Rancilio Silvia Pro X Black Espresso Machine

Press and hold the - and + buttons together for 3 seconds. In the menu, scroll with - and + and confirm with the coffee button.

• t1 and t2: coffee temperature and steam boiler temperature.
• F.08: soft infusion, from 2 to 6 seconds.
• F.02: automatic wake-up, up to 24 hours ahead; you set it each time.
• F.05: automatic shut-down, after 30 minutes of no use by default; you can extend it to up to 2 hours or switch it off.
• F.01 group cleaning, F.03 and F.04 emptying the coffee boiler and the steam boiler, F.06 °C or °F.

• H2O: there is no water in the reservoir. Fill it; if it is already full, check that the tubes are in the water and not floating, and that the vacuum trap is fitted in its place.
• 1St: it is the first start-up and the machine is filling its boilers. Wait until it has finished.
• Display off but main switch on: the machine is on standby. Press the coffee, hot water or steam button.
• No steam or hot water: the steam boiler is switched on with the steam button, and the machine remembers if you had switched it off. Press it: when the light stops flashing and stays on, it is ready.
• CL and a number: this is not an error, these are the steps of the group cleaning (F.01), described on pages 22 and 23 of the manual.

Codes E01 to E09 concern boiler filling, heating and temperature probes: switch the machine off at the main switch, unplug it and write to us.

H2O means there is no water in the reservoir. If the reservoir is full, check that everything is positioned correctly: the tubes must be inserted in the reservoir and not floating, and the vacuum trap must be fitted in its dedicated space inside the reservoir, as shown in the figure for step 3 of the machine set up and first start-up in the manual. Fill the reservoir without going over the maximum level.

On first start-up the machine fills both boilers by itself (1St on the display): wait until it has finished before brewing.

The right water has a carbonate hardness of about 5 °dKH, 9 °fKH or 89 ppm: if these values are not met, it recommends a suitable filtering system. You can ask your water supplier for the hardness or measure it with a test. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) guidelines point the same way: clean, odour-free water with a low but not zero mineral content.

The box includes a BWT softener sachet: it goes into the full reservoir at first start-up and needs 8 hours to work before you use the water. Check on the softener package how many litres it lasts, so you know when to replace it.

It depends on how much you use it, but as a rule:

• after every espresso run a little water through the group (flush): it clears coffee residue from the shower screen;
• every day backflush with the blind filter and water only;
• every 1-2 weeks, more often if you use it a lot, backflush with espresso machine detergent.

Do not overdo the detergent: even in small amounts, over time it strips the grease from the gaskets and O-rings and dries them out.

For the blind filter clean the Silvia Pro X has a dedicated cycle in the menu (F.01).

With this routine and good quality water, the machine does not need descaling.

No. If you use the right water and keep up the routine (a flush after every coffee, a daily backflush with water and one with detergent every 1-2 weeks), descaling is not needed.

It is designed for household use: coffee, steam and hot water at home. For a café or an office making many coffees a day, one after another, we recommend a professional machine: write to us and we will help you choose.

The one that matches the mains in your home. The 220 V version is for 220-240 V mains, the voltage in most of the world, Europe included; the 110 V version is for low-voltage mains, such as North America's.

Frequency matters too: the 220-240 V Silvia Pro X works on 50 and 60 Hz, while the low-voltage one is 120 V and 60 Hz only. If your mains is low voltage but 50 Hz, write to us before ordering.