Hallo everybody!

I have a quick question and was hoping you could help me...

It seems that my Gaggia Carezza is finally on its way home from a looooong stop at the repair shop, and I am getting ready to receive her. Normally I use Cleancaf for the descaling, but for some reason it is not available in my area at the moment. Does anyone know if the descaler called Ascaso is just as good as Cleancaf for descaling a Gaggia with a boiler made of aluminum?

Best regards
Troldborg

Troldborg wrote:Normally I use Cleancaf for the descaling, but for some reason it is not available in my area at the moment. Does anyone know if the descaler called Ascaso is just as good as Cleancaf for descaling a Gaggia with a boiler made of aluminum?

I can't help you with the chemical solutions you quote, but give you some general info on the topic. Descaling gaggia's has been discussed quite controversially; there are quite a number of threads on it on ac. Some recommend not using a descaler at all and take apart the boiler for descaling from time to time. Others recommend using a low concentration of citric acid or the milder tartaric acid. As I'm not in a region with a lot of hardness in the water I just use normal water.

greets

marco

Thank you for the answer macro.

I guess that just like every other matter in the world of espresso descaling is not a simple one - but anyway that is why I love this world!

Noticing that you are using a Gaggia yourself I was wondering what method you are using?

Best regards
Troldborg

Troldborg wrote:Noticing that you are using a Gaggia yourself I was wondering what method you are using?

Sorry, I was unclear in my last post. I'm using plain water without descaling at all since two month's. But I'll take apart my boiler soon to see how much scale has built up in the meanwhile.
The first month I used plain water and then I descaled with tartaric acid (which also the acid used in the original gaggia descaler).
Bought it at the drugstore (100g for $4). I dissolved approx. 30g in 1 litre of water. Then I let the pump run for some ten seconds and stopped it again; waited 15min for the acid to dissolve the scale in the boiler and then flushed with at least 1 litre of plain water. At least this procedure didn't lead to visible signs of corrosion (black pieces). But then again I saw real nasty pictures of gaggia boilers, totally black from corrosion and so I stopped using acid.
Then I used 2 months a Brita-like filter system (resin filter) to remove temporary hardness and to avoid having to descale at all. But since the filtered water tasted flat and corrosion can also happen if you're using water which is has too less dissolved particles in it (like pure distilled or reverse osmosis water), I ceased using this method too.

greets

marco

Thank you again for the answer macro, I really appreciate it!

I used to use ordinary water for my espresso and descale my Gaggia with Cleancaf every three or four weeks. But suddenly it stopped working and my vendor told me that the problem was caused by scale build up - I posted about the problem in the forum http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/gaggia-carezza-pump-stalls-any-suggestions-t3511.html

Apparently the quantity of chalk in my local water supply is enormous and I have to face the consequences; so I have decided to use bottled water from now on and still descale regularly. I appreciate your comments on what desclaing technique to use macro.

Best regards
Troldborg

If possible try to use a descaler with buffer salts. These type of descalers maintain a "constant" more moderate PH rather than an initially high, moving to a lower ph as limescale is dissolved. Although nothing can stop Al corroding in the presence of acids, a "buffered" of a descaler will be at a lower ph all the time, and as limescale is dissolved that ph is maintained via a buffer. This keeps them effective, but at ph concentrations that are less damaging.

I also think some of them can have inhibitors as well, but you may be getting into the more exotic commercial preparations.

Louis Fellini wrote:I have this scale problem since I have my first espresso machine in 1989.

Indeed, I lived in France for a few years and had never seen water so hard. Boiling a pot of water left a distinct white ring of scale, I can imagine the damage it would do to an espresso machine's steam boiler in no time!


Cheap water hardness test strip (untreated city water)

http://www.big-rick.com/coffee/waterfaq.html

answers everything.

a low water hardness can be achieved by retrofitting a rancilio water softener..i did it in my gaggia espresso.

However. you must have a ph level of 7 or higher..meaning high alkaline..to create less acid destruction while

heating is taking place within aluminum boiler.

yadda yadda yaddaa..