This is the one problem on this site where the advice is to stop.
The likely cause
A heating element breaking down. Elements are resistance wire inside a metal sheath, insulated by packed mineral powder. When the sheath cracks or the insulation absorbs moisture, current leaks to ground — and a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlet or breaker trips exactly as designed.
That trip is protecting you from a shock. Resetting it and carrying on removes the protection while the fault remains.
Other possibilities
A failing pump drawing excessive current, which trips an overcurrent breaker rather than a GFCI.
Water where it should not be, from a split hose or a leaking boiler seal, bridging live parts to ground.
A fault elsewhere in the house that the coffee machine’s load merely reveals.
Condensation, or an overloaded circuit
A machine brought in from the cold or unused for months can trip once from condensation and then behave normally: unplug it and leave it somewhere dry and warm for 24 to 48 hours. If it trips again, it is a real leak. Separately, an espresso machine draws 1,200 to 1,500 W, so sharing a circuit with a kettle and a toaster can trip an ordinary breaker on overload, which happens only when several appliances run. A GFCI tripping on the machine alone is leakage, not overload.
How to narrow it
If it trips the instant you switch on, it is likely a short. If it trips when it starts heating, that points to the element. If it trips when the pump runs, the pump or a leak.
What to do
Unplug it. Do not use it. Do not tape the breaker.
Element replacement is a routine repair on serviceable machines and often not economic on sealed ones. Either way it is a job for someone qualified — this is line voltage next to water.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026