La Cimbali · bean to cup
La Cimbali S20 — PSSR examination & servicing
S20 machines are used in hotels, conference venues and large offices serving coffee without a trained barista nationwide. The engineer carries out the statutory PSSR examination, the front-end service and the water treatment on this model — a standalone examination is £265 + VAT, or £405 + VAT with the service included.
Quick answer
Does a La Cimbali S20 need a PSSR examination?
Yes, if it operates in a workplace. It carries a single steam boiler with its own protective devices, which is the pressure system in scope. Steam is a relevant fluid under PSSR 2000 and steam systems are covered at any pressure and any volume, so the boiler must have a Written Scheme of Examination and be examined periodically by a competent person.
- Examination only
- £265
- With service
- £405
The machine
Why the S20 matters to the La Cimbali owner
La Cimbali's mid-size bean-to-cup, with a 5 litre horizontal copper boiler — large for an automatic, and the reason its examination is closer to a traditional machine's than most bean-to-cup units.
In practice you will find it in hotels, conference venues and large offices serving coffee without a trained barista — which shapes what the examination looks like on site: how the machine is accessed, how long it can be offline, and how much scale it has accumulated.
On the day
- The steam boiler is located and examined. On a sealed stainless vessel the examination is external — wall thickness, corrosion at fittings, and the condition of every connection — with internal inspection by borescope only where the vessel design allows access.
- The safety valve, expansion valve, pressure sensor and thermal cut-outs are identified, checked and function tested.
- The pressure gauge is verified against our calibrated test gauge, not against itself.
- The vessel is small and sealed, so there is no drain-down and refill to wait for. The time goes on getting to it, which is why the brew unit and panels come off.
- The Written Scheme of Examination records the vessel as sealed and sets out the external examination and the protective devices it relies on.
Typical rates for this model
- Standalone PSSR examination
- £265
- Service + PSSR bundle
- £405
- Certified safety valve, if it fails
- £35 + VAT
- Water filter, fitted on a visit
- from £107
- Grinder calibration & deep clean
- £89
- If it does not pass
- Explained in writing
All prices exclude VAT. A single steam boiler with one set of protective devices to examine. We confirm the exact figure on the call.
Filters are fitted on site by an engineer and are not posted out. The filter price applies when ordered with a PSSR examination, service, call-out or water test; booked alone it is charged at the standard call-out.
What we see on this model
- A 5 litre copper boiler is four times the volume of the sealed stainless vessels in most bean-to-cup machines, so the internal inspection is usually possible rather than external-only.
- Automatics are ordered on a supply contract and are routinely left off the Written Scheme. In our records they are the single largest category of unexamined machine.
- Fully automatic: 2.6 L Smart Boiler plus a 0.25 L heat exchanger, 3200-3800 W, 71 kg, up to 200 cups/day and 96 recipes, 2 grinders. No model-specific fault list or error-code table is publicly available - the S20 manual was not retrievable (the ManualsLib copy is bot-blocked). Cimbali service holds the diagnostics manual.
Verified boiler data
What is actually inside this machine
| Configuration | Steam boiler |
|---|---|
| bean to cup | 2.6 L |
Manufacturer's published boiler capacities. Where a maker publishes no figure we say so rather than estimate. One 2.6 litre boiler plus a 0.25 litre heat exchanger. Field records ranged from 2.5 to 6.0 litres because the examination notes did not always distinguish the two.
Service interval. Not documented: Cimbali publishes no service interval for the S20 in the sources found, and no dealer schedule was located.
Source: La Cimbali S20 technical data
Fault finder
What actually goes wrong on a La Cimbali S20
Owners usually call us with a symptom, not a diagnosis. This is what that symptom most often turns out to be on this machine, and what putting it right involves.
| Symptom | Usual cause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee dispensed slowly or only in drops | Brew unit and spout fouled, dosing out of adjustment. | Automatic wash, then grind and dose check. |
| Milk not frothing or not dispensing | Milk circuit blockage or skipped milk-clean. | Run the milk-clean cycle and clear the circuit. |
These are faults documented for this model, not a generic list.
Common parts
Common parts for the La Cimbali S20
The components most often replaced on this machine, listed by reference number, as a reference for engineers and owners identifying a part.
| Part no. | Description |
|---|---|
| #31296 | Cimbali S20 Gear Milk Pump - Original |
| #0227 | Pump Fitting 3/8 X 3/8 |
| #22752 | Parker 2 Way Solenoid Valve 24v |
| #18625 | PARKER 3 WAY SOLENOID VALVE 24V |
| #2102 | Parker 3 Way Grp Solenoid Valve 24v (Plus 3 housings in) |
| #2841 | Element Protection Thermostat - Original |
| #0398 | Lucifer 3 Way Grp Solenoid Valve 230v (Ruby) |
| #18281 | Parker 3 Way Solenoid Valve 24v |
| #0450 | PARKER 3 WAY GRP SOLENOID VALVE 230V (RUBY) |
| #23371 | PARKER 2 WAY INLET SOLENOID VALVE 230V |
| #29950 | PARKER 3 WAY SOLENOID VALVE 24V |
| #26335 | Cimbali / Faema Pipe Fitting |
Questions
S20 questions, answered
How a boiler of this size is examined, how often, and who carries the duty — see the complete PSSR guide.
0208 037 9340
How much does a PSSR examination cost on a La Cimbali S20?
A standalone examination is £265 + VAT, because a single steam boiler with one set of protective devices to examine. Combined with a front-end service it is £405 + VAT, which is what most hotels, conference venues and large offices serving coffee without a trained barista choose, since the boiler has to be drained for the examination either way. We confirm the exact figure on the call.
How often does a La Cimbali S20 need examining?
The Written Scheme of Examination sets the interval, and for a commercial machine used in hotels, conference venues and large offices serving coffee without a trained barista it is typically 12 to 14 months. A single boiler on this duty normally sits at the middle of that range unless the water is hard, which we test on the day and report with the certificate.
How long does a La Cimbali S20 examination take, and what happens on the day?
The vessel is small and sealed, so there is no drain-down and refill to wait for. The time goes on getting to it, which is why the brew unit and panels come off. The visit runs: the steam boiler is located and examined. on a sealed stainless vessel the examination is external — wall thickness, corrosion at fittings, and the condition of every connection — with internal inspection by borescope only where the vessel design allows access. the safety valve, expansion valve, pressure sensor and thermal cut-outs are identified, checked and function tested. The gauge is then verified against our calibrated test gauge, the system is pressure tested and held, and the machine is re-assembled, refilled, heated and function tested. The Written Scheme of Examination, signed report and asset record follow within 48 hours.
Other La Cimbali machines covered
Call and we'll price your S20 on the spot.
Same-week appointments nationwide, the Written Scheme of Examination issued within 48 hours of the visit, and a fixed price agreed before we travel.