Smeg LED 31 on the BCC12: descaling due or required
The BCC12 counts water by your hardness setting.
Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm
- Mode, not a failure
- No repair needed
- Source: Smeg
Book a visit
Three short steps, about a minute.
or call (844) 551-4777
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What LED 31
actually means.
The BCC12 counts water by your hardness setting. First LED 31 lights steadily and drinks still come for a limited time; if descaling is left too long, it flashes and the machine locks every function until the cycle is done.
Smeg coffee machine display · also shown as descaling alarm, LED 31 flashing, LED 31 on
What to do when LED 31 shows on the coffee machineKind of codeMode, not a failure
The machine is doing what it was set to do, not wearing out: a rinse that runs through the spouts at switch-on and switch-off, a descale or filter reminder counting the water that has passed through, an energy-save mode that darkens the screen after a quiet spell, or a demo mode left on from the showroom that lights the keys and pours nothing. No part is needed; finishing the cycle the display asks for, or a key sequence from the manual, ends it.
Usually leads toNo repair
Fill the tank to MAX with water and a descaler Smeg recommends, place a container of at least 1.4 liters under the spout and steam wand, and select the White menu.
Shows up asWhat a Coffee Machine Error Code or Warning Symbol Means
A coffee machine error code may show as a short string of letters and numbers, a flashing symbol for water, grounds or the brew unit, a short sentence on a text display, or a machine that stops with one light blinking.
MakeSmeg
A Smeg espresso machine is repaired at the owner's kitchen counter after a single test shot shows where the trouble begins.
SourceSmeg BCC12 bean to cup coffee machine user manual (linked from the US BCC12BLMUS page)
Smeg BCC12 countertop bean-to-cup machine (US BCC12BLMUS). It has no text display: alarms are numbered LEDs on the control panel, and the number is the one printed in Smeg's manual.
Before you book,
in this order.
Each step comes from Smeg's own guidance for LED 31 on its coffee machines. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.
Fill the tank to MAX with water and a descaler Smeg recommends, place a container of at least 1.4 liters under the spout and steam wand, and select the White menu.
Hold keys 26 and 24 together for 3 seconds and stay nearby for the roughly 30-minute cycle and the rinse that follows.
If LED 31 is still lit after the cycle and key 26 blinks white, run another descale; book a visit if it will not clear after that.
Cleared?
The message is gone, and the machine grinds, heats and pours a full cup again with no new part. If it comes back within the week, or the descale or filter reminder returns straight after a finished cycle, say so in the booking.
What not to do
A steady light is a recommendation, not a lockout. The flashing light is the one that stops the machine, and it is not a failure: it clears with a descale.
What you may
notice with it.
The coffee machine problems LED 31 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the coffee machine before anyone is booked.
All problems
No repair indicated
Nothing to repair.
The machine is doing what it was set to do, not wearing out: a rinse that runs through the spouts at switch-on and switch-off, a descale or filter reminder counting the water that has passed through, an energy-save mode that darkens the screen after a quiet spell, or a demo mode left on from the showroom that lights the keys and pours nothing. No part is needed; finishing the cycle the display asks for, or a key sequence from the manual, ends it.
Smeg
coffee machines.
A Smeg espresso machine is repaired at the owner's kitchen counter after a single test shot shows where the trouble begins.
Smeg coffee machine repairMore Smeg codes
Mode, not a failure on other makes
Built-in coffee system
The coffee machine set flush into a tall kitchen cabinet, filled from a water tank behind its front, grinding beans and brewing each cup on its own before sliding out on rails for service.
Countertop espresso machine
The fully automatic bean-to-cup machine that stands on the counter, grinding, tamping, brewing and frothing at the touch of a key, with its tank, hopper and grounds drawer all reached from the top and the front.
Manual espresso machine
The home espresso machine with a portafilter you fill and lock in by hand, a pump and a boiler or thermoblock inside, and a steam wand for milk you froth yourself.
In Smeg's own words
If the LED (31) flashes, it means that a descaling cycle is mandatory to proceed with further dispensing of drinks.
Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Smeg BCC12 countertop bean-to-cup machine (US BCC12BLMUS). It has no text display: alarms are numbered LEDs on the control panel, and the number is the one printed in Smeg's manual.
Smeg LED 31 coffee machine repair,
where we come out.
The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.
All service areasTampa BayFL · 31 areas
Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas
New York MetroNY · 75 areas
HoustonTX · 36 areas
ChicagoIL · 50 areas
Los AngelesCA · 95 areas
San DiegoCA · 31 areas
Questions
about LED 31.
Can I clear LED 31 myself?
Why is my Smeg BCC12 locked with a flashing light?
Why does LED 31 stay on after I descaled my Smeg BCC12?
How big a container do I need to descale a Smeg BCC12?
Back to your everyday
Still showing LED 31?
Three things make the booking useful: the message or number exactly as the display showed it, the full model number from the plate, and whether the machine still grinds and pours at all. Send those and the likely part can be looked up before the van leaves.