I have owned an Alex Leva for three years now and never descaled. I live in New York and our water quality is very good believe it or not but I am getting some black substance out of my steam wand. Don't know if I should try to descale I just don't even know how to go about it the espresso machine is plumbed in and it does not have a tank

following...
i also emailed espressocoffeeshop about needing to descale or not and was told no need to descale. so i'm a bit weary about as well.

no replies mean no need to descale?

The jury is out on descaling. At one time, everyone was pushing that machines should be descaled on a regular basis. Regular, could mean anything though, but the gist of it was that descaling was a good thing. Now, many sellers of machines don't recommend descaling boilers, and is probably why espressocoffeeshop told you you didn't need to descale.

For sure, over time, your machine will scale everywhere. When the time comes when your machine doesn't appear to be running like it should, it'll proably be because of scale... no matter if you say your New York water is good. At that time, you'll have to overhaul your machine but it may be years down the road, or not.

You won't get a definitive answer to descaling, except "today", it's not recommended or needed. That opinion could change with the very next poster!

yea i know what you mean. i asked ECS and they said why descale, no need if water is good. i saw a video for the Pro800 from Clive that talked about descaling the Pro800, but i figure maybe because it has a pump?

It all depends on the water you put into your machine. Mineral heavy water will have quicker buildup than custom water. According to some the custom waters (distilled plus mineral) do not have an appreciable build up of scale. There are also RO waters some with additives others not.

If you read enough you will find posts by members that have a far greater knowledge than I about water chemistry. You'll also find quite a bit about current thoughts on which waters work well for both our machines and our taste buds.

The black might be "goo" from the steam valve, or potentially milk that has been sucked up into the wand. I'd definitely check the valve and for any hint of toasted/baked/burned milk smell.

At three years, I'd be surprised if the steam valve needs new seals, perhaps just a cleaning with a rag and some Dow/Molykote 111. The steam valves look to be of the "generic" type. If it's not obvious how they come apart for cleaning, consult your dealer or ask here. There's usually a little e-clip and washer in the knob, under the pop-out cover that some care in removing and replacing is called for. Threading the knob too far out can easily damage both to the point of replacement (cheap, but frustrating waiting for parts). If you purchased from Chris Coffee, their service department is generally very helpful by email or phone. (They're probably helpful even if you didn't.) They also have an exploded parts diagram linked off their site.

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On descaling, there's always a risk of descaling something into a leak, loss of plating, or other undesirable outcome. The longer you can go without it, generally the better. I'm not recommending ignoring scale build up, having rebuilt machines that took days in hot descaling solution to get clean, but doing it because you know you have a "modest" amount of scale you need to remove, rather than by someone else's fixed schedule.

if you have "non-scaling" water (the right levels of the right minerals) at its operating temperature, you may never need to descale with a machine that constantly exchanges its boiler water. Determining if your water is non-scaling is covered in Jim Schulman's Insanely Long Water FAQ and you'll need a copy of your local water-quality report. Of course, what goes into the pipes at the plant isn't always what comes out the other end. Checking for applicable threads in the Water section here may also provide some hints.

Milk getting old up inside the wand is my first guess, or sediment/grease from o-rings and valves. I'd do a through disassembly and cleaning of the wand, and maybe also the steam valve. Purging and wiping after each use is important, and cleaning the inside of a wand is good, regular maintenance if you drink milk drinks regularly.

A search for 'black goo steam wand' on the forums produces several hits. Cursory review didn't produce and obvious answer to your question, but looking through them may offer insight.

As others write, descaling is its own issue. I descaled my machine when I got it, but that was because it is old and I wanted to know what I was dealing with. If it's easy to do every 6 months or a year, go for it. Otherwise, Use good water and address issues as they arise, if they do.

The Alex Leva is an enviable machine! I've always loved it (and the Pompeii) as being a reliable and sturdy version of what one wants in a spring lever.

How do you descale it? I've been searching on YouTube but no video available on how to descale