# Rancilio Silvia Short Circuit



## GiveMeCoffee (Mar 15, 2021)

So I have a 6 or 7 year old Silvia, which has worked perfectly until recently.

Issue is, the other day, I tried switching it on a few times (just flicking the on switch) but every time I did, the fuse box (circuit box) in our flat blew, making all the elecricity in the flat go out. I assume it must be a short circuit of some form.

Does anyone have any idea how much it would cost to get this fixed? I have no real clue about coffee machine mechanics and am pretty terrible at fixing electrical stuff so don't feel like it's the best idea for me to look at it. Also, does anyone know of any good places to take it to? I live in the south east near Gatwick.

Thank you


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## Nightrider_1uk (Apr 26, 2020)

Sounds like a short circuit somewhere, but without taking the covers off its will be hard to diagnose. There is probably a lot of info on this forum and the net about stripping them down. If it was mine, i'd start by taking the covers off and checking for loose / detached wires shorting, then I'd try disconnecting the heating elements (being careful not to let them touch anything metal) tape them up with insulation tape and then try switching on and see what happens. then try same with pump and soilnoide etc, till I found what was causing it.


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## 28267 (Dec 8, 2020)

@GiveMeCoffee - when you say it is tripping the fuse box, is it tripping the main RCD for the house?

If it was a short I would expect it to blow the fuse in the plug rather than anything in the consumer unit for the house.

If it is tripping the RCD then that indicates it is likely an earth fault has developed in the coffee machine. The most usual cause of that in a coffee machine is the heating element starting to fail, which causes current to flow via water in the tank to the chassis. The quick test is to disconnect the heating element internally and then see if it remains powered up. A repair centre should be able to do an insulation test to see if the element has an issue.

If it is 6-7 years old then hopefully it has the replaceable element, the early ones were welded in the newer ones screw in. Hopefully someone can recommend a coffee repair place near you. To give you an idea of cost the new style element is £46.99 from Bella Barista who are the main approved importer of Rancilio Silvia's in the U.K.


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## GiveMeCoffee (Mar 15, 2021)

Sorry I missed this - yep it's the Main RCD in the flat. I did email an espresso clinic in London and they said it's likely the heating element too. I hope mine is new enough to have the removable element!

I don't really trust myself to do this stuff alone but a trip to London is a pain in the ass hah!


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