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Silvia PID Installation Guide
Step B14 – Troubleshooting common problems
Problem
1. The temperature
reading on the digital
controller is going
down instead of up.
2. The ready light on
Silvia is blinking on
and off every second.
3. My kitchen lights
are dimming when
Silvia's ready light is
blinking.
4. Digital controller is
on, but Silvia's ready
light is not on and
boiler is not heating up
5. Boiler is getting too
hot – temperature is
way over the set point
6. Silvia's pump is
"surging" with the
blinking of the ready
light
7. Temperature
displayed on digital
controller is oscillating
above and below set
point while Silvia is
"idling" between shots
8. I am getting a lot of
steam when I pull a
shot
9. Boiler is getting hot
all by itself. The steam
switch is off, Silvia's
ready light is off (or
dim), the LED
indicator on the
controller is off, but
Silvia keeps getting
hotter anyway.
Copyright © 2006, 2008 MLG Properties, LLC
Part B
Possible Causes
Thermocouple wires are
reversed at controller.
This is normal.
This is a result of the
current going through
Silvia's heater causing a
voltage drop due to the
resistance of your home
wiring.
Reversed DC control
wiring at the SSR or
failed SSR
Steam switch
inadvertently switched
on, or failed SSR.
Same as #3 above.
Pre-set tuning parameters
not good for your
machine, or noisy signal
from thermocouple wire
Digital controller set
point is too high for your
location.
Short to ground in your
heating element. It takes
a relatively small fault
current for this to happen.
(This has nothing to do
with the PID.)
Corrective Action
Connect red thermocouple wire to negative
terminal, blue wire to positive terminal.
None required. When the temperature is close to
the set point, the controller will cycle the heater on
and off to maintain the correct temperature.
Plug your espresso machine into a different outlet,
preferably one with larger wiring, one that is closer
(measured along the wiring) to your home's main
circuit box, or one that does not have any light
fixtures on it.
Check the control wiring at the SSR (red should go
to positive terminal 3, white to negative terminal 4).
Check to make sure indicator LED on digital
controller is on, or blinking, when temperature is
below set point. If so, then SSR may have failed in
"open" position.
TURN OFF THE MACHINE! Check and make
sure steam switch is off. After letting machine cool
for several hours, turn it back on briefly and see if
Silvia's ready light is ON at same time LED
indicator on digital controller is OFF. If so, then
SSR wiring is incorrect or SSR has failed in the
"closed" position.
If surging is negatively affecting water delivery,
turn on the steam switch immediately before pulling
shot. This should cause heater to come on and stay
on long enough to brew your shot. Remember to
turn off steam switch when done.
It is normal to see routine variations of +/- 1F, and
infrequent variations of 2F. If you see consistent,
frequent oscillations of 2F or more while idling,
then consult controller users' guide for autotuning
instructions. Contact us for further instructions if
this does not resolve the problem.
Lower the set point. The altitude, or elevation, at
your location will have an effect on the boiling
(steaming) point of water.
UNPLUG THE MACHINE! You may have a
failing heating element that is making electrical
contact with the brass boiler. This can be very
hazardous. If this is the situation, it should trip your
GFCI, but you cannot rely on this.
Version 96-2.04
Page B-12
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