After turning on your coffee machine the light of your Dolce Gusto flashes ? It can flash and blink red, orange or amber, yellow, green and even blue! Apart from a green light, its usually a sign of something wrong happening and you need to take action.
Most of the blinking and flashing of a Dolce Gusto machine are benign. Read on for an explanation of all the situations of a Dolce Gusto flashing and what to do to fix your Dolce Gusto machine (if needed). After repairing your Dolce Gusto don’t forget to check out our coffee recipes!
Why is my Dolce Gusto flashing?
Why a Dolce Gusto machine flashes yellow and/or orange
When the Dolce Gusto blinks amber (or orange) and yellow this is a sign that you must descale your Dolce Gusto machine. A descale should be performed regularly to prevent lime deposits in the water circuit of the machine.
The amber or orange flashing of the Dolce Gusto machine is normal and signals that the coffee maker has calculated or detected (depending on your model) it is time for descaling. Follow the procedure in the next chapter.
Why is there an orange light on my Dolce Gusto machine after descaling
If after performing a descale of your Dolce Gusto machine the orange or amber light stays on, try these:
- Hard reset the Dolce Gusto: unplug the coffee machine and wait for 10 seconds before plugging it back.
- Perform another descale: it could be that the sensor/coffee counter of the machine has had a bug or that it thinks a seconde descale is necessary.
- Perform a soft reset of the Dolce Gusto machine: hold down the start button 30 seconds to clear all error messages.
Why is my Dolce Gusto flashing orange and green
This is probably unintentional from your part as it signals that your Dolce Gusto machine is in descale mode. It happens when you press the start button for too long: to enter descaling mode you press and hold for 5 seconds the ON/OFF button.
To exit descaling mode, push and hold the start button for 5 seconds. You can also just unplug the machine. If it doesn’t stop blinking, it might be that your start button is stuck: spray some silicone around the button and push it repeatedly to free the mechanism.
Why Dolce Gusto flashes red
This is a sign that the temperature of the water is too low. It happens just after making a coffee and usually lasts for about 10 seconds, it’s normal. The Dolce Gusto flashes red for a longer period of time (a minute or so) when you made a few coffees one after the other with no break.
Waiting a minute or so will make the red flashing of the Dolce Gusto machine disappear. Check our dedicated post if your Dolce Gusto keeps flashing red.
Why Dolce Gusto flashes blue
This is usually signalling that water is missing in the machine. It can be that the water tank level is too low, just refill it, or that the water flow in the machine is too low.
Steps to fix a Dolce Gusto flashing blue:
- Check the level of the water container.
- Take the water tank off the machine, inspect the connecting valve for dirt or damage that prevents water flow.
- Change/clean the valve if its damaged/dirty and reconnect the water tank.
Why is Dolce Gusto flashing yellow
The light of the Dolce Gusto machine flashes yellow/orange/amber at the end of a descale. To exit this mode when it is finished, hold down 5 seconds the start button. The Dolce Gusto will resume normal operations by flashing red while it heats up and turning green when it is ready for use.
Why does the Dolce Gusto blink then shut down
This is the situation when you switch your coffee machine ON and it starts flashing, then, instead of the light turning green, all of a sudden it just turns OFF. This is probably the worst that can happen: a capacitor of the electronic board of the Dolce Gusto machine is damaged and needs to be changed.
The simplest and easiest solution is to change the electronics of the Dolce Gusto machine. If you know how to weld an electronic part, you can just replace the faulty capacitor which is much cheaper. You’ll find the procedure for an electronic card (or capacitor) replacement in the second part of the post.
Repair a flashing Dolce Gusto machine
Dolce Gusto descale
This procedure is to be performed regularly to keep your coffee machine in good conditions and extend its lifespan. Depending on the hardness of the water you use to make coffees you will need to do it more or less frequently. In any case follow the recommendations of the manual.
The descale procedure for a Dolce Gusto machine is as follows :
- Press down 5 second the start button to enter descale mode: Dolce Gusto flashes orange and green when in this mode.
- Pour in your water tank 1/2 liter of room temperature water mixed with the descaler product. Use white vinegar if you like, but it’s usually not recommended by the manufacturers. It can damage the internal parts of the Dolce Gusto and leave a bad taste it not rinsed thoroughly. However on occasions when you’re out of descaling product this is a solution.
- Push the hot water button and go through half of the water tank. Push the cold water button for other half.
- Let the water/descaler mix sit in the machine for 2 minutes.
- Fill the water tank with fresh water and press the hot button for half the tank then the cold button for the rest.
- Exit descale mode by holding down 5 seconds the start button.
Replacing the capacitor or the electronic card of a Dolce Gusto machine
Changing the electronic card of the Dolce Gusto is pretty straightforward: unscrew the bottom of the machine and take off the plastic cover. The electronic card should be visible, disconnect it and connect the new part.
A cheaper fix is to replace the faulty capacitor. You need a Torx, a Phillips screwdriver, and a soldering iron. To access to the capacitor on the electronic card remove the electronic plate. Desolder it and solder the new one paying attention to the direction of flow of the current.
Dolce Gusto machine still flashing now what?
If it continues flashing red, see our dedicated post Dolce Gusto machine flashing red. Contact the manufacturer if the machine has an active warranty. A repair shop is an option, but it might not be worth the price. It might be a good opportunity to buy a new machine, special offers are common, you might get a good deal!