If your Nespresso maker is not working, without making any noise or turning on its lights, there’s no need to worry too much. Although it requires opening the coffee maker, solving the problem with your Nespresso is usually simpler than it seems. You can find more information on troubleshooting your Nespresso here.
Generally, this issue is due to one of two main causes: a problem with the electrical connection to the control board or damage to the board itself. If it’s an electrical failure, you’ll most likely need to replace a thermal fuse. If the issue lies with the control board, you’ll need to replace the entire board.
Causes for a Nespresso maker not working
❓ Remember, this article is about coffee makers that do not work (nothing turns on). If your case is different, you should check out this other article: Nespresso maker doesn’t dispense coffee.
When a Nespresso maker doesn’t turn on, the problem often lies in its main component: the power control board (PCB). This board serves three key functions:
- Regulates and distributes electricity to maintain stable current and voltage.
- Acts as a safety system, preventing damage to the machine or the user in case of critical component failures like the thermostat.
- Includes a microchip that stores useful data for normal operation, such as the number of coffees brewed or descaling procedures.
The importance of the control board is evident in several aspects. For example, without it, the lights on the Nespresso would flicker, and the water pump would not work uniformly, accelerating component wear since the current would not be stable.
Furthermore, this board is vital for detecting and responding to safety failures. For instance, if the thermostat doesn’t function correctly, the board will deactivate the coffee maker to prevent overheating and the risks of fire or burns.
Finally, the microchip on the control board records essential information to personalize and enhance the user experience. Therefore, if the control board is damaged or not receiving the proper power supply, your Nespresso maker is likely to fail or not turn on at all, underscoring its role as the ‘brain’ of the machine.
Cause 1: Disruption in the power supply circuit to the control board
This situation is relatively favorable since the problem is due to an interruption in the circuit that goes from the plug to the control board, preventing the current and electrical voltage from reaching their destination.
In my many years of repairing Nespresso makers, I have found that this cause is responsible for approximately one-third of cases where coffee makers do not work. And in 99% of these situations, the culprits are the thermal fuses.
Thermal fuses are special devices that activate due to excess temperature, not overcurrent. They fuse at temperatures of up to 240°C, much higher than the 105°C at which a standard thermostat opens the heating element circuit.
These fuses are located next to the thermoblock, so if a thermal fuse fuses, it indicates that the thermostat has failed to interrupt the circuit at the right temperature.
To check if a thermal fuse is operational or not, use a multimeter to measure its continuity. If the multimeter shows continuity, it means the fuse is in good condition. However, if it doesn’t detect continuity, it indicates the fuse has blown.
If you discover a blown thermal fuse, keep in mind that replacing it may not be a definitive solution. If it blows again quickly, you may need to change the entire thermoblock, which includes the thermostat. This replacement can cost between 30 and 40 dollars, a considerably higher amount than the price of a fuse, which ranges between 1 and 2 dollars.
Cause 2: Failure in the control board itself
If after checking continuity throughout the power supply circuit leading to the control board and finding everything in order, the problem likely resides in the control board itself. It may have been damaged due to overvoltage or an internal short circuit, common occurrences due to the extreme humidity and temperature conditions it operates under.
To replace it, simply note down the specifications of the old board and get a new one to install in its place:
Based on my experience, once the control board is replaced, the coffee maker usually works without issues for quite some time. These boards typically have a shorter lifecycle unrelated to other types of failures. The cost of a new control board is around $30.
Conclusion
As you can see, even though it may initially seem that a failure in your Nespresso maker is serious, it is often a manageable problem that can be resolved by replacing the affected component. After this repair, your Nespresso should work like new.
From my experience, the most challenging part of this entire process is disassembling the coffee maker, rather than diagnosing or changing the damaged parts. With a bit of patience and care, I’m confident you’ll handle the task efficiently.
