Several possibilities if you haven’t found a solution. I eventually had to send mine in for repairs from Breville in Chicago. It was actually clogged up and draining into the back of the machine and out on to my drain pad. They took it apart and got it cleaned out properly. $253 Before you ask them to do anything that drastic, get in touch with their team. I requested a phone contact and my guy was fabulous. A retired lobbyist from DC who retired in CAli. He walked me through every step, got it running for a couple of days but the leaking was too serious. BUT THE MOST SERIOUS mistake I had made was FAILURE TO descalify the machine every few weeks. The mineral build up is HUGE PROBLEM for us slobs. Then, here are at least 3 steps that. you should be doing EVERY TIME you run a shot or double.
# 1. Let the Barista Express warm up for 20 minutes, running the hot water and the wand.
# Check your portafilter for clogging. Starbucks Dark Espresso clogs the heck out of them. I have to soak it in Dawn, blast it with steam and hot water, even purse my lips and blow to get the last holdouts, threaten it and pout.
# 2. Purge and wipe clean the portafilter head after each shot. Especially if you use different Espresso.
# Detach the tip of the steam wand and look through it to see how clogged it is. Use Breville tool or something else to blow that sucker out.
Don’t use a dishwasher for these parts. It may seem like the easy way. But think about running a nice car through the ROBO Car Wash. If you don’t rub it dry, there’s always a residual film all over the car. Same same with dish washers and Breville’s stainless steel components. I clean mine by hand every day. The taste is clean and yummy.