Plate 1 — water path
Everything between the tank and the cup is a part that can fail.
I repair, rebuild and recalibrate espresso machines — single-boiler home machines through three-group commercial boxes. Pick a part below to see what it does on its way out.
Reservoir and inlet
What you notice
The pump screams and never primes, or the machine reports an empty tank that is visibly full.
What it usually is
A clogged inlet screen, a cracked or collapsed pickup tube, or a level probe furred with scale so it never sees water.
What I do about it
Pull and clean the pickup and screen, descale or replace the probe, and bench-test the float switch cold and hot.
Work order
How a machine moves through the shop.
Six stages, in order, every time. You get a price before anything comes apart.
You tell me what it's doing and when it started. Bring the portafilter and the basket you actually use. A phone video of a bad shot is worth more than a paragraph.
The machine runs on the bench with a gauge in the portafilter and a probe in the group. I write down brew pressure, group temperature and flow rate before I touch anything.
A fixed price, in writing, before a single fastener comes out. If the repair costs more than the machine is worth, I'll tell you that instead of quoting it.
Manufacturer parts where they still exist, known-good equivalents where they don't. I'll tell you which one went into your machine and why.
Twenty-four hours on the bench through a full heat cycle, then shots pulled and measured cold and at temperature. Leaks show up on the second day, not the first.
The machine goes home with a calibration sheet: brew pressure, group temperature, flow rate, every part replaced, and what to watch for next.
Machines on the bench
Brands I work on regularly.
If yours isn't listed, ask anyway. What decides a repair is whether parts still exist, not whose badge is on the front.
La Marzocco Rocket ECM Profitec Rancilio Nuova Simonelli Lelit Gaggia Bezzera Elektra La Pavoni Faema Ascaso Breville Astoria Slayer
Down machine?
Cafés get same-day callout inside Portland.
Call before you start pulling panels. Half the time I can talk you through it and you keep serving. If I do need to come out, tell me the make and how many groups so I bring the right seals.
- Bench hours
- Tue–Fri, 9am–5pm
- Saturday counter
- 10am–2pm, drop-off only
- Café callout
- Same day, Portland metro
- Diagnosis
- $85, credited to the repair
- Labour warranty
- 90 days