Find your brand in the table, read the three codes people hit most often, then open the full guide. Error systems split into two families: numbered codes (Jura, Saeco, Gaggia, Miele) and icon or word alerts (De'Longhi, Breville, Philips, Smeg). Numbers are not shared between brands, so a code 5 on a Saeco (air in the water circuit) is not a code 5 on a Gaggia (clogged hydraulic circuit), and a Miele F code has no equivalent anywhere. Every meaning below comes from manufacturer documentation.
Every brand page and its three most common codes
| Brand | System | Top three codes and what they mean | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jura | Numbered ERROR | ERROR 2 or 5: exposed to cold, heating disabled for safety. Fill water tank: tank empty or not seated; limescale on the sensor can fake it. Decalcify machine: descaling due. | Jura error codes |
| Saeco | Numbered errors | 01: coffee funnel blocked. 03: brew group has too much residue to function. 05: air trapped in the water circuit. | Saeco error codes |
| Gaggia | Numbered errors | 01: grinder blocked. 03 and 04: brew unit stuck in the work or home position. 05: hydraulic circuit clogged. | Gaggia error codes |
| Miele | Numbered F codes | F10: water not being taken in. F28: too much ground coffee, or a blocked grinder channel. F73: brew unit cannot reach its home position. | Miele fault codes |
| De'Longhi Magnifica | Lights | Water steady: tank empty, misseated or scaled. General alarm flashing: service door open. Four lights alternating: infuser left out after cleaning. | Magnifica lights |
| De'Longhi Dinamica | Lights | General alarm steady: interior very dirty. General alarm plus tank light flashing: water circuit empty. Descale flashing: descale cycle due. | Dinamica lights |
| Breville Barista Express | Lights | CLEAN/DESCALE flashing: back-flush cleaning cycle due. CLEAN/DESCALE solid: descaling required. Steam light flashing at switch-on: dial left out of STANDBY, so it will not heat. | Express lights |
| Breville Oracle | LCD words | CLEAN ME!: 200 extractions since the last cleaning cycle. OVERHEAT PLEASE WAIT: grinder run hard, now cooling. FILL TANK: low water; no coffee or hot water until filled. | Oracle error messages |
| Philips LatteGo | Lights | Triangle steady: grounds container or drip tray placed wrong, or door open. Triangle flashing: brew group missing, misseated or blocked. Alarm plus start flashing: air trapped in the machine. | LatteGo error lights |
| Smeg | Alarm LEDs | Descaling flashing: all functions blocked until a descale runs. Brewing group steady: group missing or misseated, machine blocked. Grounds flashing: grounds container or internal drip tray missing. | Smeg error codes |
Four causes account for most codes
Read the table down the columns and the overlap is obvious. Almost every fault on every brand is one of four things: the brew group is out, misseated or fouled; the water circuit has air or no water; the grinder or grounds path is blocked; or scale has built up until the machine stops asking and starts refusing. Four habits clear most: rinse the brew group weekly, keep the tank seated and full, keep the grounds path clear, descale on schedule.
The codes no one can fix at home
Every manufacturer draws a line. Gaggia answers codes 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20 with "the unit will need professional repairs." Saeco does the same for 02, 10, 15 and 22. Jura says any ERROR number other than 2 and 5 means switch off and contact support without opening the machine. Miele sends F77 and F226 to service if a power cycle does not clear them. These are sensor, heater and control-board faults behind mains voltage, so the question becomes money rather than method, and the repair-or-replace math answers it faster than a service quote.
Related reading
FAQ
Do coffee machine error codes mean the same thing across brands? No. Numbering is brand specific. Saeco error 5 is air in the water circuit; Gaggia error 05 is a clogged hydraulic circuit; Miele uses F codes with no equivalent on either. Read your own brand's list.
What is the most common coffee machine error code? Across superautomatics it is the brew group family: Saeco 01, 03 and 04, Gaggia 01, 03 and 04, Miele F28 and F73, and the brew group alarms on Philips and Smeg all trace to the same removable unit and the grounds path feeding it.
Which error codes mean I need a technician? Sensor, heater and control faults. Gaggia lists 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20; Saeco lists 02, 10, 15 and 22; Jura says any ERROR other than 2 or 5; Miele sends F77 and F226 to service.
Every code meaning here is carried from the manufacturer documentation cited on the linked brand page, including Gaggia North America error codes, Philips support article XC000004106 for Saeco, and the Breville Oracle instruction book.
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