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Refurbishing the Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine
- FroshKiller 7y agoInteresting! When I worked for a coffee roaster, there were two kinds of people looking for the Silvia: home espresso enthusiasts with too much money and cheapskates looking to add espresso-based drinks to their businesses. I'm glad the poster enjoyed the project, because there's no way on Earth it was worth the money.
- criddell 7y agoIt might not have been worth the money, but it's nice that it didn't end up in the garbage.
- orion138 7y agoThe silvia is always touted as a reasonably priced machine which can be converted to PID with little work...
- alfiedotwtf 7y agoI know a lot of coffee enthusiasts with Silvias, and they pull awesome shots. It's probably the best entry "prosumer" machine in existence!
- Polyisoprene 7y agoEither a Silva at home or Nespresso at the office has been my daily routine the last 8-9 years. I wouldn’t call the Silva expensive. Probably hard too find something cheaper that feels better, quality wise, than even a Nespresso-machine.
- FroshKiller 7y agoI didn't call it expensive, though. I said the people trying to buy one from us had too much money.
- detaro 7y agoSo what's the recommendation to get instead, if the Silvia is too expensive?
- sjwright 7y agoA teapot. If you can't do good coffee at home, best to keep it as a treat for when you're out.
- lostlogin 7y agoMy ordering would be: Stove top > Silvia > La Cimbali Junior > La Marzocco Linea Mini.
- detaro 7y agoParent categorized people looking at a Silvia as "having to much money", so I would hope they have a similarly good cheaper recommendation.
- FroshKiller 7y agoYes, not buying a home espresso machine.
- davidgould 7y agoBreville BES920 XL. Espresso machine done in a modern way. Dual boilers, three PID controlled heaters (boiler, steam boiler, grouphead). Makes excellent espresso with almost no fuss, very forgiving. You still need a good grinder with stepless control, but other than that it's super easy to dial in. This is my third machine and by far the best. I considered an E-61 machine, but that design dates back to the 1960s and controls temperature and extraction with pressure-stats, cams and rods and thermal mass. The Breville is a modern design in that it achieves these goals with micro-controllers, sensors and actuators. I don't know if it will last the 10 years my Ponte Vecchio spring lever did, but that took a lot of upkeep. The Breville has needed nothing for the two years I've had it so far.
- 7y ago
- defterGoose 7y ago"Too much money". My Silvia paid for itself vs. $5 coffee shop lattes in under a year.
- Grustaf 7y agoWhat makes you say that? You can get one for 2-300 euros and it will outlast you since you can replace every single part. I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest option available if you take a long term view.
- FroshKiller 7y agoAt the time, you would not have found a Silvia for that price, even used. And we did not sell used Silvias in any case.
- mwexler 7y agoI've always wondered what was in my rocky. This was great to see...
- lostlogin 7y agoOpen it and clean it and it transforms things. They get pretty gross inside. Mine seemed to need tightening periodically or the grind would be too coarse.
- carlob 7y agoI'm from Italy and it's the first time I see this brand. Anyone could explain why it costs an order of magnitude more than a Delonghi with similar specs?
- cylinder 7y agoAgree with this sentiment. This machine gets a lot of internet hype. I thought I would buy one but then I got a a Breville Bambino and grinder for half the cost of the Silvia and it takes up half the space and looks nicer. Couldn't be happier.
- convivialdingo 7y agoThe cheaper espresso machines have reliability problems, so people spend more to get a better product. The ability to modify and repair the machines is helpful also. It's more like a hobby than just a coffee maker for some people.
- bubblethink 7y agoIt used to be good and cheap (relatively), which is why it became popular. And then the prices went up (by 2-3x) in the last few years.
- moby_click 7y agoI'm not familiar with Rancilio, but it looks like the Silvia uses a group head that is at least compatible with ther professional machines. That gives access to a huge range of parts like filter baskets, tampers and also easy access to replacement parts like gaskets. I inherited a consumer DeLonghi, that basically looks like most of their espresso machines and it's nothing like a professional machine. They use dual wall instead of single wall filter baskets, the steam wand differs a lot and my machine shoots a couple of jets of water into the coffee, preventing even extraction. I did however happen to find beans that got decent results on that machine, so it's not like there's a strict total order of quality that leads to a one dimensional result. Professional machines are much more pleasant to work with, though.
- lostlogin 7y ago
- nathanvanfleet 7y agoVery random that this made it to the front page. There are a lot more interesting espresso restorations out there. http://www.espresso-restorations.com/GS.html http://www.espresso-restorations.com/GS.html
- readingnews 7y agoAgreed. Check out homebarista or coffeegeek for some hardcore and interesting restorations. My first thought was, wow, a Mrs. Silvia can not even be old enough for a restoration yet. How about a 1950s Faema?
- criddell 7y agoI have an E61-based machine that feels like it's at the end of its life. I think the cam and push-rods are so worn down that the valves aren't opening fully anymore. I wish there were more resources dedicated to fixing stuff like this because it feels terrible to throw it away and buy a new one (especially when a new one is $1500 or more).
- alfiedotwtf 7y agoYou could always send it off for maintenance. Way cheaper than buying a new machine. E61 machines are built like tanks, and should last generations with maintenance.
- markmark 7y agoThe pushrods in the e61 grouphead are easily replaceable parts that are expected to be replaced as part of maintenance, as is the cam. The only complexity is that "e61" covers a bunch of groupheads from different manufacturers that require slightly different lengths, so you need to get the right ones for your exact machine. Here is one guide http://coffeetimex.wikidot.com/e61-group-servicing http://coffeetimex.wikidot.com/e61-group-servicing but there are also videos on youtube.
- criddell 7y ago> you need to get the right ones for your exact machine That's my problem. I have a Nuovo Era Cuadra and it was never a very popular machine.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- ereyes01 7y agoNice work to OP. There's so many super high quality espresso machines out there that will outlive me. When one of those classic machines is paired with a quality grinder and fresh beans, you will be brewing coffee better than many coffee shops (especially the chains). Around 5 years ago I restored a La Pavoni Europiccola manual lever espresso machine to working order. I bought it off of a "parts only" ebay listing for $200. It turns out it just needed new grouphead and base gaskets, some rustoleum, and some simple electrical work (new power switch and thermostat). After getting over the initial learning curve, this machine has consistently given me some amazing espresso shots, all while on a tight budget. If you're interested in seeing more of these kinds of restorations, check out these videos from the Orphan Espresso guy, who is incredibly skilled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Ymz8YJpcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Ymz8YJpcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k-08sVlPw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_k-08sVlPw
- peatmoss 7y agoLa Pavoni Europiccola is a great machine. I have a modern one (I didn’t feel like restoring a classic one), but it’s still great. I have replaced the factory steam nut with a single hole end that I made myself, but otherwise my machine is stock. I love espressos, machiattos, lattes and have gotten to the point where I’m consistently producing both espresso and lattes (with art!) that I prefer to many reasonably good coffee shops. It took me some time to learn the machine and how espresso works, but I got to geek out in the process. Highly recommended for people who are more interested in the journey than the destination.
- 11thEarlOfMar 7y agoI got my first taste of manually-pulled espresso at Bright Coffee in Monterey. It was fantastic, but I could never be sure if it was induced by watching the barista pull the shot, or if the flavor was in fact better. I've had my mind made up to get a manual pull since then, and found a hand-made brand that looks promising. I'll be saving for a while: https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html
- sjwright 7y ago
- wired8 7y agoI've had one of these machines for ~10years and she's still going strong. Combined with a good grinder the RC makes great coffee. The design is simple but elegant and the end result very satisfying.
- OJFord 7y agoThis is exactly why I bought one: there's no shortage of people with old ones.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- sshanky 7y agoI have two Saeco Vienna Plus machines. These have what appears to be a pretty decent grinder built in. The machine brews a decent shot, but the electronics are probably not very precise (who knows the temperature, and the brew length is controlled by a basic potentiometer that seems inconsistent). ]I wonder if these are good candidates for some interesting hacks...Does anyone have any experience with these? I'd love to get a Silvia but I like the idea of the built in grinder.
- lvs 7y agoNo big hacks, but I've brought a couple of those Saeco superautomatics back from the dead. One of them had a crazy power fault that caused the dosing solenoid to emit a very loud and scary buzz as soon as I gave it power. It was so jarring that the first time I heard it, I thought I was somehow electrocuting myself. Traced it down to a bad triac on the controller board. 58 cents from Arrow. I've always liked these, but if I were to hack one up, I'd probably want to see if I can achieve higher pressures. It has a really narrow regime of operation, and it doesn't quite achieve a high enough pressure to operate with true espresso fine grind. You have to set it to a slightly coarser grind, and the result is that it makes a fairly weak shot. But it does so with great consistency. Definitely don't buy the newer Saecos with the BMW design bullshit. They are choc full o' nutty sensors and control circuits that make me very angry. (Too many faulty sensors is a BMW specialty.)
- snowwindwaves 7y agoI've been using one for 3 shots daily for 5 years. Paid $150 cad for it used when it was 8 years old. Had a proper service done once. It is leaking quite badly now, time to crack it open and find out where from! I agree with other poster that if the grind is too fine it doesn't have the pressure to get water through it. To be fair a super fine grind and packing a shot in to the stove top unit also results in a lot of steam coming out the safety pressure release valve.
- lostlogin 7y agoTry a different roast too if you haven’t already. Really dark ones seem to clog up more. I like dark roasts and lots of crema and became expert at clogging the machine.
- dluan 7y agoHah - I just yesterday spent an hour disassembling my Pasquini Livietta to figure out what was wrong with it. Replaced the group head seal and now the thing seems to be happy again. The thing is surprisingly trusty as long as you take care of it, and I had a thought that I bet I could keep it running until I can pass it down to my kids.
- javiramos 7y agoHi OP! You should consider 3D printing the grouphead plastic cover!
- audiometry 7y agoFunny to see that the problem was a faulty switch. My own Rancilio Classe 6 has had at least two different switches spontaneously short/blow out. Electro-mechanical switches are like 1930's technology...is Rancilio pushing the make-it-cheaply effort 5% too hard?
- lostlogin 7y agoI think it’s the use they get. An early one would be 20+ by now I think. Similar age grinders from Mazzer also seem to burn out their switches. This suites me fine as they then get sold as having burnt out motors, which I don’t doubt can happen, but I’m yet to see it and have bought several dead. Repair, respray and then they usually just sit in a line for months as I like them too much.
- beenBoutIT 7y agoAnyone know of any good places outside of eBay for getting ahold of less expensive fixer-uppers?
- dannylandau 7y agoI have a used Rancilio Silva that's in fair condition, and want to sell it, any ideas where and for how much?
- smueller1234 7y agoSingle data point: I sold my 2009 model in the Netherlands for 175EUR in late 2017. Original price when new was about twice that.
- OJFord 7y agoIf you want an easy option (a middleman) there are places selling second hand/refurbs, that presumably must buy used machines too. In case you're in the UK, http://www.myespresso.co.uk http://www.myespresso.co.uk. (I bought mine there new, but noticed they sell parts, refurbs, etc.)
- mikorym 7y agoWhere is the finished project pictures? It doesn't look like there are on the thread.
- CamouflagedKiwi 7y agoThey're on the second page, e.g. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=sxf3te&s=9 http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=sxf3te&s=9
- andy_ppp 7y agoI had one of these and it's built like a tank and produced amazing coffee. Sadly it couldn't come with me to Japan. Would definitely consider getting another one at some point in the future...
- david-cako 7y agoI did a PID mod on mine when I bought it around 5 years ago and love it. Built like a tank, and looks more commercial than similarly priced machines if that means anything to you.