Coffee machine repair

Coffee machine repair: leaks, no brewing, descaling

Updated 20 October 2026

Home and professional machines need a different approach

A bean-to-cup machine with a grinder, a capsule machine, a portafilter espresso machine and a professional machine for a café are different designs with different parts. A home machine makes a few cups a day, a professional one makes dozens. So the pump, boiler, hydraulics and grinder wear out faster in the professional one. For a café, downtime matters too, so a visit by the technician is often needed.

Say whether the machine is for home or commercial use, and how many cups a day it makes.

What to put in your request

• type of coffee machine — bean-to-cup, portafilter, capsule, professional;
• make and model — for example, DeLonghi Magnifica S;
• fault or service — leaking, no coffee coming out, noisy, not grinding, showing an error, needs descaling or cleaning;
• type of use — at home, in an office, in a café;
• visit or pickup — the technician comes to you, or you bring the machine to the service centre;
• city, time, warranty, budget.

Example: “DeLonghi Magnifica S bean-to-cup machine, used at home. It leaks from the bottom and sometimes does not give water. I need a check-up and descaling. Johannesburg, I can bring it myself, 2 days, 3-month warranty, budget up to R 410.”

Limescale, water and prevention

The biggest enemy of a coffee machine is limescale. It clogs the boiler and the tubes, lowers the pressure, spoils the taste of the coffee and sooner or later leads to breakdowns. Regular descaling, filtered water and cleaning the brew unit extend the machine’s life. If you do not remember when it was last serviced, tell the technician. It helps them find the cause of the fault faster. Hard water is common in many cities, so this matters.

The grinder is a topic of its own: jammed burrs, foreign objects among the beans, and oily roasts that clog the mechanism. State clearly if the problem is connected with it.

How to compare offers

• Is the diagnosis free, and is it included in the repair cost?
• What is in the price: labour, parts, cleaning, replacing seals?
• Does the technician work with your brand and have original parts?
• What is the warranty on the repair?
• For a café: response time, the option of a visit, and a replacement machine while yours is being repaired.

A common mistake is to clean with household products not meant for coffee machines. They can damage the seals or leave an aftertaste. There are special products for descaling.

How it works on BlaBlaPrice

You do not have to look up service centres by reviews and phone them. Create a request, and technicians reply in the chat with a price, or what it depends on, plus time. The request is checked before it is shown, and you see hints about what is missing. Technicians see where they stand among the other offers, so they often improve their terms, and reviews are shown alongside. Only the technician you choose gets your contacts. More in how it works.

For other kitchen appliances, see home appliance repair.