How often do you deep clean your machine?
skylark Not sure if you are saying “it isn’t flaking lacquer” or “disappointing that the lacquer is flaking so soon.”
If the former - looks like it from the photo but you have the machine in front of you - you’ll know better than me.
If the latter - still entirely possible, likely caused by poor surface prep, likely oil remnants from the brushing process prior to spraying the lacquer. Clearly shouldn’t have happened and it’s a defect that warrants return for remedy.
Mine looks like this:
Never used specific cleaning products though - just alcohol gel a couple of times.
It’s just the splash panel that is like this. The other parts of the machine are impeccable. Wondering if a weak solution of Puly might do the trick (assuming that’s coffee oils, as I can’t think of being anything else).
App baby oil is good on ss
But I’ve had good experiences with baby wipes filled by microfiber cloth immediately after it
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
There is NO actual peeling lacquer. It has just started to look like this. Initially it looked like a sprayer shot had erupted all over the front but that’s not the case. I think the use of water followed by a drying down has allowed the top coating to be breached and what i was seeing looked just like rust. I have raised a query with BB as it can only get worse in my opinion. Let’s see what they say.
Could be worth a try. That’s exactly how it looked but as i say it wasn’t the case.
I say this tentatively as I don’t want to make matters worse, but the e-cloth I have at a specific side for brushed SS which is more textured than the polished SS side. Also, other products I have used in the past on SS (not on a coffee machine, but still SS) to good effect are Bar Keepers Friend and Peek.
Maybe do some research into those?
A light Puly solution followed by a wet cloth might do the trick for removing coffee oils.
I just did it this morning, Remember, it’s a splash back panel after all. It will get dirty again in no time.
The other parts of the machine are only cleaned with water.
Well now. Raised the issue with BB alongwith that photo and they said they couldnt identify the problem from sight of it. Fair enough i thought so i have asked if a replacement panel is an available spare part which could assist in resolving any potential for dispute. After all, it looks bad now, its not going to get any better and if i ever choose to pass the machine on i would settle for a ‘spare’ panel able to be swapped in. Accept that its a splash panel and going to get dirty but there’s ‘dirt’ and there’s ‘tarnish’ possibly due to a faulted back panel. I think i’m being reasonable with my request to resolve it amicably, the machine is two months old on the 3rd Sept. Anyone think i’m being unreasonable? Lets see what they say …
Being thick here they don’t ship in a really thin plastic film?
Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -
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Yours looks streets ahead of mine although that front panel is definitely an inferior finish to the rest of the shiny case, for exactly the reason you highlight …. it gets dirty. Notwithstanding that, mine’s a lemon in the splashback stakes.
BB are going to check on availability of spares with Lelit although they ‘no longer stock or sell the Elizabeth’. Sounds like the eath knell for LE if BB themselves aren’t carrying it anymore Maybe a spares stock for existing owners is called for soon.
skylark - Yeah. The spalshback panel is certainly not clean as the rest, but it’s clearly visible that the area often covered by the PF is still spotless :-) - So it must be just coffee oils/stains (in my case at least).
And I agree with you… It doesn’t seem to be the same finish as the rest of the machine.
You can see the issue yet BB cannot, hmm. Let’s see where we go with Lelit involvement. I’m not going to prejudge but ….
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skylark With stainless there are three different types of staining you can get:
- rainbow discolouration (this requires a lot of heat, more than an espresso machine)
- tea staining, this is surface corrosion and is a type of rust that can pit…unusual in espresso machines even with the lower stainless grades..usually happens if the surface passivation is damaged in some way on stainless steel outdoors.
- Yours looks like calcium deposits? the other most common stain
Calcium deposits won’t wash off, and stainless cleaners like method won’t remove them. You could try a vinegar on a microfibre cloth…work a smaller area and see if it comes off without damaging the panel (work in the direction of the b brush lines). If it does clean it off, do the whole panel. BUT, you absolutely must neutralise it by cleaning with a damp cloth, drying, then using method or similar non abrasive stainless cleaner. Don’t let it stay to long on brushed stainless.
If calcium deposits are left on too long and continually get damp…as they would on an espresso machine, then they can etch into brushed stainless.
@MediumRoastSteam doesn’t have those and neither do I, probably because I use RO water from the Osmio and MRS uses distilled. I could be wrong of course and would be very curious to know what water you use?
For what its worth, I had (every 2 weeks) religiously cleaned all surfaces of my Lelit E with cafiza impregnated wipes, followed with stainless steel cleaner wipes. The top of the unit was protected by a soft silicone grid mat, which avoided scratches, but tended to leave marks; these were removable with the wipes, and a little elbow grease. Sometimes this cleaning routine slipped to 1 month. But the routine kept the unit gleamingly clean.
Cheers Dave. I’ll certainly give a mild vinegar ‘patch’ a try. In every other way nothing I do is unusual. FYI I too have used use RO water from day one using water from the brew head to wipedown the front panel after each session followed by a microfibre dry off. I can see nothing wrong with the cleaning regime. The rest of the machine gets a rub over weekly, normally a Sunday night, alongwith an equipment clean and all is spick and span there. It’s just the front panel. Can I emphasise that there is no feeling of any surface issues. This is happening under the ‘skin’ so to speak. Does that make sense?
Exactly my routine except for the fact that I haven’t yet slipped back on the cleaning 😅. This is a strange one. Impatient me wants to crack on and use each and every cleaning product I can now get my hands on. Practical me says I need to wait and see if BB can sort me out. Keep you posted.
skylark I too have used use RO water from day one using water from the brew head to wipedown
If you’ve been using RO water, then don’t bother with vinegar, as those are definitely not calcium deposits or marks.
Use the water from the water tap, so it won’t pick any coffee oils you might have behind the shower screen. 👍
MediumRoastSteam If you’ve been using RO water, then don’t bother with vinegar, as those are definitely not calcium deposits or marks.
This would be correct….at this point I am at a loss to know what those marks might be?
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Well, I’ve cleaned the h*ll out of the panel this morning and those marks remain. Here’s a test for anyone able to do so …. breathe on the front panel, see what deficiencies are visible, polish off. Mine still shows all defects but the fact that they are visible when I breathe on them seems to contradict them being under the lacquer despite the lacquer being squeaky clean now. How would a degrease react I wonder?
Can I just add that these marks are holographic. Move to the extreme sides of the panel and it looks very flush and spotless. Move face on, as in daily use and its just ‘mottled’. Very apparent and just wrong. Hope BB can come up with a fix. Anyone ‘skinned’ a Lelit panel? Sacrilegious I know, but just thinking ahead.