When switching ON your Dolce Gusto, the light flashes red while the machine heats up. It blinks for for 40 seconds before turning green when the coffee maker is ready. When the Dolce Gusto keeps flashing red without turning green, it signals a problem with the water temperature.
If you just made a lot of coffees, the light should come back green after sometime. When it doesn’t, follow our guide to identify the cause of your issue and fix your Dolce Gusto that flashes red.
If while fixing your Dolce Gusto it starts flashing another color, check our extensive guide on the Dolce Gusto flashing.
Try our coffee recipes once your Dolce Gusto is fixed!
Why is the light of my Dolce Gusto flashing red
First turn off the machine and make sure no capsule is stuck inside. If all is clear follow our troubleshooting guide to find the cause of the failure.
The boiler is faulty
The water is heated by the boiler, if this element is damaged water temperature doesn’t rise and the Dolce Gusto keeps blinking red. The repair instructions for testing and replacement of the resistor/boiler are below.
The temperature probe is damaged
The probe signals to the electronic card when the water is at the correct temperature to make coffee. When it is faulty the electronic card doesn’t receive the temperature information and the Dolce Gusto flashes red. The step by step guide for testing and replacement of the temperature probe is given in the next chapter.
The electronic card is at fault
It manages the synchronization of the different elements of the coffee maker (boiler, water pump, etc.). If it fails, the water can’t be heated and the Dolce Gusto is blinking red. Testing should be performed by an authorized technician, he will tell you what needs to be changed.
Fix a Dolce Gusto flashing red
If you just made a bunch of coffees, it’s possible the Dolce Gusto overheated and needs to cool down. Wait 20-30 minutes to see if the green light comes back on. If not continue reading to repair a Dolce Gusto that flashes red.
Boiler test and replacement
You need a multi-meter for this operation. Unplug the Dolce Gusto before disassembling it. Open the Dolce Gusto to access the boiler. Take off the plastic covers and remove the electric connectors of the boiler.
Place the connectors of the multimeter on the electrical sockets of the boiler. Depending on your type of multimeter, if the boiler is OK you should hear a beep or read a positive value on the multimerter’s screen. Otherwise the boiler is damaged and needs to be changed.
Temperature probe testing and replacement
Use a multi-meter in the ohmmeter mode for this operation. Unplug the Dolce Gusto. The test must be performed at room temperature (which should be the case if you waited 20-30 minutes). Instructions for testing of the temperature probe:
- Unplug the temperature probe from the electronic board.
- Connect the tips of the multimeter to the connectors of the probe.
- On the screen of the multimeter you should read the ohmic value of the temperature probe: compare it to the value in the technical description of the Dolce Gusto which you can find on the manufacturer’s website or in the manual.
If the value is different from the one in the manual, the probe is damaged and must be replaced. Order a new one, disconnect the damaged probe from the electronic board and connect the new probe.
Nothing worked, my Dolce Gusto keeps flashing red
None of the above solutions fixed your Dolce Gusto flashing red, bring it back to a authorized dealer if it is still under warranty. If not, weight the cost of the repair against buying a new Dolce Gusto or another model.