Apologies in advance. I have read through multiple posts here on espresso machine water treatment and proved, to my satisfaction, that I'm intellectually incapable of grasping much of it.

However, based on what I think I've learned, it looks like either the small Mavea Purity C50 Filter System, or the Chris Coffee "generic" combination water softener and filter system would meet my needs. Am I essentially correct on this?

The filter would service only the machine, which is a newly rehabbed Reneka Techno 2 with twin copper (?) boilers. My drinking water breaks down as follows: pH: 7.00; sodium: 35; hardness: 4.1 grains/70 ppm; calcium carbonate: 19; magnesium: 4.2; and TDS: 230.

Thanks for your patience on this topic. I know that many of you have posted exhaustively on this subject before.

JS

Your water is not that hard*, so I'm not convinced you even need to do any softening. To estimate a scale deposit rate, one needs to know the alkalinity and I'm not sure you gave us that. Where you said:

jsecunda wrote:pH: 7.00; sodium: 35; hardness: 4.1 grains/70 ppm; calcium carbonate: 19; magnesium: 4.2; and TDS: 230.

It's possible that "calcium carbonate: 19 " is actually your total carbonate alkalinity measure, expressed in conventional ppm units of calcium carbonate equivalent.

If your alkalinity really is around 19 ppm (CaCO3 equivalent), then you don't need to soften and this water would not cause scale deposits, even in the steam boiler.

If you did want to soften the water a little, then the Mavea C50 has the advantage that you can adjust it. But I don't think it's a good choice for you because it is not a conventional softener, and replaces the calcium and magnesium with hydrogen rather than sodium ions, and this reduces the alkalinity of the water and lowers the pH a bit. If your water is already low in alkalinity, and especially if there's chloride or sulfate in the water this type of softener is not recommended because of corrosion concerns. (See Warning: Chloride & sulfate levels with weak acid cation softeners (e.g., Everpure Claris) for details about that.)

Since you live in Concord, MA, your ideal water treatment needs may not be simple. Some of the water in that area is very high in chloride ion, and high chloride can be corrosive, especially to copper and brass but also for stainless steel. Some machine manufacturers recommend use of reverse osmosis systems wherever water is high in chloride. La Marzocco recommends less than 30 ppm chloride, and Synesso recommends less than 15 ppm. The softening filters and carbon filters do nothing to reduce the chloride.

* 70 ppm total hardness with 4.2 ppm magnesium ion would mean a calcium hardness of 53 ppm. Those numbers are below the SCAA recommendations and within recommendations of most espresso machine manufacturers. The most conservative recommendation i've run across is from Nuova Simonelli, who recommends some softening whenever hardness exceeds 50 ppm, but that is a very conservative simplified recommendation.

homeburrero wrote:Some machine manufacturers recommend use of reverse osmosis systems wherever water is high in chloride. La Marzocco recommends less than 30 ppm chloride, and Synesso recommends less than 15 ppm. The softening filters and carbon filters do nothing to reduce the chloride.

This has me wondering - isn't RO water stripped of too many minerals etc for use in espresso machines? I'm aware of remineralization but the filters available to do so don't actually specify what they contain or if they're even fit for espresso machines, including the BWT BestMin (which is also quite pricey).

Sorry if this is OT but I find myself in this exact situation at my house (which is currently on well water with a salt softener).

Thanks, Homeburrero. Alkalinity is listed as 39.

chrisbodnarphoto wrote:This has me wondering - isn't RO water stripped of too many minerals etc for use in espresso machines? I'm aware of remineralization but the filters available to do so don't actually specify what they contain or if they're even fit for espresso machines, including the BWT BestMin (which is also quite pricey).

I agree, water straight out of the RO would not be good. And most remin cartridges don't add that much but I think they may be good enough if you're OK with relatively soft brew water. I've tried to get example post-remin numbers from the BWT folks with no success. I understand that the commercial systems from GCW (https://www.globalcustomizedwater.com/easy-series) can be adjusted and tuned to add minerals up in the SCAA target range. I see their website has an area for residential products with a 'coming soon'.

jsecunda wrote:Thanks, Homeburrero. Alkalinity is listed as 39.

That's good - is close to 'ideal' by most standards. But you would not want to reduce it by using that Mavea softener.

And with an alkalinity of 39 ppm and a calcium hardness of 53 ppm you should not expect scale buildup, even in a 130℃ steam boiler, so really no reason to put in any softener.

I agree. But it's always a good idea to filter the water to get rid of any particles that might clog valves in your machine.

If your machine is plumbed in, put a 10" 1-micron filter in the input water line before the machine. The housing and filter aren't expensive. You might also consider a 10" carbon filter in front of the machine if your water doesn't taste great. The same 10" housing works for that, too. Chris Coffee sells the housings and filters.

Always flush a few gallons of water through new filters before connecting to your espresso machine, especially carbon filters which always let loose some particles when new.

homeburrero wrote:I agree, water straight out of the RO would not be good. And most remin cartridges don't add that much but I think they may be good enough if you're OK with relatively soft brew water. I've tried to get example post-remin numbers from the BWT folks with no success. I understand that the commercial systems from GCW (https://www.globalcustomizedwater.com/easy-series) can be adjusted and tuned to add minerals up in the SCAA target range. I see their website has an area for residential products with a 'coming soon'.

The entire area of remin is extremely irritating and confusing to me :: no one seems to actually give any idea as to what remin is actually happening. By the looks of it the La Marzocco RO system uses the BWT Remin filter after the RO system and that's what they recommend, so one would think that this would be sufficient. Looking at other remin filters (such as the one available for our Aquaflo system) some seem to spike the PH into the 9.5 range ... arguably ok for drinking but doesn't seem good for espresso!

My (hopeless) journey continues!

Another solution is the EVERPURE CLARIS with adjustable total dissolved solid (TDS) levels.
Massive company (Pentair) well know in the foodservice industry as the standard for water treatment \ conditioning.
They also offer specific R.O. systems for coffee machines, the BL Series RO Systems feature an adjustable blend valve which allows for custom tailoring of the treated water's dissolved mineral content

As per Pentair Claris data sheet:
• Claris (like other WAC products) is great for water with bicarbonate levels above 100 & low chloride and sulfate levels less than 80ppm and 150 ppm respectively.
• Maintains beneficial minerals for quality coffee
• Protects against scale formation

Water with high acid risk (high chloride and or sulfate levels) should consider reverse osmosis technology for removal.

What are people thoughts on this setup: http://www.theperfectwater.com/Home-Mas ... ystem.html
Not really sure what re-mineralization actually occurs with it? It states that its "patented Full Contact technology adds calcium and magnesium minerals twice during the purification process."

I've got a new LM Linea PB arriving soon and would like to get a great filtration system for it as I plan on having it for a LONG time. Any suggestions?


Thanks