I am trying to use my Rancilio Sylvia for first time and the steam knob is stuck.

Hi Ewah,

If you are getting steam from the group and no water when you turn on the water button - then you may have a group blockage.

The fix depends on the type of machine you have.
If it is a commercial type - then call in a qualified coffee technician.
If it is a domestic type like rancilio sylvia, the you could try to descale - maybe too late, but worth a go.JURA descaling tablets
If when descaling, no water is coming from the group try leaving the steam tap open when asking for water.That way you may get the descaler liquid moving inside the boiler and it may clear the solenoid valve blockage.
If no joy with that you may need to replace solenoid valve.
230V 9W PARKER SOLENOID
Domestic machines need regular descaling to avoid group blockages.

Fill water tank and press ok

Replace the steam valve. It is not very hard to do and you can find a new valve with a Google search.

It is possible to attempt a repair but it is as hard to just replace the valve and repaired valve usually leak a bit.

Rig wand! you mean steam wand?
Take lid off and see if the knob clib connection to the steam valve is come out. Otherwise, possibly the steam valve's portioning washer is hardened and stuck. BUt sound slike shaft is broken or lost connection to the valve

Yes it is easy to replace, but first check the end of the steam wand make sure the holes are not blocked, If you open the steam valve and the wand is hot it is because of blockage, if you only get warm water and no steam then the thermostat is gone.

parts and pictures here

Rancilio Silvia Parts

Hi
. If the brew thermostat is bad it won’t heat. To test for this, push the steam switch and wait 15 seconds. Then open the steam knob and push the middle button and see if the water is warm. If it is then you need a new brew thermostat. That is the thermostat that has the red dot on the top. It sets on top of the boiler next to the steam thermostat. If you take the top off, make sure that the machine is unplugged.

My Rancilio Silva is not making the water or steam hot anymore. Is it fairly easy to replace the heating element?

For the coffee - make sure the machine has heated up for at least 10 minutes. I've found the grind is the most important in getting a good shot of espresso with a good crema.

It takes trying different grinds to find what works best. When we grind at the store we choose the second finest grind from the finest - we put it to Turkish and then turn it back one notch.

On the steaming side - it takes practice. Sometimes I get froth, sometimes - I usually let the wand go near the bottom of the steaming cup and heat the milk to 160 deg. f.

I used brute force. Remember to turn it clockwise to close.