Bottled Water and Descalling Espresso Machine

“Rob1”#p4483 You can test water that doesn’t initially scale and then track it daily to the point it is about to start scaling at your max temp, but you can’t just draw water off randomly and check to see if scale is going to form on the next use. You would have no way of knowing if you’d caught it at the moment it is just about to start or if it has been scaling for a month.

Thanks Rob! I understand your rational! Random or infrequent test doesn’t help answer when so that one can flush, refill and start with a clean slate again. Daily test gives an advantage, although it is too much of a faff and an over kill.

Rob1 You would have no way of knowing if you’d caught it at the moment it is just about to start or if it has been scaling for a month. It does sound like you understand that.

One doubt though:

I keep wondering which one of the below is correct ?

• If scaling has formed, would you not expect, when the water is drawn next time, the test result show the hardness corresponding to the scaling level? OR
• The scaling has formed, now it has stopped scaling and the hardness won’t show in the drawn water, perhaps it will show no scales. This is the risk of irregular testing !

Rob1 I don’t think it’s really useful to obsess over the service boiler for the majority of people out there

True.

Thx for your time and clarifying. It’s an interesting and a useful learning! 😂

Cuprajake

It depends on

• how old your machine is - I am thinking < 1Y
• how many steams a week

I would definitely consider, if I were you, get a drop kit and test to get an idea. I know what Rob will say. 😊

A full regular refresh is certainly the way forward or draw a cup or two a week as Dave would always suggest.

You have access to RO mate, I would use that.

Hint :

Perhaps this! You love it, don’t you ? 😂

Waitforme Should it be Sodium or Potassium Bicarbonate I add to Ashbeck to raise the Alkalinity ?

If it’s added then is it likely that the brew boiler won’t scale at normal temps ?

I would use potassium bicarbonate to keep Sodium at 10mg/l but it’s up to you.

You can use the spreadsheet in my signature to calculate how much to add to 5 litres or whatever you want (the relevant instructions are to the right hand side of the cells on the example page…it’s not as complicated as it seems, just edit one cell at a time. That way you can lift alkalinity to whatever you want with whatever quantity of Ashbeck you have, scales willing. 0.2g Sodium Bicarb will get you to appro 50mg/l Alkalinity but Potassium Bicarb will be a bit different.

Grif was under the impression that would be corrosive….I can’t remember where I got that idea, presumably its not right?

It is corrosive, this is also a true statement for water that doesn’t form scale. However, the water is distilled directly into a sealed container and stored in a sealed container so has limited contact with gasses to dissolve (which is one of the main things to cause corrosion). Other than that the boilers are 316l steel which is fine for storing distilled water…..and additionally, it doesn’t stay pure for very long. I wouldn’t do it with Brass/Copper though.

Cuprajake i use my pavlis water, which is potassium bicarb,

should i still be flushing the steam boiler?

Yes but not as often. You’ll get sediment when solubility is exceeded (will take a very long time), other than that you’re just looking at increasing alkalinity which isn’t bad. I did read 316l steel is susceptible to some discolouration or very low level corrosion from potassium bicarbonate, not sure why but the same wasn’t true for sodium bicarb. This is room temp testing and it appears to be Potassium bicarb without water i.e. just powder sitting on the metal so 99.9% certain it’s nothing at all to worry about.