Nuovia Simonelli Oscar Boiler Cleaning

#1: Post by **ciordia9** » February 7th, 2011, 1:11 pm

Somehow I got off the espresso bandwagon for about a year and I should have properly decommissioned my machine for the duration but I didn't. I have a modified PID NS Oscar and I need to know any recommendations for cleaning the boiler. Maybe it's not necessary but if there was water left in there I can't think it did it any good. I can fill an flush a few cycles or there's got to be a better thought.

Can't find any documentation on NS's site or through some general searching. Would rather not have to go disassemble the beast again as that's a lot more labor than I'd like to introduce.

Thoughts?

Kindly, -a

#2: Post by HB » February 7th, 2011, 1:22 pm

The same steps for descaling should do it (e.g., How to descale HX espresso machine). Advice about bringing an espresso machine out of storage? covers some other reminders.

February 7th, 2011, 2:16 pm

Thanks Dan, those are some great threads.

I also contacted NS to see what they had to say and to save others the footwork here it is:

At the very least, you will want to run about a pint of water out of the grouphead to flush out water that has been in the system. If you would like to drain the boiler, you will have to remove the top of the machine and remove the drain-plug located in the lower-back left of the unit. You may have to open a copper tube fitting on top of the boiler to break the vacuum, as well. Then, you could refill the machine a go from there. We recommend using softened water, about 3 grains per gallon, to avoid any mineral build-up inside of the machine. If you need to clean the inside of the boiler, it is recommended to visit a qualified technician.

I'll refill, get it all back to temps and flush it a few good times, checking the pressure the second time through. I've replaced every tube in it about 2 years ago and it's kept indoor and healthy--on visual inspection everything looked and felt right. Just wanting to make sure I wouldn't get some bacterial issue more than anything but I think I'll be alright.