
I've always loved drinking espresso, but it's always been a restaurant or cafe activity until now. For whatever reason we've always had access to various types of Nespresso machines at home, at work and in hotels, and so my wife and I probably got brainwashed into believing that making real espresso should be left to the professionals. I also had a feeling (from the explosion of Instagram posts during Covid times) that a home barista setup would unlock the monster tinkerer inside me, so I consciously stayed away as best as I could.

Until my wife visited her sister's family in the US earlier this year, and tasted home made espresso and experienced the home barista workflow first hand.

We knew we had to move on from Nespresso - not only because even an average shot of espresso from a mediocre machine is far superior than any pod-based solution, but also because our built-in Miele Nespresso machine was on its way out, dying a slow death.

We spent the next couple of weeks researching, reading forums, following Reddit, and watching YouTube videos. We wanted a decent ([no pun intended](https://decentespresso.com)) machine and grinder, but did not want to shell out four digit figures before we knew what we were doing. We slowly gravitated to the second hand market, and I started focusing on the Rancilio Silvia, because:

- They are built like tanks!
- Design hasn't changed massively over the years, making spare parts and maintenance knowledge easy to find
- Better quality and more space for tinkering compared to its close competitor Gaggia Classic Pro

I found a listing on ebay for £250 - It was 14 years old, the boiler had been replaced 4 years ago, and the steam and hot water switches were working but the brew button was not dispensing water or building pressure. Hoping that I would be able to fix it myself, I pulled the trigger and went for it!

![Silvia front view](/assets/blog/rancilio-silvia-part-1/silvia-1.jpeg)

It was a V3, manufactured in December 2009:

![Silvia front view](/assets/blog/rancilio-silvia-part-1/silvia-4.jpeg)

V3 frames were made from steel, before they started using stainless steel on V4's - so there was a fair bit of rust and peeling paint on the black frame, with minor oxidation on the boiler:

![Silvia front view](/assets/blog/rancilio-silvia-part-1/silvia-2.jpeg)

![Silvia front view](/assets/blog/rancilio-silvia-part-1/silvia-3.jpeg)

I tested the hot water and steam switches, and they were working fine. As advertised, the brew switch did not dispense water and pressure did not build up. I suspected there was something wrong with the brew switch and the Ulka pump.

## Next up in Part 2

We will begin maintenance and get the machine operational before we start hacking away - continue reading [here](/posts/rancilio-silvia-part-2).


yetkin.io

Rancilio Silvia Part 1: Purchase