Water problem leads to scale

Water analysis, treatment, and mineral recipes for optimum taste and equipment health.
blutch
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#1: Post by blutch »

I decided to pull the mushroom and the other things I could take off on the group head to see if I had any scale build up. This is a 2 yr. old Crem One Infuser. I have only used bottled water from Ozarka that I THOUGHT was RO water. I added the Rpavlis baking soda recipe to this water. I implemented this plan after EXTENSIVE research and discussion on this forum. I'm not sure where I read that Ozarka drinking water is RO. I got the RPavlis recipe here and have been adding it religiously to the Ozarka. Obviously, this is not RO water and I need to look for another solution. The water comes from flojet bottle system I got from Caffeworks. I love it and it works very well. It has a 7 gallon reservoir, so I need to get my water in 5 gallon jugs.

How bad is this lime scale buildup? Does this mean my boilers are in immediate need of descaling? Should i have a tech do this or is it something I can tackle? One of the boilers is copper. I would also like to descale the group head parts and the top of the mushroom where the water comes in ASAP so I can at least get the machine going again. The lever part had no scale and the bottom drain part of the group head didn't have much more than a tiny bit of scale.. I assume I can descale these upper parts in vinegar? Should I use something else? I'd rather not wait to get something commercial if possible.

If I could get distilled water in 5 gallon jugs, I would continue to use the Rpavlis recipe to add minerals back in. Unfortunately, I thought I was doing the right thing for my machine with this Ozarka water, but it turns out to be spring water, not RO water. I was misinformed. My grocery store has an RO water dispenser. Can those be trusted? Part of me wonders if those machines are properly maintained?
Please advise on fixing my water issue and on descaling the group head parts and rest of my machine. I don't know how severe this is.
Please advise on what to do with my water to keep this from happening going forward. Also, is it possible to get distilled water 5 gallons at a time. i just can't stomach wasting all that plastic in 1 gallon jugs.. big hassle and environmentally terrible.

Here are some pics. Oh wait.. I don't remember how to post them here. I did put them on the Home Espresso Aficionados group on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeesp ... nt_mention

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#2: Post by Jeff »

Posting the images here would be valuable, especially as Facebook requires membership and cross-posting is strongly discouraged. Posting images on HB

Advertisement
blutch (original poster)
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#3: Post by blutch (original poster) replying to Jeff »

Excellent. Thanks for the reminder!



User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#4: Post by Jeff »

At least to my eye, that isn't a "scale problem" that is demanding immediate action. You've got a relatively light set of deposits, especially if that is a year or two. Typically the hotter the area, the more likely scale is to deposit. The mushroom is one of the hottest parts of an E61 group. If your mushroom looked like that after a month or if it looked like it had barnacles on it, then I'd worry a lot more.

I use the RO/DI dispenser in my local Whole Foods market. I'll spot check it from time to time with a conductivity ("TDS") meter. RO from mineral-laden water may still have a relatively high mineral content. The dispensers here offer either RO or RO/DI ("DeIonized") water at the same price. At $0.49/gal here, it is less expensive than bottled by a factor of two or more. I use glass, gallon jugs to haul 3-4 gallons at a visit.

blutch (original poster)
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#5: Post by blutch (original poster) »

Thank you Jeff. The glass gallon bottles is an excellent idea. I wonder if I could actually use a 5 gallon refillable plastic bottle at Whole Foods? It's across town, but i could fill up two or three of them. Would I need to add Rpavlis recipe water to RO/DI?

You don't think my boilers need descaling? The machine was 2 years old in March. I run 1-2 shots a day.

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6808
Joined: 19 years ago

#6: Post by Jeff »

I prefer glass as it is reasonably easy to clean and sanitize. I like the one-gallon size as I can pour from it easily and the "open time" is relatively short, compared to drawing off a five-gallon bottle (and sticking something into the water). Even at a cup (8 oz, about 225 mL) a shot if you're flushing an HX machine, that's 16 shots a gallon. At two shots a day, that's comfortably a week's worth of water. Those are just my beliefs, concerns, and ways that I address them.

blutch (original poster)
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#7: Post by blutch (original poster) »

I'm pouring my water all at once into a large 7-gallon reservoir that feeds my flowjet system. The machine is plumbed into this system. This is why I wan 5 gallons at a time in a carboy - which is a 5 gallon, refillable bottle for drinking water coolers you see in offices.

Advertisement
User avatar
BaristaBoy E61
Posts: 3512
Joined: 9 years ago

#8: Post by BaristaBoy E61 »

Your situation doesn't look serious to me either. You could also check your water hardness from time to time with test strips.

You might also do a complete descaling of your machine with citric acid. That way you'll know that you're starting your next phase with a clean slate.

Your group parts don't seem to show much of any wear, that's a good thing.
Be sure to lubricate all the cam parts, lever stems and gaskets with food grade lubricant when reinstalling them.
"You didn't buy an Espresso Machine - You bought a Chemistry Set!"

blutch (original poster)
Posts: 183
Joined: 3 years ago

#9: Post by blutch (original poster) »

BaristaBoy E61 wrote:
Your group parts don't seem to show much of any wear, that's a good thing.
Be sure to lubricate all the cam parts, lever stems and gaskets with food grade lubricant when reinstalling them.
Yes I'm all set to do that. Thanks!

MA

Pressino
Supporter ♡
Posts: 1374
Joined: 3 years ago

#10: Post by Pressino »

The chromed mushroom looks like it shows some signs of corrosion along with a small amount of accumulated scale. Ozarka water is apparently no longer sourced from the original springs in Arkansas, but from several sites in Texas. The latest water analysis report I could find was from 2021, and I note that the "Spring Water" version (there are three variants listed, including sparkling and distilled) lists a chloride range of 8.7 to 28. The higher end of that range would be a matter of concern.

Post Reply