How to descale a heat exchanger espresso machine

Step by step instructions on how to fully descale a heat exchanger espresso machine. This also applies to machines with double boilers. Slawek uses a Bezzera Magica for the demo but the same method can be used for HX machines including Rocket Espresso, Quick Mill, Izzo, Isomac, etc.

[@gerard3797]

Interesting to descale the machine with the level probe disengaged, I have few comments with this video and technique. 1. Removing the probe is overkill, because: - The calcium will not evaporate in the boiler, so the scale build is only in the bottom part of the boiler where the water sits during normal operation. You will see this when you manually clean your boiler and take it apart. - The acid in the descaling solution actually does partly evaporate (acid rain principle), so any scale build up in top of the boiler (which should be almost zero to begin with) will also be reached as long as you keep the machine (and heating element) on and steam with descaling solution is filling the top of the boiler. 2. Descaling the boiler with the machine (and heating element) turned on is much quicker, because descaling agents work much faster with hot water. This is also what most espresso machine manuals recommend BTW. The speed up of the chemical reaction varies per agent, but 15 minutes with hot water should in general be similar to a few hours with cold water. Always use something like Urnex Dezcal instead of Vinegar. Vinegar can erode certain metals in the machine and it also dissolves only part of the minerals. 3. If you remove the probe and empty the boiler this way (especially with a hot boiler), there is a risk that the pump cannot keep up with the pace of the boiler running empty. This way the heating element can run dry, which can result in it overheating and damaging the heating element. Also this "probe method" will burden your pump heavily, as told in the video. Vibration pumps are very sensitive to this. 4. You need to use the blind filter or backflushing disk to backflush the E61 grouphead with the descaling solution. Only flushing the E61 group head directly will not have enough contact time to effectively remove the scale build up. Backflushing with Cafiza will only remove oils and coffee residu, but not remove all scale deposits in your Group head. Some manufacturers recommend 3 times 20 second backflush, but I even leave the lever in the middle position for a few minutes, so it can soak the group head, before flushing it empty through the Relief valve.

[@isodoubIet]

What are your thoughts on the recommended frequency of descales? Of course it depends on local water hardness levels, but do you agree with the ballpark of once every three months or so?

[@ilickspam]

what if dezcal is left in the boiler overnight? would that be damaging?

[@bsdgffishtuna5186]

can you make a video on descale...i trust you more.

[@MrHackclan]

as you said... it depends on local water hardness. so there is no rule. what you can do is check your normal water boiler and see how long you can go without descaling it. since mostly everyone has a normal water boiler.@@isodoubIet

[@freightdawg6762]

💯💯💯

[@campeau29]

My Giotto's vacuum breaker valve spewed out lots of water, enough to flood my counter top. It also blew a fuse on my home breaker box (probably shorted out the electric components below the boiler). So I recommend using vice-grips to hold the pin up at the top of the vacuum breaker valve to close it from spewing.

[@turbobricksofficial]

Follow up question 3 years later; what's your latest process for the Giotto? Is it really not required as Rocket says? Have you found a better way to do it?

[@tbonedaddy11]

Just a thought. Another way to make sure its completely flushed. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the discharged water (base added to a acid). If it bubbles there is still acid in there.

[@jardarsi]

I just wanted to add a tip with regards to the pressure relief valve. It is pointed out in the video. In the middle there's a pin that will move up to release any excess pressure, thus protecting the tank. However, with the level probe disabled, and the tank filled to the rim, chances are that the pump will continue to pump water through the pressure relief valve. I had little luck with the towel method to stop the water from flooding into the machine (where it immediately drained out through holes and onto the counter). With the steam valve and the hot water tap opened up completely, there's little chance of any pressure building up in the tank, so one can quite simply push down on the little pin on the top of the PRV, which will close it completely and stop any water from coming out that way. I used a towel to pressure down with my thumb. This of course should never be attempted with the tank under pressure. Not only will you not be able to push the pin down, should it raise up because of pressure. The water coming out will also be scalding hot, and so you'll burn yourself. So in short, do this only with the steam and hot water taps open, and while the tank is not yet heated up.

[@Baldrick344]

Thanks. I love it when someone is able to explain something clearly - It makes a tiny bit scary seem easy as.

[@LKG19]

thanks for the vid, clearly explained a solid process. For those about to attempt this, pay attention at 5:00 the vacuum breaker value does spew water, it was enough to go through the small cloth i had and short the machine (plus home circuit breaker) There's obviously some open wiring right under the boiler there.

[@longfade]

Yikes, I've had my Isomac Tea for almost 20 years and have never descaled. I'm doing a rebuild on it so this info is extremely helpful. Thanks man.

[@brianharman82]

Thank you! I used this method on my Rocket Giotto Evo R today, and it worked like a charm. We even used a "wire" camera to look inside the boiler (through the fill probe hole) and the before and after was a big difference. We use bottled drinking water so it wasn't horrible to begin with but there was definitely build up inside the boiler and on the heating element. The only thing I would recommend is to over flush it, especially if you have a rotary pump, we flushed it probably 15x until we saw no more flakes in the water. To finish I filled up the boiler and used a small hose and shop vac to suck out every drop of water a couple times to be sure all the floaters were removed.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

That's all great advice, thank you.

[@christophkohler8607]

Please can you Show it with the Bezzera bz 10 ?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

The process is essentially the same for a dual boiler. You descale the steam boiler by overfilling it like in the video and for the coffee boiler you just run more water through the group since you have to displace your entire coffee boiler with descaling solution. I only ran 125-200 ml through the group because that is enough for the HX but for a machine like the Izzo you would run approx 700ml or whatever the size of your coffee boiler is.

[@cstavro]

I just bought a used Nuova Simonelli Oscar. It was in serious need of cleaning. Now I see why a hot water wand is useful... Thank you for the video!

[@beansy99]

Waiting for your updated video as promised when I visited a few weeks ago. I bought a Synchronica from you and am eagerly awaiting a step by step guide.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

We will likely have an updated one in a few months. But thanks for the reminder.

[@RevvedIron65]

This is some great information on the subject. I will try that as shipping a 60 pounds around the province for descaling is not an option.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Thank you!

[@sercov2252]

Excellent - Best video I found on the topic, planning to descale my Bezzera - I use Durgol Swiss Espresso, as mentioned by you. Thank you from Switzerland!!

[@RCKiddo71]

OUTSTANDING VIDEO!!! THANKS!!! including the person whistling in the background haha

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Ha ha, we didn't even notice that. Stay tuned for more maintenance videos on our channel in the near future.

[@koksionglee7978]

To test if the discharged water still contain traces of descaling solution (acid), you can test discharged water with soda bicarbonate. Upon contact with acid, it will bubble.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

That is a useful tip. Thank you so much for your input!

[@christophkohler8607]

How should I do this with a Bezzera BZ 10? Bezzera does not provide any information on decalcification but advises against continuous decalcification !!! When using soft water, descaling is only necessary after several years. Only external decalcification is recommended here. Please show how this is done ;-).... Are there tips and empirical values ​​for this? Greetings Christopher

[@peterh8163]

A great video and good description. Thank you very much.

[@TheMarfa3een]

thank you very much, it really helped .. and this is the only video I found regarding how to descale espresso machine. especially this heat exchange thing

[@jgus4312]

Recently serviced my Giotto at a recommended shop ask about descaling machine was told it was too high risk in case small particles could clog and cause damage. After watching this video I think I’ll do it myself and save couple hundred bucks

[@jidoc4877]

so are you going to this process and risk the small particles clogging your pipes?

[@jgus4312]

Jireh Climaco they wouldn’t to do it how else are you suppose to descale then .. I would do it a couple times over Or I could just strip it down and soak pipes and boiler in solution.

[@assaf69aman]

Thanks for the vid Question: During the descaling you stop every minute to cool the pump? Is it the same for the rinsing? It means that the whole process of rinsing 3 liters of water could take a lot of time 😮

[@AtlanPerry]

Tnx again 😊 jun 2023

[@dazzamcgrazza3043]

Great video... 6 years on.. my boiler is upright so I undo the steam wand and tilt the boiler to empty the boiler chamber.. Did this twice with 2L of Acid solution. disconnecting the level probe was key.. Gave me confidence to do it.. Better to cool and empty the boiler and refill so you don't have to flush with so much water.

[@marcinszu3293]

Are the steps same for machine with rotary pump and no water reservoir? Is it enough that I put direct water supply hose into a jug with descaling fluid and follow this instruction?

[@jochenf7557]

No matter how hard I try- I never manage to do this without hitting all my circuit breakers. Only a towel doesn’t do it for me. Any ideas? Pressing or pulling the little pin doesn’t help neither

[@jardarsi]

Thanks for these instructions! Very useful. Although I agree with others that the entire tank don't actually need to be descaled, this method will indeed ensure that all the water is displaced. Of course, disassembling the machine, in order to remove the tank and descale this on it's own, would descale the entire tank as well. But I do agree with the comment on electrocution. Be careful when poking around in the machine, as 120V (for North America, 220V for Europe) is being conducted in there!

[@Mbsvgrootveld]

Ik hed ECM elitronika ontkalk Persies zo als u doet gaat perfect top ik ben erg blij met dit filmpje top

[@rlwalker2]

Thank you. I had no idea how much descaler to use or how much rinsing to do. This helps a lot. I use an ECMP50 but I'm thinking the process is (almost) identical.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+Richard Walker I am glad you liked our video and it turned out to be helpful.

[@RandyMorriss]

I have an older Model Quickmill Evo 67. The manual states that they strongly discourage descaling and will not provide any instructions to do it. I have always used distilled water in conjunction with Third Wave Mineral packets to hopefully avoid any scale buildup. But I still feel an occasional descale would be beneficial. This is a double boiler system. Is there any reason why I shouldn't consider descaling this machine?

[@paulwharton1850]

Excellent - Super helpful - I learnt a lot. Many thanks......all the way from London !

[@shamuscoghlan]

Great video and very similar to my ECM machine. Took me forever to figure out a lot of this information with the company not really providing any isight. Do you know anything about setting the pressure for the pump? I have never been able to get a clear picture on where to exactly change the air flow as my machine is running a bit too high in pressure. This is not the temperature boiler setting as this I know.

[@junaediaja1132]

When during descalling, is still working for heating compartment ? Event you pull out yellow wire the level sensor

[@stevehenderson679]

Hi Slav , is it the same procedure with the s pid version of this machine ?

[@Elfin4]

Just been told not to clean the boiler on a Bezzera machine by a dealer, is this correct?

[@fubarin8896]

Great video , very clear instructions. Thumbs up.

[@digitaldreams1010101]

Hello, thank you for the video, very well made and explained:-) Watching you remove the wire from water fill sensor, if it moves up and down, could the machine leak through the sensor? How deep is it inserted into the boiler? Thanks

[@mightymerlin128]

OFCORSE it can leak i think he broke it!

[@dsmpampis]

Great Vid and very helpful. You said that we have to descale the machine every 90 days. I bought my Appartamento before 2 weeks and I am doing 2 espressos a day. I do a backflush every 2 days and once every two weeks(yesterday for first time) back flush with a cleaning tablet. In the user manual said that ROCKET espresso do not recommend to descale the machine, just to use filtered water and maybe/also reservoir filter. What is your opinion?

[@eric3810101]

thanks, great grist for the mill....pity it doesn't please everyone...but what ever does?

[@BensCoffeeRants]

Messing with the sensor and overfilling the boiler seems like a bad idea to me, if it's not usually filling past a certain level, there shouldn't be scale above that level, right? I guess there's a potential border line where overfilling would help reach that.

[@junodimayo]

Hello Thank you for your video , i have the same machine , but at 7'53" the difference my machine is empty and ask for water to continue rinsing

[@yazid7276]

Hi. I noticed you let the steamer valve open during group head flushing. Was it intentional to let the steamer valve open during group head flushing?

[@victorsangco1420]

Does this work with Bezzera BZ16 DE but not plumbed in just on 5 gallon jug? And can i not remove the level probe, im not a technician and i dont want to open up my machine.

[@qwe7410]

This method of descaling. 1. Stress and damage the pump. 2. You may not rinse the descaler enough and what's left will continue to cause corrosion. 3. If the user forgot to open the wand to allow to bleed, massive amount of water is going to come out from the safety, the boiler gauge could be destroyed. 4. If the user forgot to power off and start touching the wires, that's another hazard. It's not going to remove everything, it may damage the pump, the heating element and the limescale instead of dissolving may release and clog somewhere. Descaling should be the last resort and people are mixing up the erroneous advice from appliance companies like Delonghi, Nespresso, Krups etc with these machines My advise is don't descale at all and just change the components if necessary. It should start with paying care atttention, using softened water from the beginning. If you put it in control, you will never need to descale. It's never too late to use softened water. That's why get a decently made machine without too much unnecessary features so servicing won't be so painful during the replacements You are not going to get a significant taste improvement from adding one PID, one complicated system of pressure profiling, etc. The more features - the more parts - more things to fail - lower reliability. If you don't like the coffee that you bought, you should just get another bag which you like than tinker non-stop how to improve it. By the time you have figured out, you have wasted the entire bag. Descaling causes corrosion, causing lead and other metal to start leaching. There was a discussion in Germany where people test the water from their machines. Those who descaled have significantly higher amount of toxic metal. This includes brands that uses stainless boilers. Bezzera BZ10 and the BZ range fared really well. Bezzera seem to pay good attention to their material which unfortunately consumers can't see from the spec sheet. There's also thermosiphon system which is not even needed if the barista did it right.

[@Sergoon12]

Сhic watches, chains, rings ... Excellent manager

[@seda63]

Great video! I have a Profitec 300 pro. So dual boiler and no heat exchanger How should I descale it? I'm from Portugal and I don't have access to a professional . Please can you help me? Thanks

[@robertharper8702]

Thanks that was realy helpful.

[@chadgregory9037]

pro tip... do you like sour skittles? well that powdery stuff on the outside of em... thats citric acid, and you can descale with that too =]

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

🤯

[@mathat100]

Hi and thanks for the video.. Will this work on the Isomac Millinium as well?

[@deanturner5352]

What does the other green wire do? Is it another probe?

[@Thecuredublin-tw8cf]

Czesc Slawek jaka jest roznica miedzy Bezzera magica a mitica Ktory model bys bardziej polecil?,Czy warto doplacic.I czy warto dokladac pieniadze do modelu z Pirem .

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

cześć, jedyną różnicą między tymi dwoma maszynami jest ich wygląd. Mitica ma inną obudowe

[@kiwijohn01]

Awesome. will do that today ! thanks mate.

[@jakobpedersen6247]

Can you do a video where you descale a Nuova Simonelli Oscar II

[@jeromeliewpd]

Hi thanks alot for the video, can i follow the steps on NS Musica

[@sc1742]

hello Slovak, I purchased a Rocket Cellini 4 years ago from you, I make an espresso or 2 daily. For 2 years I lived in a house with a soft water ion exchange system so I don't think I needed to descale the machine. The past 2 years I lived in a condo so all I could do was use tap water through a Brita filter. The machine has no problems, but should I try to descale it following the method you demonstrated here?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

That's a hard question to answer. Sometimes if there is a lot of scale build up when you deacale you can loosen that scale without fully desolving it and create problems rather than solve them. If you do see signs of scale like white or green deposits on your hot water wand or inside your tank it may not be a bad idea. But I would suggest leaving the solution in the boiler for a longer time like overnight so the scale has time to dissolve.

[@AlokeshBagchi]

Superbo!! Thank you so much!!

[@borissurdin3008]

Be careful with vacuum valve - it tends to spill suddenly eye decalcination solution

[@Thecuredublin-tw8cf]

Myslisz ze kupno Magica z Pirem to dobry wybor?

[@deakvari]

Hi Slawek. I'd like to ask. Do I need to do this action on my Magister Stella machine ? I bought from you 4 yrs ago ,works amazing ! I do the usual maintenance [ head ,water filter etc] thanks for your patient, Gustav

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

If you have never descaled before then I do not recommend doing it after 4 years. Take a look and see if there are signs of scale build up, ie. Any white residue on the tank or inside the boiler of you want to take a look. If there is give us a call before you descale. It's better to bypass the pump and pour solution directly into the boiler of you have a lot of build up

[@vasiliskourahanis5965]

Is there any information about lever machines like Bezzera strega?

[@Timmaey85]

Hi, Thanks a lot for the tutorial. Can I use this way of descaling for my Izzo Alex Duetto 2? Thanks in advance

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Yes, the same principals apply. You will just have to flush the group more than with an hx machine because you have to fill the brew boiler and then fully flush it out

[@aamitcoh]

I followed the process on my Bezzera Magica (identical to the one shown in the video). Following the procedure, the machine behaves in a weird way: making coffee, when the pressure rises to around 10 bar, the pump seems to "choke" and becomes much more silent than normal. It looks like it has lost power. Do you have any advice? Could it be that the descaling procedure damaged the pump? Thanks!

[@deibertmichael]

It can clog valves with partickles!

[@claudiobogardo4137]

same probleme at my ECM

[@davidpoole9442]

Great walkthrough. I was going to purchase some maintenance items from you to say thanks, but you wont ship to AK

[@ilickspam]

what if dezcal is left in the boiler overnight? would that be damaging?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

No, it should be fine. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly

[@UltiMogr]

I have a question regarding the "leave it to rest as long as you want. more than an hour" advice. I have an aluminum boiler machine. Can the urnex descal I use, damage the aluminum? Thank you

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+UltiMogr No it won't. Leaving a descaler in a boiler overnight should be sufficient

[@cluismtz]

Machine turned on means with the heat element turned on? inside the boiler, the mix works better with high temperature?

[@timnunes]

My Quick Mill has a two way switch, with one position disabling the heating element. Either way, if there is already some water in the boiler, the element won't get damaged, and you're probably running water through fast enough that it won't get hot.

[@yazid7276]

Hi. What if I start with an empty boiler? That way, we remove the need to do the displacement. Will that be acceptable?

[@jmqwert]

Oscar 2, purge it for water through side valve on kettle. remove level sensor wire=heat element turned of and pump is on. Open steam valve, turn on power. Pump starts filling boiler, wait until cleaning solution comes out of steam arm, connect wire to level sensor = pump stops, and heat element turns on. Leave power on until hot water begin to pour out of steam arm. Turn off power, leave for 1 hour.. Drain heatexchanger kettle through drainage plug. If filled with larger pcs of scale repeat yet again. Else just fill up with clean water, remove water level sensor wire, turn on power and steam valve, and purge all water through the steam wand.

[@vasiliskourahanis5965]

hi i would to make a video with bezzera strega.Thanks

[@okitoki1973]

I followed you instruction for a rocket giotto v1 and after I unplugged the water probe wire, then turn the machine on. The pump doesn't start automatically as you had suggested. Even when I have the steam and hot water knobs open. Anything I'm missing? Thanks

[@tristansummers]

make sure the water tank is properly put in with the water level sensor engaged. i.e. the right hand bar sits in the V shaped slot at the top

[@gosman949]

I thought back flushing through the brew head was the way to descale? What does the back flush method do?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+Jay G. Back flushing cleans the group head from any residuals, coffee grinds, dirt and etc.

[@jorgefantoni3182]

Thank you for the great video , I got a question and and I need your opinion, I have a Breville BES870 that I bought it like more than 5 years ago and still working perfectly fine but I want to move to the next level so I was thinking to buy this DS1GMAVAIN , I would like to know if you think is a good idea or I should get something different, I want to know your opinion , thank you so much.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Hi, to be honest I do not have a lot of personal experience with VBM, we used to sell them a few years ago but stopped a while back. They are essentially e61 heat exchanger machines. There are a lot of brands that compete in that machine category. My favourites are Rocket, ECM, Profitec and Quick Mill

[@jorgefantoni3182]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada thank you so much ,if you have the model # i will appreciate.

[@kindi911]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada Weired that Bezzera isn't in your favourite list.

[@marshallgoldberg8376]

Is this necessary if you only use soft water?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

No it is not. If your water is soft you won't have any calcium buildup

[@123rory]

How you do it with a dual boiler? and chance current short cut if open? and heating up the boilers?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Kurt the process for a dual boiler is basically the same. You just run more water through the group because that water is coming from the coffee boiler. The coffee boiler is always full so you don't have to worry about level probes. To descale the steam boiler you would follow the steps to over fill.

[@emt3413]

hi there, I just bought a nuova simonolli oscar and im a newbie with coffee machines. do you have a video for descaling the oscar? i saw from a youtube video that he used the steam wand (since it doesnt have the hot water spout) to get rid of the descale water. be also turned the machine to it's side (not sure if that is safe) do i also have to disengage the probe in the oscar as well? would be very very helpful if you go give some advice.. thanks

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+Em t I am sorry but we do not have a similar video on the Oscar. I would recommend you to descale it the standard way, without disconnecting the probe and flushing through the steamer.

[@NYCgoblue]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada Hi. Do you think the Oscar 2 can be cleaned the same way though using only the steam wand (since it does not have a water spout)? The O2 has a drain on the boiler, so do you have any recommendations on how best to take advantage?

[@Farzadtrading]

Can I run this method with white vinegar instead for Bezzera BZ 10?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

I suggest using a stronger acid than vinegar. Vinegar usually has a pH of around 3 and something like citric or acetic acid will be 2.2 to 2.4 which will be more effective

[@DD-yy2ez]

Hi, I've got QuickMill QM67 can this exact process be used with my machine? Thanks.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Yes, the qm67 is a double boiler so you just have to make sure you descale both boilers though

[@DD-yy2ez]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada Just did it but didn't disable the water level thingy, it takes a lot of water to get out the descaler though

[@putneybay6314]

Any recommendations on using this method on a plumbed in heat exchanger? I have a Fiorenzato Volante. I tried once using an external tank but the pump sounded so labored that I quickly aborted out of fear of damaging it.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+putneybay It would be much easier to just descale a plumbed in machine without disconnecting the sensors. The easiest way would be to switch to water tank rather then direct connection, if your machine allows for that.

[@PutneyBay]

No, the machine has no tank at all. Any way to DIY descale it, or do I always have to lug it into a repair shop?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

+PutneyBay It is challenging to descale a plumbed machine. In order to do so, you would have to get a FloJet, a larger water bottle and some descaler

[@KickOuT74]

And what is the procedure for a dual boiler machine?

[@jmqwert]

Much easier! Look at the instruction manual. A heat exchanger is much different setup, with no normal way of flushing the kettle.

[@paulkolye2469]

How do you know in these machines if they are hot enough to make espresso? I bought new Isomac Kia and I have no idea. green light is always on and orange light is for water in the tank. I know other machines and my pasquini have orange light go off when machine is ready. Thanks

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Most machines have a pressure gauge for boiler pressure. Once it reaches about 1 bar that means that the water inside your boiler is boiling and the machine is pressurized. With a heat exchanger machine the water will now be hot enough for espresso but you may want to give it a few extra minutes for the group to fully heat up.

[@pashaodessit]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada thank you for your fast reply. It reaches about bar. And even after sitting for more than 20 minutes, water from group head doesnt seem to get as hot as on our other machines. We looked at user manual and there were some instructions how to increase pressure inside. We did that. The machine is new. I thought it would come adjusted from the factory. My pasquini livia 90 goes probably to 1.5 bar and after sitting for at least 20 minutes water from group head comes with steam for couple of seconds. My new Kia Isomac doesnt come with PID so I don't how to check or adjust temperature. Thank you

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

@@pashaodessit the machine will have a pressure stat inside. There are a few different kinds but the most common are ceme, mater or sirai. They are all adjusted the same way with a flat head screwdriver. You will turn it right to tighten it up and raise the pressure.

[@pashaodessit]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada you guys are awesome. Thanks. Last question. Will increase in pressure also increase temperature at group head?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

@@pashaodessit yes it will. If you increase the pressure that means the water in your boiler will get hotter and as a result the water going through the heat exchanger will also be hotter.

[@tphwong85]

Does this work for dual boiler such as Alex duetto?

[@BensCoffeeRants]

You'll use a different method for dual boiler since your brew group has it's own boiler, you'll likely need to use that to fill and dispense water and then similarly do the steam/hot water boiler.

[@iuraglijinschi5360]

Could you tell me please, if i can do this operation on dual boiler espresso machine? Thank you.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Iura Glijinschi yes, the same process applies. You will just have to run more water through the group because your coffee boiler has a larger capacity than a heat exchanger.

[@msjj000]

Thanks!!

[@howardrindzuner4258]

Green or blue discharge is dissolved copper not calcium.

[@snakesbb]

i have rocket appartamento and i'm afraid to do this & ruin my machine. the machine is really expensive. is there any other way 💔💔💔

[@tmywu]

snake sbb lol, I'm actually watching this because I'm waiting for my Appartamento to arrive! Did you ever end up descaling your machine?

[@s1914]

What about for a plumbed in machine?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Descaling a plumbed machine isn't easy. It is better to leave it to a skilled technician.

[@chungteng1972]

i never need to descale my heat exchanger espresso machine, because I was using Distilled water( Zero Parts per million ) sometime I also filled my machine with Reverse Osmosis water ( Only 2 PPM ) So, I suggest you guys use only Pure H2O to avoid calcium build up in your expensive machine!

[@jardarsi]

There are those who feel the coffee actually tastes better with minerals in them. I.e. a bit of hardness in the water improves the tastes. Probably a matter of taste though, but something to keep in mind. Also, many HX machines need some minerals in the water (although very little) in order to conduct electricity through the water. This is used to sense if the water tank is empty or not.

[@carpsafari]

Distilled water water will not taste right, its better to use a 'descaling' bag in your water reservoir, or hook up a small filter to the hose of the intake. We use the professional filters of course.

[@fullup91]

You sound a little Irish. Are you?

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

Other than liking an occasional shot of Jameson I'm not Irish. I'm Polish born and Canadian raised.

[@fullup91]

@@iDrinkCoffeeCanada hahaha

[@freezingsunbreaka]

This is quite a bit more time consuming than descaling a Breville Barista Express. Very important consideration when contemplating upgrading machines.

[@freezingsunbreaka]

@@tabooretka I tend to do it more frequently. About once a month. With Breville Barista Express, it's over in maybe eight minutes with minimal brain power. Lol. :)

[@freezingsunbreaka]

@@tabooretka Yes. :). I agree. That was my initial thought. Going up to an HX means a little more commitment than a Breville, lol.

[@debb8152]

Rocket folks don't want you to descale. Use their osmosis filter.

[@iDrinkCoffeeCanada]

That's true, most manufacturer's are now suggesting it is better to use the correct water or proper softening filter and not descale. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[@abraxas444]

Totally wrong and unprofessional way.For older machine the best way is to remove boiler and heating exchange and soak for 24 in citric acid which fairly cheap and most effective . If you do descaling on machine no need to remove any probes, no need to overflow boiler and spill water on electrical and electronic components,There is no scale above normal level of ware level, because water does not get there.Working on machines with removed cover and overfilling as very fast way to get electrocuted.

[@jardarsi]

That is definitely a more involved way to descale the machine though. I know this is often the recommended way, and would typically be the way a professional would do it, where you to send the machine away for descaling. However it does indeed involve removing probes, and the entire case of the machine, and a number of pipes, and indeed the entire tank itself. Just saying...

[@alteba]

Oke, first: Thank you for you comment. But would you happen to have a video (link) of a demonstration/instruction on how to propper descale? I am still looking for a good instruction on how to descale my Bezzera BZ10?

[@herbertbloch4167]

I had severe problems descaling the Jura I started with. The seals / gaskets suffered under the acid and failed after a while. I tried different acids and adjusted the conentration. I ended up using bottled water instead. This might be the reason why it might be recommended to descale the boiler while dismantled.

[@carpsafari]

Incredible, the most stupid advise I've seen in a while. When you NEED TO descale an HX machine, its always better to to it apart! Your method is a recipe for disaster, as we just saw on our coffee forum!! Pieces of calcium will start travelling to places you wish it didn't...and most likely will lead to having to take it apart anyway!! This video is especially not done on HX and E61 type espressomakers!! So descaling is for very badly neglected machines! Its way better to prevent the building up of scale, by using a special filter on the water intake of your machine, or the type of bag you put in your water container, or the professional filters of course...

[@carpsafari]

***** , often people think they need to descale 'regularly', its WAY better to avoid building up of scale by using a filter! The taste of your coffee will improve too! Take out the heating element and check the inside of the boiler, when there is a lot of scale, meaning no filtered water was used, its better to take the boiler out plus the tubing and descale with citrid acid. After using the acid its a good idea to fill the boiler and add a little baking soda, it will stop the acidity. In that case you need to descale the grouphead too! Take the mushroom of the head, that will give you a good indication as to how much build up you have. Use new rings and rubbers! I know how bad most drinking water is in N America, although everybody says its 'perfect', so again, please use a filter. There are filter 'bags' too to put in the tanks of prosumer machines, as there are small filters you attach to the tube in your water reservoir, for the serious coffee drinker there are the professional filters you can connect to your water main. Hope its clear, English in not my native language.

[@gmax666]

Incredible! some people don't realize that good descaling solution dissolves calcium, I've been descaling my VBM HX machine using this method for many years. BTW, filters help but descaling still needs to be done especially if you live in a region where the water is very hard. This is the same descaling method that's listed in my VBM manual, some people need to do some research rather than give bad advice.

[@pieseespressor7730]

It’s good this video because i have already clients in my service with machines blocked. Clients who follow this guy . Guys , never do this at home if you dont want to make damages to machines. In the final you go to the service or drink tea with descale taste. Good luck