Breville Not Heating Water? 5 Fixes That Work

Why Your Breville Coffee Isn't Hot Enough

Breville's troubleshooting tables all start "coffee not hot enough" in the same place: cups not pre-heated and a portafilter not pre-heated. On the Barista Express, Barista Pro and Dual Boiler, the next answer is to raise the brew temperature, which each has a setting for. The Barista Express table also lists descaling. Breville warns that a cold portafilter and basket "can reduce the extraction temperature enough to significantly affect the quality of your espresso".

If the machine won't heat at all, check whether it has simply gone to sleep, is still warming up (the POWER light flashes), or has stopped to cool itself after overheating.

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Quick Diagnosis: What Type of Heating Problem?

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Try This First

• Run hot water through the portafilter and basket, then wipe them dry.
• Warm your cup with water from the hot water outlet.
• Wait until the POWER light stops flashing before pulling a shot.
• Check when you last descaled, and whether the descale light or message is showing.

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Fix 1: Pre-Heat the Cup, Portafilter and Milk (Works About 35% of the Time)

This is the first row in every Breville "coffee not hot enough" table we read (Barista Express BES870, Barista Pro BES878, Bambino Plus BES500, Dual Boiler BES920, Oracle BES980).

1. Cups: rinse them under the hot water outlet and stand them on the cup warming tray if your machine has one.
2. Portafilter and basket: rinse them under the hot water outlet, then dry them thoroughly before dosing. On the Bambino Plus, this is the only cause Breville lists.
3. Milk: if the drink with milk is lukewarm, the milk wasn't heated enough. On the Barista Express, Breville's rule is to heat it "until the base of the jug becomes hot to touch"; on the Barista Pro, texture it for longer. On the Bambino Plus and Oracle, raise the milk temperature setting.

Time: 1 minute
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 35%
Difficulty: Easy

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Fix 2: Raise the Brew Temperature (Works About 25% of the Time)

Three of these machines let you set the shot temperature. Breville's troubleshooting tables say to increase it if the coffee isn't hot enough.

Barista Express (BES870): Advanced Temperature Mode. It adjusts the water temperature ±4 °F in 2 °F steps.

1. Press POWER to switch the machine off.
2. Press and hold PROGRAM, then press POWER. The machine beeps, and the lit button shows the current setting.
3. Within 5 seconds, press one button:

1. Two beeps confirm it. If you press nothing within 5 seconds, nothing changes.

Barista Pro (BES878): press MENU, turn the GRIND AMOUNT dial to SHOT TEMP and press it, turn the dial towards HOTTER, then press to confirm.

Dual Boiler (BES920): press MENU until SHOT TEMP flashes, then use the UP arrow. The default is 200 °F (93 °C) and the range is 190-205 °F (86-96 °C); Breville recommends 194-203 °F (90-95 °C). Press EXIT to set.

Bambino Plus (BES500): its book prints no shot-temperature setting, so pre-heating (Fix 1) is the documented fix.

Time: 2 minutes
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 25%
Difficulty: Easy

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Fix 3: Descale the Machine (Works About 18% of the Time)

The Barista Express table lists "machine needs to be descaled" as a cause of coffee not being hot enough. Follow your own model's descale procedure with Breville descaler:

• Barista Express (BES870): 1 Breville descaling sachet in 34 fl oz (1 L) of water. With the machine off, hold 2 CUP, then hold POWER at the same time. POWER flashes while it heats; when the lights are steady, it's ready to run the coffee, hot water and steam circuits.
• Barista Pro (BES878): remove the tank filter, fill to the DESCALE line with descaler, then MENU → DESCALE → 1 CUP. It runs three stages: coffee, hot water and steam.
• Bambino Plus (BES500): with the machine off, press 1 CUP + STEAM for about 5 seconds to enter descale mode. Use a 68 oz (2 L) container.

Our Breville descale light guide covers the full procedures and the alerts.

Time: One descale cycle
Cost: A Breville descaling sachet
Success Rate: About 18%
Difficulty: Easy

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Fix 4: Let It Reach Temperature, Wake It, or Let It Cool (Works About 14% of the Time)

Three normal states can look like "not heating":

• Still heating up. The POWER light flashes while the machine heats and goes steady when it's ready (Barista Express). On the Dual Boiler, a flashing temperature on the display means it's heating up or the temperature has dropped. Wait for it.
• Sleep mode (Barista Express). After 1 hour, the POWER light flashes slowly; after 3 hours, it switches to Auto Off. Press any button except POWER to wake it. You'll hear pumping while it re-heats, which is normal.
• Thermal cut-out. "Machine is on but ceases to operate" means the safety thermal cut-out may have activated because the pump or grinder overheated. Switch it off, unplug it, and let it cool for about 30-60 minutes. If it heats but no water comes through at all, see our Breville won't brew guide.

Time: A few minutes to 1 hour
Cost: Free
Success Rate: About 14%
Difficulty: Easy

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Fix 5: Contact Breville Support (Works About 8% of the Time)

If the coffee is still cold with pre-heated cups and portafilter, a raised temperature setting and a fresh descale, or if the thermal cut-out keeps tripping, contact Breville:

• US: 1-866-BREVILLE (1-866-273-8455)
• Canada: 1-855-683-3535

The instruction books give no owner procedure for testing or replacing the heating element or thermostat, so don't open the machine. If the Dual Boiler shows E1, E2 or E3, Breville calls it an error that can't be reset by the user: contact support.

Time: 15 minutes
Cost: Free under warranty
Success Rate: About 8%
Difficulty: Easy

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When DIY Won't Work

Unplug it and call Breville if the machine switches itself off repeatedly after cooling, shows an error on the display, or smells of burning. Breville books send any problem not solved by the table to Breville Consumer Support.

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Prevent Future Heating Problems

• Pre-heat the portafilter and cup before every shot, and dry the basket before dosing.
• Descale when the machine asks (the CLEAN/DESCALE light or the DESCALE message).
• Use cold, fresh water in the tank.
• Set your preferred shot temperature once on machines that have the setting.
• Give it a break during long runs so the thermal cut-out doesn't trip.

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FAQ

What temperature should my Breville espresso be?

Breville doesn't print a number for the Barista Express or Barista Pro, only "hotter" and "cooler" adjustments (±4 °F in 2 °F steps on the Express). The Dual Boiler defaults to 200 °F (93 °C), adjustable from 190-205 °F, with 194-203 °F recommended.

Why is my first shot cold but the second one hot?

The first shot warms a cold portafilter, basket and cup. Breville's first fix is to pre-heat them with hot water and dry the basket. The Barista Express also rests in sleep mode after an hour, so give it time to re-heat after waking.

How do I make my Breville Barista Express hotter?

Use Advanced Temperature Mode. Switch it off, hold PROGRAM, press POWER, then within 5 seconds press 2 CUP for +4 °F or 1 CUP for +2 °F. Two beeps confirm the change.

Can I change the temperature on a Bambino Plus?

Breville's Bambino Plus book prints no shot-temperature setting. You can set the milk temperature (Warm, Ideal, Hot). For espresso, pre-heat the portafilter, which is the only "not hot enough" cause its table lists.

How often should I descale my Breville?

When the machine tells you: a solid CLEAN/DESCALE light on the Barista Express, or the DESCALE message on the Barista Pro. Scale is one of the causes Breville lists for coffee not being hot enough.

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Related Breville Guides

• Breville Bambino Not Heating
• Breville Descale Light Won't Turn Off
• Breville Steam Wand Not Working
• Breville Espresso Error Codes

Sources: Breville instruction books for the Barista Express BES870, Barista Pro BES878, Bambino Plus BES500, Dual Boiler BES920 and Oracle BES980.