Breville Barista Pro LCD Display Errors? 6 Fixes (BES878)

Every Word the Barista Pro's LCD Can Show

The Breville Barista Pro (BES878) has one true error message: Er, which Breville's book says means contacting Consumer Support. Everything else on the LCD is a prompt. FILL TANK wants water, LOCK HOPPER wants the hopper turned into place, FLUSH and DESCALE are maintenance alerts, and PAUSED means you pressed the portafilter mid-grind.

The book prints the full set of display words on one icon panel: PRE-INFUSE, SHOT, STEAM, SEC, AMOUNT, MANUAL, PAUSED, HOT WATER, FLUSH, RESET DEFAULTS, DESCALE, IN PROGRESS, FILL TANK, GRIND, SINGLE/DOUBLE, LOCK HOPPER, GRIND SIZE, SHOT TEMP, FASTER/SLOWER POUR, CUSTOM, HOTTER/COOLER. That panel has no "TEMP" warning, no "PURGE" prompt and no contrast setting. The fixes below follow the words the book actually prints.

---

Try This First

• Write down the exact word or icon that's lit.
• Blank screen? Press POWER. The machine turns itself off after 30 minutes without use.
• Push the tank down until it locks, with water above MIN.
• Turn the hopper dial to lock the hopper.
• Went dark mid-use? Switch off, unplug and wait 30-60 minutes (Fix 5).

---

What the Screen Is Telling You

---

Fix 1: Clear FILL TANK (Works About 30% of the Time)

FILL TANK appears on the LCD's icon set, and the book's matching troubleshooting row is "water doesn't come through (the machine makes loud noise)": the tank is empty or below MIN. A tank that isn't fully pushed down also stops water reaching the group head.

1. Lift the tank off by its handle.
2. Check the water filter is clicked into its holder.
3. Fill with fresh, cold tap water to just below MAX.
4. Refit the tank and press it down until it's seated and locked.

Time: 2 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 30%
Difficulty: Easy

Breville says not to use highly filtered, demineralized or distilled water in this machine, and to replace the water daily.

---

Fix 2: Lock the Hopper (Works About 20% of the Time)

LOCK HOPPER is the Pro's version of the Barista Express's flashing FILTER SIZE lights: the bean hopper isn't turned fully into its locked position.

1. Lift the hopper slightly and check for beans or debris on the collar.
2. Seat it back on top of the grinder.
3. Turn the dial to lock it in place.
4. If grinding still fails with the hopper locked, see our Breville grinder guide for the chute and burr cleaning steps.

Time: 1 minute
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 20%
Difficulty: Easy

---

Fix 3: Run FLUSH or DESCALE (Works About 25% of the Time)

These two words are reminders, not faults, and the book keeps them separate. FLUSH is the back-flush cleaning cycle with a tablet. DESCALE removes mineral scale.

A brand-new machine showing FLUSH is running its first use cycle. Press 1 CUP and let the countdown finish. Breville says it "rinses the machine and primes the heating system".

FLUSH:

1. Cleaning disc in the basket, a cleaning tablet on top, and the portafilter locked in.
2. Empty the drip tray; fill the tank to MAX.
3. MENU → turn the GRIND AMOUNT dial to FLUSH → press the dial → press 1 CUP.
4. When it beeps back to READY, check the tablet is gone; repeat if not.

DESCALE:

1. Empty the drip tray. Remove the water filter from the tank.
2. Fill to the DESCALE line and add descaler.
3. MENU → DESCALE → press 1 CUP.
4. Turn the steam dial to HOT WATER and STEAM when the LCD indicates. It runs three stages and beeps after each.
5. Refill to MAX and press 1 CUP for the three-stage rinse.

Time: 5 minutes (FLUSH); 30-40 minutes (DESCALE)
Cost: Cleaning tablets; Breville descaler
Success Rate: About 25%
Difficulty: Easy

Full steps are in our Barista Pro descaling guide.

---

Fix 4: Use RESET DEFAULTS When Settings Look Wrong (Works About 15% of the Time)

If shots suddenly pour a different volume, or the grind amount or SHOT TEMP isn't where you left it, the settings have changed. The menu has a reset for exactly this.

1. Press MENU.
2. Turn the GRIND AMOUNT dial to RESET DEFAULTS and select it.
3. The machine beeps. GRIND AMOUNT, FILTER SIZE, SHOT TEMP, 1 CUP and 2 CUP return to their defaults, and the machine goes back to READY.
4. Re-set your grind amount and shot volumes from there.

Time: 1 minute, plus re-dialing
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 15%
Difficulty: Easy

The defaults are a 9.5-second grind for a single basket, 13 seconds for a double, about 30 ml for 1 CUP and about 60 ml for 2 CUP. Grind size is a separate dial on the side and isn't affected.

---

Fix 5: Wake It, or Let the Thermal Cut-Out Reset (Works About 7% of the Time)

A blank LCD usually means one of two things. Either the machine switched itself off after 30 minutes unused, so press POWER. Or, if it stopped working mid-use, Breville's answer is a safety thermal cut-out from the pump or grinder overheating.

1. Press POWER to switch off, and unplug it.
2. Let it cool for about 30-60 minutes.
3. Plug in and switch on.
4. If it trips again, call Breville Support.

Time: 30-60 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 7%
Difficulty: Easy

---

Fix 6: Er on the LCD, Contact Breville (Works About 3% of the Time)

The book's Error Mode section is one line: "If your machine displays Er on the LCD, contact Breville Consumer Support." It gives no number after it, no meaning, and no reset. Before you call, note when it appears (at switch-on, while grinding, during a shot) and whether a full power-off clears it.

Breville Consumer Support: 1-866-BREVILLE (1-866-273-8455) in the U.S., 1-855-683-3535 in Canada.

Time: A phone call
Cost: Depends on warranty
Success Rate: About 3%
Difficulty: Easy

---

When DIY Won't Work

Stop and contact Breville if:

• Er keeps returning
• The thermal cut-out trips again after a full cool-down
• The LCD stays blank with the machine plugged into a working outlet and POWER pressed
• Parts of the display are missing or garbled. The book has no owner repair for the screen, and says not to open the machine.

---

Keep the Screen Quiet

• Run FLUSH and DESCALE when they appear, not weeks later.
• Change the water filter every 2 months, sooner in hard water. Breville says it reduces the need to descale.
• Lock the hopper every time you refit it after cleaning.
• Keep the tank topped up and locked down.

---

FAQ

What does Er mean on a Breville Barista Pro?

It means a fault the book doesn't explain further. Breville's only instruction is to contact Breville Consumer Support. The BES878 book prints no numbered error codes, so an "Er" followed by a number isn't something it decodes.

Does the Barista Pro have a firmware update or display settings?

Not in its instruction book. The menu items it describes are shot programming, SHOT TEMP, FLUSH, DESCALE and RESET DEFAULTS. Screen brightness and similar settings belong to the touch-screen Brevilles, such as the Barista Touch.

Why does my Barista Pro say PAUSED?

You pressed and released the portafilter while it was grinding. The LCD shows PAUSED for 15 seconds, then returns to READY. Press and release the portafilter again within that time to resume grinding.

What do FASTER POUR and SLOWER POUR mean?

They appear while you turn the grind size dial. A bar on the LCD shows whether the new setting will make the shot pour faster (coarser) or slower (finer). Flow should start after about 8-12 seconds, like warm honey.

---

Related Breville Guides

• Barista Pro Not Working?: no flow, drips and the thermal cut-out
• How to Descale a Barista Pro: the menu-driven cycle and rinse
• Breville Error Codes and Lights: every Breville model's alerts
• Breville Grinder Not Working?: hopper, chute and burrs

Sources: Breville Barista Pro BES878 Instruction Book.