It’s been 8 years since Cecotec first launched its coffee maker models for sale, more than enough time for issues and other concerns to arise regarding the maintenance and care of these coffee makers.
And although Cecotec manufactures high-quality coffee makers, even the youngest ones are not immune to operational issues. In this guide, we’ll explore the potential problems we may encounter depending on the type of Cecotec coffee maker we purchase.
First and foremost, I must remind you to make use of your coffee maker’s warranty before even considering disassembling the machine. Cecotec offers up to 3 years of warranty on each of its models, and although Cecotec’s technical service may not be the best in the world, it is advisable to file a claim as soon as possible.
➡️ Also, don’t forget to download the user manual for your Cecotec maker.
Issues with Cecotec Matic-Ccino makers
Cecotec Matic-Ccino coffee makers, also known as mega automatic, are high-end coffee makers, capable of grinding beans just at the moment we want to enjoy our coffee. Additionally, we can get milk-based drinks automatically and personalized with just the touch of a button.
Issue 1. The coffee maker dispenses a lot of water before preparing the coffee
Actually, this is not a defect of the machine, but an internal self-cleaning configuration of the internal circuits. Whenever we’re about to prepare a new coffee, the machine will dispense about 200 ml through the spout, so it’s advisable to always have a cup to collect this dirty water.
You could do without the cup and let the water fall into the tray, but then you would have to empty the tray more often, which is more complicated to remove.
Can this self-cleaning option be deactivated? The answer is no, at least not from the coffee settings. Furthermore, it’s not advisable to deactivate it, as this self-cleaning prevents the machine from getting clogged in the water ducts.
I’m afraid you’ll have to accept that you’ll always have a cup under the spout and that you’ll have to refill the water tank frequently. The other alternative is to purchase a more advanced coffee maker like this Philips Series 5400.
Issue 2. The coffee grounds container fills with water
If you notice a mixture of coffee grounds and water when removing the coffee grounds container, don’t be alarmed; it’s normal in Cecotec’s mega automatic coffee makers. Saying it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s ideal, as this complicates disposing of the coffee residues properly, besides making the inside of the coffee maker very messy.
It is not recommended to pour this mixture down the drain; ideally, you should strain the mixture with a strainer or a paper filter and dispose of the grounds along with organic waste and water down the sink. Of course, this requires time, and if you use paper filters, it also incurs an additional cost.
Remember to clean and dry both the grounds container and the inside of the coffee maker at least once a week to prevent the growth of fungi and mold.
Issue 3. The coffee maker gets dirty inside with water and coffee grounds
Linked to the previous section and located in the same compartment of the coffee maker is the coffee preparation assembly, which is a real mess in terms of cleanliness.
In the coffee preparation process, the beans are ground and fall into a cylindrical compartment, then the coffee is compacted with a piston that also injects water, and finally, the grounds go to the grounds container.
In an ideal process, nothing would get dirty; however, when the coffee is ground, not all of it falls into the cylindrical compartment, and much ground coffee falls outside.
When compacting and injecting water, not all the water goes towards the coffee, but a lot splashes on the outside, and finally, when sending the grounds to the collection container, not everything falls there correctly. Thus, the inside of the coffee maker gets too dirty again.
Issue 4. Watered-down coffees or no coffee at all
Problems have been reported with mega automatic coffee makers where the coffees come out watery or nothing comes out at all, no matter how much you change the settings. When this problem arises, there is no way to solve it.
➡️ If your mega automatic coffee maker is still under warranty, contact the technical service to perform a reset and a software update.
The entire process of sending the machine to Cecotec, updating the software, and returning it to the user can take up to three weeks, so be prepared to return to instant coffee for a while. It’s a pity there’s no reset button; that way, we could avoid many configuration problems.
Issue 5. Coffee maker does not turn on
When Cecotec’s mega automatic coffee makers don’t turn on completely or stay with a black screen and we can’t serve coffee or perform any other function, we’re facing a more serious problem that affects the coffee maker’s power supply or control board.
Most startup problems with any coffee maker brand are usually due to faulty capacitors or blown thermal fuses, as these components are essential for regulating the electrical power passing through the coffee maker.
In the case of Cecotec’s mega automatic coffee makers, no cases have been reported of this happening outside the warranty period, which is currently 3 years, so users have not needed to replace these capacitors themselves.
Problems with Cecotec Cafelizzia espresso machines
Now we are going to address the main problems affecting the most classic and older Cecotec espresso machines, the models that use filter holder and ground coffee. The Cafelizzia coffee machines are beautiful in appearance, but they are not exempt from operational issues.
Problem 1. The Cecotec Cafelizzia machine overheats and stops working
One of the most classic problems with Cafelizzia machines is overheating of the machine after preparing a coffee and frothing some milk. The machine allows you to prepare one or several coffees in a row without a problem. However, when you use the milk frother, the machine overheats and does not allow you to prepare more coffees until after a few minutes.
This is because the coffee machine does not use two thermoblocks, but only one. Normally, coffee machines with a steam wand use independent water heating units for milk and coffee since each liquid requires different temperatures for coffee brewing and frothing.
When we finish evaporating water to heat milk, we have increased the temperature of the thermoblock a lot, so if the coffee machine allowed us to make coffee at that moment, it would come out evaporated instead of hot.
Always leave milk frothing for the end whenever you are going to prepare several coffees, as this is not a flaw in the coffee machine but in its design.
Problem 2. The Cecotec Cafelizzia machine does not heat the coffee
This situation is closely related to the previous one. It is due to the problem of using a single thermoblock for two different tasks such as coffee brewing and milk frothing. Apparently, the thermoblock thermostat is set at a lower temperature than it should be to prevent overheating in the coffee machine.
To achieve coffees with a higher temperature, it is recommended to use the steam wand for a couple of minutes before preparing the coffee. This way, we will increase the temperature of the thermoblock and therefore that of our coffees, without the coffee machine stopping altogether.
Problem 3. Internal explosion in the Cecotec Cafelizzia
It seems like a classic to hear a small “explosion” inside many household appliances, and of course, coffee machines were not going to be an exception. These explosions usually occur on the control board when an electrolytic capacitor short circuits and explodes as in this example:
If your Cecotec coffee machine is still under warranty, try to get it repaired under warranty. If you could no longer rely on the warranty, you should disassemble the machine and locate the faulty capacitor and replace it with a new one.
Note: This work is quite delicate, so if you do not have experience in replacing electronic components, it is best to take it to an appliance repair center.
Problem 4. The filter holder of the Cafelizzia does not fit well
The problem of the filter holder fit combined with the low quality of the materials it is made of make it one of the weakest points of this coffee machine. While all brands and models of arm coffee machines should fit tightly, certain units of the Cafelizzia are defective in this regard.
To solve this problem, we recommend that you put the filter holder in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes until it has cooled down a lot. Then proceed to simulate serving coffee several times so that the machine group heats up as much as we can. Once we have the cold (contracted) filter holder and the hot (expanded) group, adjust and loosen the filter holder in the group several times and repeat the process for several days.
By doing this exercise, we will manage to reduce a few microns the filter holder and increase the group by as many, which is necessary to achieve a proper fit in the future.
Problem 5. Water leakage from the Cecotec Cafelizzia machine
The first thing you should do is narrow down the problem of water leakage, observing if the water comes from the coffee output group or from the base of the machine.
In the case that the water is observed in the base of the coffee machine, the problem is linked to the water tank and the circuits up to the pump inlet, as there is probably a loose or broken pipe or rubber seal.
When water drips from the coffee group, it could also be a broken or misplaced rubber seal. In the best case, it could be a dirt problem, which is solved with descaling.
Problems with the Cecotec express power espresso 20 machine
When talking about faults with the Power Espresso 20, we are being a little unfair to this model, as it actually presents only one fault, but what a great fault! We are talking about the milk frother, which stops working after a few months.
As we mentioned in the case of the Cafelizzia, the Power Espresso 20 has serious problems with water heating and the separation between hot water for coffee and steam for milk. As we said in the previous case, this is more a design flaw than a breakdown, so it is best to use the warranty and request a replacement for the machine.
Problems with the Cecotec Cumbia Capricciosa machine
To close our guide on faults and problems with Cecotec coffee machines, we did not want to finish without mentioning a common fault in Cecotec Capricciosa coffee machines. This problem is related to the removable coffee filter for ground coffee or ESE coffee pods; over time, as this plastic component heats up and cools down, it ends up expanding, making it very difficult to extract.
The best solution to this problem is to replace the filter with a spare one; however, this will not be easy to achieve. You can spend hours searching the internet without achieving the desired new filter, but even if you succeed, the fault may reappear after a few months of use.
It could also be that if you used a lot of ground coffee, it got stuck, so try using less coffee in the future to see if the problem is solved.
