sage DTP.

Thanks to everyone on here for all the advice and info.


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## Math (Apr 8, 2021)

This was exactly correct and not too hard to do, saved me about £300. The videos are quite long and one of them I think is in French, but the part and the tool required were perfect and you get the idea from the videos enough to do the job. Thank you @Treby


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## barneytoast (May 2, 2021)

For me, this issue turned out to be really "obvious": the pressurized filter in the handle was clogged. I spent a bunch of time tearing apart the machine checking the over-pressure valve and stuff but all seemed ok. I realized that 1) water was coming out fine from the wand and 2) when I removed the handle after making coffee, there was the sound of pressure being released.

It was just the single hole in the pressurized filter that was clogged. Burning it didn't help, but a simple poke with a needle did.

I also ordered a cleanable version to avoid this in the future, google DLSC401 Easy Clean Filter for that.


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## DwightSchrute (Jun 19, 2021)

@Treby thanks for all the information and resources provided to fix this issue. I am going through -what I think- it is the same problem. Just wanted to confirm if you or @Math noticed a change in the sound of the machine whenever the problem appeared. For me, this issue appears often but not all the time, but whenever it happens, I also notice that the sound dampens/quiets down.

It also heats up quite a bit on the top part of the machine whenever this issue occurs, which might make sense if the issue is indeed the over-pressure valve being stuck in the 'return-to-water-reservoir' position.

Thanks!


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## DwightSchrute (Jun 19, 2021)

I changed the OPV and it didn't fix the issue. 😔


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## Hugo67 (Sep 13, 2021)

Hey @DwightSchrute- wondering if you had any luck fixing your issue as I seem to have the same?


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