What do you use to flush your coffee machine out with?

[devnull]

As per title really. I seem to run a tankful of hot water through my gaggia every so often, but i'm wondering if i should be putting a solution of cleaner through it. Any recommendations?

[sherman]

I use the stuff recomended by illy for cleaning out my machine(a francaisfrancais) but Im sure its just mainly citric acid. So get your self some citrjc acid powder and run it through your machine in a solution and then run a tank of water through after it and it should be fine.

[Pixel-Snapper]

Huh! Flush your coffee machine out?

This is something I've never done..... Should I?

[devnull]

Depends how often you use your machine I guess. I switched mine on today for the first time in a month and it was clogged. The water around here is very soft to the point where limescale isn't an issue. The general idea is to flush out the rancid coffee oils which build up over time.

I'll be hunting down some citric acid for mine!

[missdiane]

We had to descale ours every couple of months, but it did completely block at one stage and nowt was coming out, descaling had no affect, took to bits what I could and it was all the coffee grinds (powder) stuck up inside, flushed/cleaned very regularly then!
Had taken about 3 years to get that blocked though

[custardkid]

Viniger

The clear malt stuff

[Dr G]

Back flushed with puly caff every couple of months.

[SwanJack]

I have a Gaggia as well. I take the grouphead apart for a good clean. It shows you how here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxfc-_otUo how to take the shower disc off. I go a step further though and take the shower disc holding plate off and clean behind that (removed by allen keys). You'll be amazed at how dirty it can get.

Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 8th November 19:30

[carreauchompeur]

I've got a Jura which has a set cycle, comes up for cleaning every so often. I buy the scandalously expensive descaler tablets but refuse to buy the cleaning tablets. A small bit of washing up liquid seems to do alright but I'll try citric acid for the next cycle.

[missdiane]

SwanJack said:

I have a Gaggia as well. I take the grouphead apart for a good clean. It shows you how here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxfc-_otUo how to take the shower disc off. I go a step further though and take the shower disc holding plate off and clean behind that (removed by allen keys). You'll be amazed at how dirty it can get.

Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 8th November 19:30

That was where I found all my gunk

[Pixel-Snapper]

Interesting wasn't aware of any of this cleaning lark.

Might take mine apart over the weekend then and give it a clean.

I'm good at taking things apart, not so at putting them back together though!

[carreauchompeur]

Almost all coffee machines have a 'place' where gunk accumulates. I didn't do the brew head filter on my first machine for years and it gradually got slower and slower...

My current machine kept on throwing pressure errors until I googled it and found there is a plate inside the machine that you need to wipe every time you clear grounds... Not in the user manual but has worked perfectly since.

[dmitsi]

carreauchompeur said:

Almost all coffee machines have a 'place' where gunk accumulates. I didn't do the brew head filter on my first machine for years and it gradually got slower and slower...

My current machine kept on throwing pressure errors until I googled it and found there is a plate inside the machine that you need to wipe every time you clear grounds... Not in the user manual but has worked perfectly since.

What plate is this? I never wipe anything when chucking the grounds and have had no pressure errors (Jura F50 too).

[toasty]

Kilrock in a very well ventilated area and rinse through a couple of times.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=ki...

[carreauchompeur]

dmitsi said:

What plate is this? I never wipe anything when chucking the grounds and have had no pressure errors (Jura F50 too).

Basically, if you remove the drip/grounds trays and feel upwards there is a flat, circular disc mounted at 45 degrees which I think the coffee presses against... This needs to be kept clean.

To be honest mine only did if after a good 6-12 months, kept coming up with "open tap" and failing to produce a cup of coffee so I keep an eye on it now.

It's not something to worry about, but if you get errors, you now know where to start!

[cramorra]

this
http://www.nextdaycoffee.co.uk/store/puly-caffe-cl...
is what most of the pos use in Italy - once a week - privately once a month is more likely - you will need a blind portafiler to backflush, though
There are descalers you can pour in the tank but don't like them...

[dmitsi]

carreauchompeur said:

dmitsi said:

What plate is this? I never wipe anything when chucking the grounds and have had no pressure errors (Jura F50 too).

Basically, if you remove the drip/grounds trays and feel upwards there is a flat, circular disc mounted at 45 degrees which I think the coffee presses against... This needs to be kept clean.

To be honest mine only did if after a good 6-12 months, kept coming up with "open tap" and failing to produce a cup of coffee so I keep an eye on it now.

It's not something to worry about, but if you get errors, you now know where to start!

Thanks for that, no errors on ours, but helps to know another bit to keep clean.

[Bonefish Blues]

cramorra said:

this
http://www.nextdaycoffee.co.uk/store/puly-caffe-cl...
is what most of the pos use in Italy - once a week - privately once a month is more likely - you will need a blind portafiler to backflush, though
There are descalers you can pour in the tank but don't like them...

This when the machine tells me it needs it, plus (currently) Jura cleaning tablets, also when told.

[Dr G]

SwanJack said:

I have a Gaggia as well. I take the grouphead apart for a good clean. It shows you how here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxfc-_otUo how to take the shower disc off. I go a step further though and take the shower disc holding plate off and clean behind that (removed by allen keys). You'll be amazed at how dirty it can get.

Edited by SwanJack on Thursday 8th November 19:30

Did mine a couple of months ago for a 'deep clean' and the year before had it down to component form to descale the boiler etc. I get the impression that with DIY maintenance it will last a lifetime. Only replacement part it's had was a 20 quid solenoid (since 2003!).

[NDA]

I have a Gaggia Classic and run the Gagia descaling fluid through it once a month.... Available from Amazon.