Jason, from the CCS service department, suggested that I leave the machine on for at least 6 hours to see if that freed up the clog. However, before I tried that fix I wanted to see what you all had to say/suggest.

Cutting to the chase, and much to my delight, his suggestion worked and I can only speculate that by leaving the machine on, for an extended period, it allowed the hot water to dissolve the accumulated detergent.

So much for RTFM (Reading The F#%@&*# Manual) and following exactly what it says.

Keith

Split follow-on discussion to Cleaning regime too extreme?

Here is what I have been using for a couple of years: http://ka-kleen.com/
Its easier to use, faster, and it certainly won't clog up your machine!
Rob

I'm sure everybody has their own cleaning regime. I've found this works well for me.

- once a year, descale
- about once or twice a month, chemical backwash using a 1/4 teaspoon of something....I forget what it is, it came with the machine and looks kind of like Cafiza. I believe that, Joe Glo, Puly Caff, or whatever does the job. Once I put the mix in the blind portafilter, I fill it a little with water and stir the mix around so it kind of dissolves a little. Start the backwash cycle, dump the garbage, fill the PF and jiggle it around the brew head, and repeat until there's no coffee grounds left. Use a green scrubbie to scrub brew head, then run the rinse backwash cycle. Scrub down portafilters, screen, screw and everything once they've been soaking for awhile.
- When shot is complete, dump puck, turn brew water on, and rinse the portafilter under there. Dump water and wipe.

I'm sure everybody has their own recipe, but I found that this works well. I can probably do a better job cleaning it, but I think a lot of it just has to do with the taste of the shots and feel of the machine. If a shot starts turning a little bitter or sour, I know it's time for a backflush. When the machine takes longer to heat up and starts making a lot of noises (clicks, crinkles, etc) during boiler heatup, I know it's time for a descale.

do you still want guidance on unclogging a 3-way solenoid?

All fixed but thanks for the offer.

Keith