I am about to purchase a lelit Bianca after many interesting and rewarding years of owning an Izzo Alex Duetto. Having made many mistakes re usage/ servicing, i have become a more informed person re repairs and dos and don'ts but above all realising purchasing a prosumer machine is not a buy and forget procedure. I don't regret the errors I have made as they led me to a wonderful gateway of knowledge and learning. I also know I still have much to learn ( which is why I keep posting on this forum) full of many knowledgeable people, but also aspiring, passionate coffee lovers like myself. I thought, as I venture towards my Lelit journey it would be useful for myself (and hopefully others) to compile a bullet list of necessary servicing procedures when owning a coffee machine. Some will be lelit biased but most general. Please add to it or tell me where I am mistaken. I am sure I will probably miss much out and get others wrong so please don't shoot the messenger.After all we are on this forum to enjoy and learn. * Make sure you use water that is low in hardness. It is not necessary or preferable for a 0 reading but one that registers a CaCO3 of around 40- 80 mgl * dismantle and clean all parts of the e61 at least once a year or earlier if noticing problems * grease the cam in the brew leaver around approx every 3 month's or if starting to feel resistance * grease the flow profiler paddle internal ( where fitted) every 3 months and dont wait till it goes stiff * use molykote or other food safe grease, NEVER wd40 or equivalent * keep the internals clean so that any leaks or other problems are easier to spot * remove the gasket and filter under the portafilter once a week and clean * use cafiza or puly to clean portafilter and spouts at the end of each day of use * use a citric acid bath/solution to clean parts that are showing scale * if steaming release some water from the service boiler after use and refill with fresh filtered water approx every 3 months * do not backflush with puly/cafiza after ever use, only about once a month but daily with just hot water and a blind filter * After backflushing with puly/cafiza you may need to regrease some components like the cam * don't descale often but prioritise avoiding scaling in the first place * once a year or biannually check with a simple laparoscope to inside the boiler to look at how it is coping with scaling * wipe the externals of the machine daily Only a suggestion, but might it be a good idea to have something similar to above pinned as a general checklist of dos and don'ts. Any way please add or change accordingly.

Espresso machine routine servicing

coffeealex

I am about to purchase a lelit Bianca after many interesting and rewarding years of owning an Izzo Alex Duetto. Having made many mistakes re usage/ servicing, i have become a more informed person re repairs and dos and don’ts but above all realising purchasing a prosumer machine is not a buy and forget procedure. I don’t regret the errors I have made as they led me to a wonderful gateway of knowledge and learning. I also know I still have much to learn ( which is why I keep posting on this forum) full of many knowledgeable people, but also aspiring, passionate coffee lovers like myself.

I thought, as I venture towards my Lelit journey it would be useful for myself (and hopefully others) to compile a bullet list of necessary servicing procedures when owning a coffee machine. Some will be lelit biased but most general. Please add to it or tell me where I am mistaken. I am sure I will probably miss much out and get others wrong so please don’t shoot the messenger.After all we are on this forum to enjoy and learn.

Make sure you use water that is low in hardness. It is not necessary or preferable for a 0 reading but one that registers a CaCO3 of around 40- 80 mgl
dismantle and clean all parts of the e61 at least once a year or earlier if noticing problems
grease the cam in the brew leaver around approx every 3 month’s or if starting to feel resistance
grease the flow profiler paddle internal ( where fitted) every 3 months and dont wait till it goes stiff
use molykote or other food safe grease, NEVER wd40 or equivalent
keep the internals clean so that any leaks or other problems are easier to spot
remove the gasket and filter under the portafilter once a week and clean
use cafiza or puly to clean portafilter and spouts at the end of each day of use
use a citric acid bath/solution to clean parts that are showing scale
if steaming release some water from the service boiler after use and refill with fresh filtered water approx every 3 months
do not backflush with puly/cafiza after ever use, only about once a month but daily with just hot water and a blind filter
After backflushing with puly/cafiza you may need to regrease some components like the cam
don’t descale often but prioritise avoiding scaling in the first place
once a year or biannually check with a simple laparoscope to inside the boiler to look at how it is coping with scaling
wipe the externals of the machine daily

Only a suggestion, but might it be a good idea to have something similar to above pinned as a general checklist of dos and don’ts.

Any way please add or change accordingly.

Cuprajake

That’s about right, flush with water is a good way to keep stuff clean, it really depends on useage

Biggest thing is taking care of the flow control as that seems to be an issue with some.

MediumRoastSteam

You don’t need to soak/clean with detergent every day. That’s overkill. In fact, if you use a naked PF and rinse the basket after every use, you won’t even need to do it.

Drop the shower screen every day or other day and wash it with wash up liquid.

If you backflush with detergent, always follow up by regressing the cam.

SurreyAlan

When I bought my machine I was told that with my one cup a day habit I probably wouldn’t have to use detergent to backflush for 6 months.