tommco Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2012 Posts: 8 Location: San Diego, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Rancilio Rocky
Posted Mon Mar 5, 2012, 11:38am Subject: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Several days ago, I posted about a problem I was having with my Silvia, and as I suspected, it turned out to be the pump. I wasn't able to find concise instructions on how to remove the pump; only general guidelines and no pics, and even though it wasn't too difficult, I kind of stumbled through it. I was able to rebuild the pump with some helpful instructions regarding a Starbucks Barista, but even that was a little different than my experience.
All in all, I was successful, but I was thinking it might be handy to have a concise, step by step tutorial of sorts, with pics, of how to replace or repair the pump, specifically on a Rancilio Silvia, if enough people were interested. If there already is one, please forgive me for my ignorance -- I searched and searched. For that reason, I wouldn't mind putting one together if the coffeegeek community felt that this was a worthy project. So, if anyone is interested, please reply here, and if more than one or two people are interested, then I will try to put something together.
eustachi Senior Member Joined: 20 May 2010 Posts: 8 Location: Dublin Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 10:04am Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Definitely interested as the pump on my Silvia is faulty, and from what I've seen online it's easy enough to dismantle and clean it.
For me it would be helpful to know what pre-requisites are involved, e.g. how to drain the water from the Silvia, and also how to repair the OPV as well.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,683 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 11:00am Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Silvia is a simple girl, she only asks for a little love and attention and she stays happy. Remove the cup warmer and water tank and nearly everything you need to get at for disassembly is open to you. A few screws and the case back is off, allowing you to access everything you need to see for the pump. A couple more screws and the front cover comes off after you remove the steam knob.
You might want to look at my rebuild thread for a peak inside, I did not do a step by step but once you see inside, you should not be quite so apprehensive about it.
There isn't much on disassembly but I do take a lot of pics going back together.
tommco Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2012 Posts: 8 Location: San Diego, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Rancilio Rocky
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 12:06pm Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Even though it is pretty straightforward, I know from my own experience that it's always nice when someone spells out the nuances/details of something like this. Problem is, my wife's due to have a baby in the next two weeks, so I'm not sure if/when I'll be able to get to it in the near future. I'll try to post something soon, but can't make any guarantees at this point! :-(
tommco Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2012 Posts: 8 Location: San Diego, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Rancilio Rocky
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 1:34pm Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
I'm pretty sure it's safe to take the tubes out of the water (being careful of course not to mix electricity with water), turn the machine on, and run the pump for about 10 seconds until you hear the noise change to more of a chattering noise. At least that's what I did, with no ill effects. I'm not a technician, so if it damages anything, please don't blame me!
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,683 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Mon Mar 26, 2012, 2:24pm Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Yes, remove the tubes from the water tank and remove the water tank from the machine, you should do this from time to time to wash it anyway.
On the other hand, there is no problem with water in the boiler when removing the pump, you might get a dribble from the disconnected tube but if you are ready for it, you should have no issues, just keep a towel handy to mop up the few oz of water that leaks out.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
tommco Senior Member Joined: 1 Mar 2012 Posts: 8 Location: San Diego, CA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rancilio Silvia Grinder: Rancilio Rocky
Posted Thu Nov 8, 2012, 12:38pm Subject: Re: Silvia Pump Repair and Replacement Tutorial
Thanks for posting Aerotec. That would've made my life a little easier a couple of months ago! I would simply add that someone may want to try rebuilding before replacing. I found instructions on how to rebuild an Ulka on a Starbucks Barista, which I then applied to the Ulka on my Silvia, and it was really quite simple. I soaked the parts in vinegar for a couple of hours, and behold, the pump was like new again. That, coupled with your instructions on replacement, and everyone should be good to go.
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