cafeIKE wrote:- Place fill tube in descaling solution and return in a separate container

I've watched some videos where they just mix the descale solution in the water tank of the machine and do _not_ use separate container for return. I am ignorant of the pros/cons of either technique, are both acceptable ?

Thanks.

I don't think you would want the returning solution with the scale mixed back into your fresh descaling solution.

I did the HX & Boiler descale.

I don't think I flushed the boiler enough and smelled something pretty nasty when opening up my steam wand and/or hot water spigot. I didn't realize the day of the descale what was wrong, but then realized I needed to flush out the boiler more, so did that a few days later.

I flushed the boiler with the hot water spigot mainly. Is there a way to get just hot water out of the steam arm without it steaming, or should I just let the steam run until it's exhausted, to ensure it's flushed well?

All this said, I know I flushed the HX well, but kind of worried since it took me a while to figure out the boiler still had some of the citric solution in it, and it sat in there cold for a few days. I guess as long as it's flushed now I should be alright?

Thanks in advance

Now disassemble the top of the group as per this: Checking an E61 Espresso Machine for Scale and use a green scrubby on the mushroom.

Flush the boiler using the hot water tap - it will take a while.

@erics
I already cleaned the mushroom and assoc. parts. I actually did this first and there was a lot of scale. I then proceeded with full boiler/hx descale process.

@any1
I'll try to be more clear, I have finished the descaling process, although my concern is the bad "smell" coming from the steam wand.

Note: I filled/emptied the boiler 3 times with fresh water.

Maybe the metallic smell will only fade with time?
For some reason the steam wand exit seems worse than the hot water spigot exit, is this possible?

Thanks.

Rybolt wrote:Note: I filled/emptied the boiler 3 times with fresh water.

A simple and frequently overlooked means of descaling/rinsing the boiler is removing one of the fittings atop the boiler and syphoning the water out / adding descaler. To rinse, syphon/refill/repeat. The vacuum breaker valve is a good candidate for a syphon/refill port.

Safety Reminder: Unplug the machine! Allow it time to cool! Verify the boiler is completely depressurized by opening the steam wand! For the longer version, see the disclaimer below.

DISCLAIMER wrote:THE ABOVE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. MAINTENANCE SHOULD ONLY BE CARRIED OUT BY QUALIFIED TECHNICIANS. SUCH MAINTENANCE REQUIRES MANIPULATING AND/OR BEING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CONTROLS AND CONDUITS FOR ELECTRICITY, VERY HOT WATER, STEAM AND HIGH WATER PRESSURE. THE RISKS OF FAILING TO FOLLOW PROPER SAFETY GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES INCLUDE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH AND THE DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY BY FIRE AND OTHER CAUSES. THE AUTHOR ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INJURIES OR LOSSES RESULTING FROM ANY ATTEMPT TO PERFORM REPAIRS, DIAGNOSIS, OR MAINTENANCE.

HB wrote:To rinse, syphon/refill/repeat. The vacuum breaker valve is a good candidate for a syphon/refill port.

Just to educate myself, why didn't a natural rinse work? Meaning, empty via hot water spigot, letting machine fill boiler with fresh water and repeating this cycle.

You're not draining the entire boiler with the water tap, so it takes quite a few cycles to sufficiently dilute the descaler solution. That's why you should use citric acid, so health safety isn't an issue if there's an ounce or two of descaler remaining after rinse/repeat. Or it may be that the boiler has a more serious buildup/contaminate problem than you thought. Inspecting the inside of the boiler with a flashlight would confirm.

If you "run the numbers" using the illustration below,

you'll see that the internal volume of Anita's boiler (when filled to the brim) is ~ 1.0 litres. I also just measured it in the labooooratory using graduated beakers and confirmed that value.

I've never measured how much you can get out of the HW spigot but 250 ml would be a guess and I'll leave it to someone more stastiscally inclined to come up with the number of HW spigot rinses it would take.

Anyone know what side of the machine to raise on a Rocket Giotto Evo? I'd like to do this without disassembling anything if possible. I'm not concerned about it taking longer.

Thanks