Mariowar, I descale every two years. The water is what dictates that schedule. Some people do it every six months. Probably once a year is a good rule.
You can unscrew the 36mm (?) nut on top of your grouphead. Not the one on the very top, but the large one. That is called the mushroom, and as water enters that chamber, it will deposit scale on the side of the mushroom. That is one way to check for scale, but not that reliable. If you run a vibe pump, only run it a minute at a time with rest time. You can remove the vacuum breaker vale on the top of the steam boiler and stick a thin hose down there and siphon out the contents. I just keep emptying the boiler by switching off the power, and open the water tap. The steam boiler will drain a lot, but not all the way, but several times doing this eventualy renews all the water. Switching the power back on auto fills the boiler. The brew boiler is a different story. There really is no easy way to drain the thing. The heat exchanger located inside the steam boiler is also part of the brew system. I renew the water by running the pump, but there is a lot of flushing involved. I would not try and remove any upper or lower boiler plugs, as they are hard to remove, and unless you have a good hold on the boiler, you will tweak the plumbing and the position of the boiler inside the case. I have had problems descaling both times, and screwed up parts on my machine, which then flooded the kitchen more than once. My unit is direct plumbed. I try not to descale, but that is just me and my bad history doing it. Dennis -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of mariowar Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 11:26 AM To: Brewtus Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever Dennis, thanks. As I said I finally sucessfully managed to remove the gasket without ruining it and I will seriously consider the gasket you recommended . How often you descale? I wonder if there is a sign that we can be aware of to service the machine. My machine is one year old and use soft water, either spring water which is around 20 PPM or Culligan drinking water ( the one that you refill at Walmart from a dispenser) which is incredibly soft at 4 PPM. I read somewhere that the easiest way is removing the nuts ot valves on top of the boilers. On Jan 12, 2:30 pm, "Dennis Keating" <[email protected]> wrote: > Mariowar, > > You should not have that much trouble removing the gasket/screen combo. > > 1) Check your technique - use a stubby blade screwdriver with a > 3/8" wide blade (1/4"?). Find one of the two notches in the grouphead > and pry off that, keeping your screwdriver blade in the groove on the side of screen. > The assembly should come loose without any disturbance to your gasket. > > 2) Keep the gasket area clean using a grouphead brush. I wrap the > bristles of mine in a wet dishrag and run around the circle where the > gasket mounts. > > 3) Check your gasket size. There are more than one gasket size that > can work - yours maybe too snug. The one I use is p/n F 59 from > espressoparts.com (NW). They are soft, too. A gasket should last up to > two years, easy (depends how picky you are) > > I believe that the E 61 lever parts last a long time with home use. I > do not lube anything in there, and I Carfiza every two weeks. Five > years of use and not a problem. I do however water backflush twice > and p/f wiggle rinse after every shot. I clean the gasket w/brush frequently, too. > I have chosen not to let the friction = wear part bother me. Lubing > the cams is nice, but I don't want to do it. > > Dennis > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf > > Of mariowar > Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:03 AM > To: Brewtus > Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever > > I am glad this thread have been helpful to you. Just keep in mind that > no matter what you have read, FRICTION = WEAR, therefore, reducing it > will keep our machine in working condition for a longer time. > > As I mentioned it before, Wholelattelove and ChrisCoffee, recommend > backflushing with detergent once ever 4 weeks, considering you pull > about 6 shots a day. However, it is vox populi that users usually > perform it once a week. Obviously, if there is not enough coffee oils > to dilute, the detergent will get on the lubricant.... eventually making the lever stiffer. > We all can have different personal opinions in this matter but the > only fact is one. I f we keep doing it this way which is against the > instructions manual we better lubricate the lever and cam to reduce premature wear. > > One of the biggest fears is a dirty screen that would alter the taste > of the espresso ans since there is no screw to take it out you have to > take the complete gasket in order to get the screen out and most of > the times this operation ruins the gasket....... > Just think about getting a new gasket every 2 weeks...... > That is the reason why users backflush with detergent so often. > > Last night I suceeded taking out the gasket and screen with a knife > without ruining them. Just do it at least every month so it will never > get to the point af almost melting and toasting against the group. In > addition to that I will also use a little Dow Corning 111 to lube the > gasket so it is going to be even easier to take it out the next time. > > It is a very easy task if you follow the instructions on the > link:http://www.espressomyespresso.com/ > > HOW TO Page # 13 > > PD. By the way, I just used one cup of MINUTE RICE ( Parboiled) to > clean my MAcap M4 and WOW!!!!, tell me about rancid coffee coming out > of those burrs + a difference on the cup. > From now on I will do it weekly unless I use a different blend. > > On Jan 12, 10:22 am, "Shaun Taylor" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Sorry to jump in on this one a bit late. > > > My lever always feels a bit stiff and 'squeaky' after backflushing, > > but it always settles back into its familiar operation after a few > > shots so I don't worry about it. The reason I'm posting up is to > > comment on the frequency of backflushing. I know there are different > > opinions out there on how often to backflush, first let's define the > > two types as a reminder - there is backflushing with water and > > backflushing with chemical. Backflushing with water is a good habit > > to get in to as often as you can. That means daily if you can > > remember, but certainly a couple of times per week would be a minimum. > > Backflushing with chemical has a wider opinion on how often to do it. > > High-volume/commercial operation approach versus home use approach > > requires different levels of frequency. A good commercial operation > > is backflushing (with chemical) throughout the day, and absolutely > > will do it at the end of each night. For home use, personally I try > > to backflush with chemical every week (or so) as I don't care for > > the idea that there are rancid coffee oils hanging around my > > grouphead, etc. The opinion that there is no need to use chemical > > any sooner than a 4 - 6 week period is madness to me, what is it > > about home use that is so > forgiving that rancid oils are acceptable for over a month? > > > Backflushing once a week isn't going to hurt your machine if you do > > it correctly. The only downside is a little bit of extra time taken > > to ensure your espresso is clean. The upside... no rancid coffee > > tainting your carefully prepared espresso. > > > To end on a happy note, here are some recent shots I pulled into a > > bodum, they were from a Brazil Sul de Minas and also from an > > Ethiopian > Chelfit. > > >http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4254181777_9a74614529_o.jpg > > >http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4254947138_0aea6c4e9e_o.jpg > > >http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4267415941_db4195dfab_o.jpg > > >http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4268161906_352acfbdcd_o.jpg > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > > ------ > > -- > > > Shaun Taylor > > >http://forwardmomentumcoaching.com > > >http://shaundoreenevankeegan.blogspot.com/ > > >http://shaunseye.blogspot.com/ > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > > Behalf > > > Of Enders13 > > Sent: 12 January 2010 03:54 > > To: Brewtus > > Subject: Re: Squeaky Lever > > > This has been a very helpful thread and I thank all contributors, I > > have some Molykote 111 on order and will be applying referencing the > > link kindly posted by Mariowar. > > > I noticed the stiffness and squeak while doing the periodical back > > flush with cleanser and after 6-7 back flushes to clear out the > > cleanser the lever feels soooo stiff I was afraid some serious > > damage was occurring.- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
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