Descaling the Rancilio Silvia

[TheEspressoKid]

one more thing, Gail said if you use a chrome spoon (to mix) that the descaling liquid will "etch" it, aren't most portafilters made of chrome plated brass?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheEspressoKid If she said chrome, I think she meant stainless steel; that's where we have seen the discoloration - Kat

[TheEspressoKid]

So I see that when you are running water through the brew head that you have the portafilter in, is that important to do? Can I run water through the brew head without the portafilter?

thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@TheEspressoKid Either or will work, really; if you have harder water, you might notice some scale buildup in the basket or PF, but commonly you don't. It's your choice. - Kat

[theseriousaccount]

1 person never descales thier machine.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@theseriousaccount Hahaha -- true :) - Kat

[brownedirt]

Might I suggest that cross-reference your related videos in all clips? The maintenance clip includes urls to descaling and back flushing; it'd be handy to have urls in all places. Thanks!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@brownedirt Yeah, I don't really have the time to cross reference all 400-odd of our videos these days so you'll just need to use the power of search! :) - Kat

[damndoggy]

do you remove the in-tank water softener before descaling Silvia?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@damndoggy Yes- definitely - Kat

[tinbiscuite]

how do the parts fit back in? what side is up ..etc. what do i clean the screen and other part that came out in the video with?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@tinbiscuite We do have another video on brew head maintenance and back flushing that you may want to watch ... - Kat

[KrazyCoffeeKid]

How often should someone be descaling their espresso machine?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@KrazyCoffeeKid depends on the hardness of your water, but we generally recommend every 3 months. More if you have high mineral content water & you're not filtering it at all - Kat

[coffeeretro]

Gail & Kat,

In descaling a Silvia, how can you be sure both the tubes running to tank are void of any cleaner residual? After running the cleaner through with two tanks of water, I then ran 2-3 additional tanks through, cleaned the tank, filled with fresh water and ran 6-8 shots w/ coffee. Is this sufficient?

Enjoy the videos!

Thanks

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@coffeeretro The intake tube should be cleansed through a tank rinse and the other is the overpressure tube, so you could force water through it by turning on the pump but not opening up the steam/water wand -- you'll see the water cycling through the boiler then. If you're using dezcal, you can also taste the water -- as soon as you don't taste a citric/sour taste, you're good to go. - Kat

[coffeeretro]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Since you're flushing the machine with a descaling solution without a puck or back-flush insert in place, it would seem the valve would not be open, thus not allowing solution/water into the back pressure tube/tank...Is this correct? I want to make sure everything is clean.

Thanks,

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@coffeeretro It would just be to address if there was any descaling solution up in the tube itself, if it came into contact with the water, not to address the valve system. - Kat

[billcalkins]

Thank you so much for the information. I have a Silva (version 3) and want to take very good care of her. Like the person above I have RO water that does not replace any minerals. They state it is 99.9999% pure water. Do I need to decalcify? I plan to decalcify every 6 months just in case. I want nothing to happening to my little Silvia ;) Thanks for the great vids and the next time I buy, I'll keep you guys in mind.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@billcalkins Completely mineral free water/distilled is very hard on your boiler and the waterworks, so we do not recommend using it. If you can add minerals to it, you'll be better off in the long run (something like Cirqua would do the trick). - Kat

[HomeDistiller]

love your vids and i hope my video response to this video helps to show WHY you need to descale a boiler

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@HomeDistiller I got a notice on it but it isn't in my list to approve for this video -- can you resend it? - Kat

[noanik]

I live in Florida and use filtered water (reverse osmosis) How often should I descale the machine (I make about 5 cups a week

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@noanik Does your RO setup replace minerals for flavor or is it completely distilled? Descaling isn't driven by how much you use the machine (like backflushing is), just by duration (water is always sitting in the boiler/waterworks regardless of use). I'd test the hardness of your RO water and go from there; often, those systems will retain some mineral content so that the water tastes good. - Kat

[alphaatube]

You have so many video and still managed to reply us, wow! Hey can you do a video of how do you normally preserve coffee bean? I normally buy 500g and use it over say 1-2 weeks or 3 weeks, it depends. How do you normally store the rest in order to keep it at it's peak? And what is the time frame that we should consume the coffee after it's roasted? Is there any grinder which allows us to keep the bean in the hopper while it can preserve the bean?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@alphaatube We just did another test on freezing beans, with very good results, actually. As a general rule of thumb, if you're getting beans that haven't been preserved (a lot of large commercial roasters will do a nitrogen flush which keeps the beans fresher longer), you want to use the beans beginning anywhere from 3 - 7 days after it has been roasted and within a week of opening the bag. At the store, we keep our open beans in Airscapes with great results. We're testing more options now.

[alphaatube]

We want more video! You two are doing a really good job!!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@alphaatube Thank you!! We try to do a few per week so hopefully that will meet your needs :) - Kat

[MsRanita79]

So its just citric acid in a fancy packet? guess i will use the citric acid.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MsRanita79 Dezcal is more concentrated, but you can also use bulk citric acid, too. You'll need to use a bit more than we do in this video. - Kat

[jayscott49]

This series of Rancilio Sylvia maintenance vids is so helpful, thanks so much! Would never have done these things right without them.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@jayscott49 Great to hear! Glad we could help :) - Kat

[ryanland1]

The only espresso cleaner I can find localy is Sodium Carbonate? Is this similar to citric acid? Is citric acid better for espresso machines?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ryanland1 I don't believe that will work. Citric acid will break down the mineral build up and it seems like the sodium wouldn't do that since it is a mineral base. It could be that it is used for cleaning the machine but not descaling it. Unless it specifically says to use it in the boiler for descaling, I wouldn't do it. - Kat

[richborge]

Hi Gail and Kat, thank you for all the great info. I purchased a Rancilio Silva from you a few months ago and love it. It seems that after the first time I descaled it, it started making a slight "humming or whistling" sound when the boiler is finishing a heat cycle. It sounds like a muted tea pot whistling. It stops immediately if I release the pressure on the steam wand. I'm guessing it has to do with the boiler / steam release valve? Any ideas on what I might try to stop the whistle? thx!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@richborge Hmmmmm -- this could be the result of some scale broken off and not dissolved, hanging out maybe around the expansion valve. Are you noticing any other leaking? You could try running another descale to see if that resolves it and, if not, call the techs with your order number & they'll troubleshoot further over the phone. Kat

[richborge]

thanks Kat, I'll give it a shot and let you know. I love this coffee maker.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@richborge Cool - please do! - Kat

[richborge]

@SeattleCoffeeGear ... I may be speaking too soon, but I do think the extra descale treatment worked. So far so good, no more whistling. Fingers crossed. thanks Kat!

PS: your videos are fantastic. I rely on them a bunch for maintaining both Rocky + Rancilio.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@richborge How's it going? Hoping that the whistling has been kept at bay :D & thanks for the feedback! Glad the videos have helped. - Kat

[cwei10]

Thanks for the info. I am wondering if using water from reverse osmosis system I installed at home is good for the espresso machine and how long should I descale with such water supply? Does using this kind of filtered water make shot lose its flavor?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@cwei10 It should be; I would test the water hardness level that is still present after the filtration to determine how frequently you should descale. It's a good idea to have some mineral content in your water in order to balance the coffee's flavor (the recommended mineral content in water for coffee is 150ppm) so you want to have some mineral content in there -- distilled water will definitely adversely affect the flavor. - Kat

[gevahalperin]

thank you gail!

[greekespresso]

Dear Gail and Kat,

I would like to congratulate you for your very informative and at the same time very enjoyable videos. You are very popular in my forum where there are numerous links to your presentations. My question is regarding the use of dezcal. Is there any threat to the chromed surface of the silvia’s portafilter and shower screen? Is it safe to have the pf attached to group head during descaling?

Greetings from Greece

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@greekespresso Hi there! Thank you for watching -- and it's great to know that we have some happy (and informed) fans in Greece! :D Regarding your question: I would highly recommend removing all components during descale; we have seen the citric acid tarnish portafilters, drip trays, grates, etc. Remove everything when doing this to ensure it all stays shiny. It likely is affecting the shower screen but we don't remove it from our machine and haven't seen any issues. - Kat

[richh04]

Hey Gail and Kat, love you, love your show. I have an Astra Mega SC single group plumbed machine with no reservoir. How is it done on a plumbed system?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@richh04 Hey there -- you can only descale a plumbed system if you hook it up to a flo jet type pump and a water bucket that would have the descale solution in it. It's highly recommended to use an line filter and/or softening system for plumbed in machines, then you won't have to descale, etc. - Kat

[swarsny]

Thank you very much for the video! I wish that there was a store like yours near me (Central NJ). I'm thinking about buying a Silvia, and if I do it would defiantly be from your online store!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@swarsny Cool! Maybe someday we'll have a satellite store in your area ;) - Kat

[Politicianssuck1]

Hi Kat, love the videos, they are very informative; please keep them coming. Being pretty much a newbie to espresso coffee, I found that I've learnt so much, my only wish is that you and your store were based in Melbourne, not the other side of the planet! :-)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

I wish we had a satellite store in Melbourne!! :) Thanks for the feedback, so glad that you are finding the videos helpful :) - Kat

[zzsears]

Thanks, this is good information. But -- you mention that there is no need to flush the steam wand to eliminate the descaler, since steam is vapor. Right. Why, then, do you need to descale the steam wand at all? Presumably no calcium dissolves into the steam so there should be no build-up in the steam wand, especially if you only use it for steam, and not for hot water. But scale loosened from the boiler may be forced into the steam wand during descaling, causing it to clog. Please comment

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

On the Silvia you have to use the wand to remove the water from the boiler (faster than pulling it through the group head) so it's going to flush it anyway as a result. Did that answer your question? Not sure what you're getting at. - Kat

[bendoc91]

Hello, thanks for the informative video.

Is there any chance you could post an HX version? (I'm hoping to put my hands on an Oscar soon).

Thanks a lot

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Yes - it's on my to-do list, once one of them in the shop need a descale again. I'll check in this week and see what they're looking like :) - Kat

[simpleinseattle]

Thanks for the video. I purchased my Silvia and Baratza from Seattlecoffeegear. Fortunately, they are on the way home from work! They have been very helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for the great feedback! - Kat

[coolcatzer]

Nice video.  Would you recommend running a backflush (with the descaling solution) to descale the 3-way-valve?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

No - this isn't necessary, a lot of minerals are leached before they reach the brew head, so we never see machines with three-way valves that have scale build-up in the valve. If you backflush with detergent regularly, that is all you'll need to do to maintain that system. - Kat

[coolcatzer]

Thank you. I hope you continue to post informative videos.

[sunnus]

I just got my parents old esspresso Machine and the pump works, the steamer works, but the Brewhead wont brew anything... Is it too late to Descale?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

I would try it; depending on the machine, it could also be coffee caked up behind the brew screen. Feel free to message me with the machine model and I can see if I have any more tips for you. - Kat

[sunnus]

Hey! I tried ! Took 2 packages of Descaler but I got it working. There was a big backup of black junk plugging it up! It popped at one point and now is working! I am going to run a couple cycles of just water through it to clear it all out!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Cool! Yeah, if you can remove the brew head screen to clean up behind that, you might try doing that, too, since that black junk sounds like old coffee -- it can form into a cement if left without cleaning for awhile. Happy to hear you brought it back to life! :) - Kat

[sunnus]

Hmm I don't think I can remove the brew head at all. Its a lower end machine! I am going to brew one tomorrow:)

[clackerz123]

Thanks for the Vid, I already had cleancaf so i used that, but will go with dezcaf next :D

[andrewdaniel1]

You videos have all been succinct, easy to understand adn REALLY helpful! Thank you so much.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for your feedback -- great to know that these are helpful for you :)

Kat

[j0akim123]

Really great videos! Thinking of buying a silvia 09 and your videos helps alot!

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

Thanks for the feedback -- glad to help!

[mirxx]

Really helpful. Thanks.