Synesso Technical Service: Checking Heating Elements

WARNING: The video depicts a service job intended for a trained service technician. Do not attempt this on a hot machine. Failure to turn off machine may result in severe injury! Unplug your machine before removing any body panels. Failure to cut power to the machine may result in high voltage shock or other severe injury! Any users performing this service should exercise extreme caution. If you have any questions regarding this service, please contact your distributor, a service professional, or Synesso, Inc.

Heating elements are integral to your machine’s temperature and pressure stability. It is important to check all elements’ Ohmage periodically to ensure they are functioning properly.

The Brew tank heating element range is 68 – 74 Ohms. The Steam tank heating element range in a 1-Group is 43 – 49 Ohms. In a 2-Group Steam tank, the range is 22 – 26 Ohms. In a 3-Group Steam tank, the range is 19 – 21 Ohms.

TIP: There are two separate loops on the steam tank heating element, making it two separate heating elements in each of the steam tanks.

To test it on the espresso machine, make sure your machine is off and unplugged. Using a multimeter, you can test between the top of the red wire connection (to the thermal overload switch) and the blue wire connection (to the heating element) and read the Ohms displayed.

Note: the same test can be used for a Brew tank element by testing the connection between the red wire (to the thermal overload switch) and the blue wire internally to the heating element.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If you test a heating element and you get no reading, that means the coil is broken internally and the element needs to be replaced.

If you test a heating element from between either loop post to ground (to the body of the element) and get any kind of reading, that means your element is contaminated with water internally, there has been a breach of the sheath of the element, and that element also needs to be replaced.

Acceptable Ohm ranges:

3 Group Steam Tank Element: 19-21 Ω

2 Group Steam Tank Element: 22-26 Ω

1 Group Steam Tank Element: 43-49 Ω

Brew Tank Element: 68-74 Ω