📹 Rocket Espresso R58 V2: Flow Issues

Troubleshoot flow issues on the Rocket Espresso R58 V2.

Flow Issues

No Steam From Wand

• Check the brew function on the machine and see if water is able to flow through the machine for this function.
  • If the brew water is not flowing, refer to the “No Flow At All” section of this article.
  • If the brew water flows but is not hot, refer to the “On But Not Heating” section of this machine’s “Not Heating Or Powering On”  article.
• Check the hot water function of the machine. If you are able to draw hot water then the steam boiler must be pressurizing and heating, because hot water is expelled from the machine by steam pressure.
• Check the steam gauge of the machine. Does it show pressure? Typical range for the steam gauge should be 1-1.2 Bar.
  1. 1. First unplug the machine, let it cool off, and then remove the casing.
     2. The high limit switch can be found on the steam boiler on the right hand side of the machine once the casing is removed. An example of this can be found in the video below.
     3. To reset the high limit switch press on the red reset button in the center of the high limit switch several times.

High Limit Reset Instructions

• If the gauge is within the 1-1.2 Bar range, then the steam wand is likely blocked.
  • Remove the tip from the steam wand and test the flow. If flow is restored then the tip needs to be cleaned and reattached.
  • If the flow is still blocked, then there may be a blockage in the steam wand itself. Clean the wand by using a pipe brush that has synthetic or plastic bristles; metal bristles can damage the wand. Then soak the wand in a solution of hot water and backflushing powder for 10 minutes. Test flow again.
  • If there still isn't flow, then there may be a blockage farther back in the steam circuit. The machine may need to be professionally cleaned to remove the blockage.

The video below shows how to diagnose an obstruction between the boiler and hot water or steam wand in an espresso machine. Symptoms of this problem are normal steam wand performance but no water output from the hot water wand or vice versa. This tutorial uses an ECM Synchronika dual boiler espresso machine. Procedure is similar for other dual boiler machines.

How To Diagnose Espresso Machine Hot Water or Steam System Obstructions

• If the gauge is not reaching 1-1.2 Bar, but it is pressurizing some, then the steam temperature setting on the PID may need to be adjusted.
  • Instructions for changing the PID settings can be found in this machine’s “Adjust the PID” article.
• If the gauge is sitting at zero, then the steam boiler is not building pressure for some reason.
  • If the machine is spewing a lot of steam from the top as it is heating up, then the vacuum relief valve may be stuck open. This valve is supposed to close once the machine produces enough steam pressure.
  • The high limit switch may be tripped. The high limit switch is an internal killswitch which prevents damage to the machine caused by power surges or the machine overheating.

Poor Or No Flow From Grouphead

If the steam/hot water for the machine is working fine then there is likely something causing a blockage or pressure issue in the brew circuit. Otherwise refer to the “No Flow At All” section of this article.

• If a water softener is attached to the inlet line of the machine, it may be preventing water from flowing. Please remove the softener and see if the flow improves.
• The grouphead is dirty and needs to be cleaned.

• Taking apart the grouphead for manual cleaning is the first step. This should be done on a monthly basis. The instructions can be found in the document attached at the end of this article.

• If cleaning the grouphead restores flow to the grouphead, the machine should be immediately backflushed to prevent further flow issues.

The video below explains how to backflush your espresso machine.

Maintaining Your Espresso Machine - Backflushing

• There might be a kinked, broken, or loose line somewhere in the machine. Remove the top of the machine and take a look inside to see if you see any obvious issues.
• There might be an issue with one of the internal valve assemblies, which may need to be cleaned or replaced.

Learn how to disassemble and clean an E61 brew group mushroom, jet and top valve and how to test your machine for flow to determine if cleaning is required in the video below.

How To Clean E61 Brew Group Mushroom, Jet and Top Valve

No Hot Water From Wand

• Check the brew function on the machine and see if water is able to flow through the machine for this function.
  • If the brew water is not flowing, refer to the “No Flow At All” section of this article.
  • If the brew water flows but is not hot, refer to the “On But Not Heating” section of this machine’s “Not Heating Or Powering On”  article.
• Check the steam function of the machine. If you are able to steam then the hot water circuit must be heating and pressuring, since these functions share the same boiler, and hot water is expelled by steam pressure.
• Check the steam gauge of the machine. Does it show pressure? Typical range for the steam gauge should be 1-1.2 Bar.
• If the gauge is within the 1-1.2 Bar range, then the hot water wand is likely blocked.
  1. 1. Remove the tip from the hot water wand and test the flow. If flow is restored then the tip needs to be cleaned and reattached.
     2. If the flow is still blocked, then there may be a blockage in the hot water wand itself. Clean the wand by using a pipe brush that has synthetic or plastic bristles; metal bristles can damage the wand. Then soak the wand in a solution of hot water and backflushing powder for ten minutes. Test flow again.
     3. If there still isn't flow, then there may be a blockage farther back in the steam circuit. The machine may need to be professionally cleaned to remove the blockage.

The video below shows how to diagnose an obstruction between the boiler and hot water or steam wand in an espresso machine. Symptoms of this problem are normal steam wand performance but no water output from the hot water wand or vice versa. This tutorial uses an ECM Synchronika dual boiler espresso machine. Procedure is similar for other dual boiler machines.

How To Diagnose Espresso Machine Hot Water or Steam System Obstructions

• • If the gauge is not reaching 1-1.2 Bar, but it is pressurizing some, then the steam temperature setting on the PID may need to be adjusted. Instructions for changing the PID settings can be found in this machine's "Adjust the PID" article.
  • If the gauge is sitting at zero, then the steam boiler is not building pressure for some reason.
    • If the machine is spewing a lot of steam from the top as it is heating up then the vacuum relief valve may be stuck open. This valve is supposed to close once the machine produces enough steam pressure.
    • The high limit switch may be tripped. The high limit switch is an internal killswitch which prevents damage to the machine caused by power surges or the machine overheating.

No Flow At All

• If the machine is set to the plumbed mode:
  1. 1. First try switching to the reservoir mode temporarily and see if it resolves the issue. If this resolves the flow issue, then the issue is specific to the inlet plumb line, and you should go to the next step. 
     2. Return the machine to plumb mode. The next thing to check is to see if we can isolate where the flow issue is occurring for the plumb line. Try putting the plumb line hosing into an external bucket or container filled with water and see if the machine will draw water from this source. If it can't, then there may be a blockage somewhere in the plumb line itself.
     3. If you are able to draw water from the plumb line, then there may be an issue with the plumbing supplying this line.
• If the machine is set to use the reservoir:
  • If the pump does not sound like it is activating:
    • Check to make sure the water tank is filled, and the machine isn't indicating that the water tank is empty.
      1. 1. If the tank is empty, refill it.
         2. If the tank is full, but the machine thinks the water tank is empty then the tank may not be seated correctly. Make sure there isn't anything blocking the tank from sitting flush inside the machine.
    • Remove the cover of the machine and check for any loose or disconnected wires.
    • Make sure there aren't any kinked or pinched hoses.
    • There may be an issue with the water tank sensor. The tank's level sensor is not compatible with reverse osmosis or zero waters because of their lack of mineral content. The sensor depends on minerals being in the water to pass an electrical signal which tells the machine that water is present in the tank. Waters that don't have enough mineral content will not be able to pass this electrical signal, so the machine will not think water is present.
    • There may be an issue with the pump powering on.
  • If the pump does sound like it is activating:
    • Check the water tank to make sure it is filled, sitting flush, and properly inserted into the socket.
    • Open up the machine. Make sure there aren't any kinked or pinched hoses anywhere.
    • There may be a stuck valve inside the machine.