Hello All,

I have owned a Rocket Appartamento for about 5 months. I simply love the machine.

Unfortunately, I had a pressure problem, and had to send it back to Seattle for repair. It turns out it was a failed boiler pressure switch. They also found that the vacuum breaker valve was stuck open due to scale build up.

The Service Manager wrote, "Please note, scale accumulation is not normally covered under warranty and I must strongly recommend that you change water sources immediately or risk a full void of your remaining warranty. Seattle Coffee Gear has had good results with Poland Springs and Crystal Geyser bottled water in espresso equipment."

I must admit that I was surprised by this news. I use filtered water from my Whirlpool refrigerator. And, without exception, I descale my Appartamento every Sunday night. I was also surprised by the threat of voiding my warranty. I'm not sure if that is allowed or legal.

Anyway, I would like to treat my Appartamento right. Any known cures for what ails her/him/them (California) would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

ZK

ZebcoKid wrote:And, without exception, I descale my Appartamento every Sunday night.

Are you sure about this?

Please explain what "descale" means in this context.

You should ideally run water that will not form scale deposits and never descale. If that is unavoidable, you may find an annual descale is in your best interest if your water has a minor risk of scale formation, or perhaps quarterly if your water is at a higher risk.

Weekly is a bad idea. Are you sure you aren't thinking of running a detergent backflush through the group every Sunday night?

Cheers!

- Jake

Hello Jake_G.

Thank you for your reply.

You are correct. Apparently my understanding and vocabulary are not up to snuff. My apologies.

What I do every week is a back flush the Appartamento with Cafiza (picture attached).

I like the idea of semi-annual or annual descaling, versus using bottled water. I go through 2.25 L / 76 oz every day. That seems like a heck of a lot of bottled water. Then again, I don't know what a descaling procedure would cost.

Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.

Kindly,

ZK

Quick note on Crystal Geyser is that some of the sources (shown on the label) are "good" for espresso machines and other are not.

The Weed and Olancha sources show up here in NorCal, sometimes mixed on the shelf. There's a good table at Best bottled water for espresso machine

Thank you, Jeff.

I hope you and your loved ones are safe with the Mill Fire making its way through Weed.

I'm south of you in Marin/Sonoma. We've had our share of devastating fires.

Be well.

ZK

ZebcoKid wrote:That seems like a heck of a lot of bottled water. Then again, I don't know what a descaling procedure would cost.

Check out this recent topic for some info on water options in your area, but beware I'm not sure sure the details. I'm sure Pat will chime in.

San Francisco water options / Larq pitcher

To my mind correct water is better than repairs....

JGood.

With that as the approach, how will I know that I'm running "the right" water? Is it simply a recommendation, or is there a perfect diagnostic of the water that a water producer/purveyor should be able to produce?

Thank you.

I know this has probably been covered a thousand, thousand times, but it's definitely taken me by surprise. I thought I was doing it perfectly well with filtered fridge water. Nope!

ZK

You're posting in the water forum...

So yeah. There is certainly a range of acceptable to ideal brew water for espresso machines.

Your options are to find the correct bottled water from the correct sources (as Jeff pointed out), make your own water with RO/Distilled/Deionized water with added minerals, or figure out a treatment regime that works for your local tap water source.

Very few localities find a water report for their area and get a green light for using in their espresso machines without the need for treatment and/or periodic descaling. But it does sometimes happen.

How do you test your water for verification of its quality?