I'm wondering what could be dangerous about using my BDB after sitting in my basement unused for 6 months.

Water is top of mind here. I could run a ton of water through the brew boiler pretty simply. But is there anything I need to consider from a safe-drinking-water perspective?

Any help on what the dangers are if I don't want to descale due to the risk of this machine dying after doing it.

Thanks!

no idea here. i had no issues for a month or 2 coz work at site. no weird water taste too.
hadnt go more than that, and not at basement.

im probably more concerned on the steam boiler since that holds water longer, cycles slower and goes into lots of reboiling, but you can simply unscrew and dump the water out without turning on. i do this about monthly depends on frequency of use.

for brew boiler you need to go into descale mode to bleed it.
maybe do a descale run with just plain water a few times would do?

For six months in a heated space, flushing the boilers seems sufficient. But if you're concerned, do a light descaling treatment with white vinegar or citric acid and lots of flushing. Keep in mind that the steam boiler is heated way above boiling, so it's effectively "self sterilizing".

Thanks everyone. Dan, I'm not concerned, more wondering if I should be concerned. lol I did mention it's in my basement, but it was in a cold room that is outside the foundation of the house. Does that shift your messaging from, "just flush and it'll be fine" to "definitely descale!!!!"?

Does your message mean that the only real concern is the brew boiler?

As long as it was above freezing, my comment above is unchanged. I've had machines idle for months and just flushed the boilers. I'll let the medical doctors and biologists decide if that's a mistake.

Ok lol. I know I'm not receiving medical advice, but this is very helpful. What difference does it make if it was below freezing? Mine wasn't because it was effectively spring and summer months.

Uh, if it was below freezing, the boiler and pipes could be cracked. That wasn't the case, so flush the boilers a few times and you're done.

Right, I thought you might be referring to a different hazard due to temperature.

I've gotten it up to temperature and ran a clean at pressure many times and all seems usual. Thanks!