There's a lot of advice floating around about how to maintain the cleanliness and lubrication of an E-61, some of it conflicting. This is understandable, since there are several objectives that theoretically need to be pursued, and maximizing your effect on one may not be the best action for another.

Having messed around with a couple of E-61 units for a number of years now, I've put together the following routine:

After Each Use

Portafilter wiggle, wipe the screen with an absorbent cloth.

The towel wipe is the main action here, to soak up the oil residue while it's hot. I like to do the wiggle just because it's an easy way to flush away the coarse grounds and keep my towel from getting too crudded up too quickly.

2x Per Week

Drop the screen, wipe out the inside of both the screen and the grouphead.

Some people have said they get very little to no oil accumulation inside their screens, even though they also say they don't use detergent that much either. If this is your experience, more power to you, but it certainly isn't mine. I always remove a film of residue when I wipe out the screen with this frequency.

Dropping the screen this often keeps the taste effect of rancid oil down, and since I keep the gasket dressed with a tiny film of silicone grease, the screen stays in but also pops out readily, making the job quick and easy. This also avoids the possibility of having the gasket cement itself into the head, thereby requiring heavy combat to get it out when it eventually leaks and requires replacement, which can happen if you habitually try to clean the screen in place.

I find I still want to get out the blowtorch and burn off what little crud tends to build up on the screen, maybe once a year at most.

Monthly, (or more often if I get to maybe 50-60 pulls)

Detergent backflush w/1/4 tsp of Cafiza, Pulycaff or the like

A detergent flush will degunkify the valves, some of the area upstream from the water dispersion block including the cam chamber, and also the lower "pre-infusion" chamber. I'd rather use detergent for these purposes than worry about using detergent on the screen, since frequent detergent blasting strips the cam surfaces and promotes wear.

Semi-annually (for me this coincides with descale time)

Remove the lever and chrome nut, lube the cam and pins with silicone grease.

I don't have a justification for why I do this with this frequency. I just intend to limit stripping of the bronze wear surfaces (actually it's the brass pins that do the great majority of the wearing) and maintain some degree of lube. This practice seems to strike a decent balance.

The intention of all this is to keep the valves working and the three-way pressure release effective, keep the water running through the head tasting clean and free of rancid oil flavors, avoid premature failure of the cam followers, AND make it doable enough so I won't neglect it.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

earlgrey_44 wrote:...I keep the gasket dressed with a tiny film of silicone grease

What part of the gasket do you apply grease to?

I do 2 pf wiggles after each cup and the a water backflush. Dont always wipe the screen as the 2 wiggles and bf removes almost everything but maybe I should sponge off the screen after the wiggles.

Marvin

CrayonShinchan wrote:What part of the gasket do you apply grease to?

When I install a new gasket I dress the whole thing. Dow 111 is the most often mentioned goop of choice for this. You only need use a very small quantity - you're looking for a light film only. I find I don't feel any need to renew the dressing but once or twice during the entire life of the gasket.

I suppose the outer and upper surfaces would be the most important.

Would this stuff work or does it have to say it's food grade, FDA approved, yadda yadda yadda?

http://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning--Ring...285&sr=8-1

Dow Corning 111 is the stuff many recommend.

If you're considering something else, you really want not only a high-temperature "food safe" lubricant, but one that is certified for both NSF 51 (food contact) and NSF 61 (drinking water) use. NSF H1 is not enough, in my opinion, as it is for "incidental contact" -- as I understand it something like a drop falling off a chain or bearing into the food.

If you have a Grainger near by, you can put it on will call and pick up a tube for under $20 that will last you a lifetime. Most espresso parts suppliers also sell "single use" packets.

That is quite a while between backflushes. I detergent clean every week and it needs it by then. One thing to keep in mind, a well used machine needs less detergent cleaning than one that only sees one shot a day. Oil will dissolve oil so frequent use keeps the oils on the group fresh. If you are unsure of how often to detergent clean your machine, run some water through the group into a cup and let it cool to room temperature, then drink it. How does it taste, clean with a hint of coffee, or bitter and acrid, does it have a bad smell, if so, you need to clean it.

cannonfodder wrote:If you are unsure of how often to detergent clean your machine, run some water through the group into a cup and let it cool to room temperature, then drink it. How does it taste, clean with a hint of coffee, or bitter and acrid, does it have a bad smell, if so, you need to clean it.

I think this is an excellent point, and expresses better than I did part of what I'm trying to do. I have been pretty happy with the condition of the water my routine produces, but now you've got me thinking.

Recent experiences learning to cup coffees have sensitized me to the way coffee flavor changes as the coffee cools. I've always tasted the water hot. I wonder if the taste of the water when it's cool would make me change my mind. I think I'll experiment a little...

earlgrey_44 wrote: since frequent detergent blasting strips the cam surfaces and promotes wear.

Where did you get this from ? Commercial E61 machines are detergent " blasted " every night and yet last for years.
John

jmc wrote:Where did you get this from ? Commercial E61 machines are detergent " blasted " every night and yet last for years.
John

Does "blasting" sound pejorative? Didn't mean it to be - I'm not against cleaning things - I'm just a lazy maintenance man who wants to not do more work than necessary.

I haven't maintained an E-61 in a commercial setting. I'm sure they can last for years - perhaps even getting some parts replaced along the way.

I do know detergent strips oils. I know how the lever feels after a cleaning. I have seen pics of worn cam follower pins. And I know I'm not alone in my concern. For example:
http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/e61-lubrication

I also know the advice one gets varies over quite a big range - even as folks say they are being guided by the same cues - hence my curiosity.