Machine: Sunbeam EM6910
Grinder: Sunbeam EM0480
I've been pretty good with my machine, cleaning regularly with a solution from the local Coffee Roasters. The showerscreen and washer are removed regularly and cleaned, I wash my PF each time i use it, run a little water through the group head after each use, use the brush most end-of-day times when I turn the machine off...
Where I lapsed was in running the cleaner through my steam wand. I use only Reverse Osmosis water in my machine so it seemed unlikely I'd have problems with blockages or descaling issues etc. so the steam side got let go. Not only let go, but pretty much forgotten - and there hangs the tale...
My steam was, over several months, taking longer each day to start steaming. The pump would start instantly with it's brrrp, brrrp noise, although very soft, but the steam was taking longer, almost by the day, to come through. I've been browsing gumtree and ebay looking for a 6910 for spare parts, thinking my steam pump was on its way out, so I wanted a spare machine to strip for parts.
Then this morning it was time for a clean and I actually read the back of the cleaner bottle where it said to run the stuff through the steam wand. So I did, giving it about 15 minutes of constant cleaner-steam, then 2 x RO water when the rest of the machine was complete as well. I got lots of brrrp, brrrp, shflttt... noises and actually got contaminants clouding the water from the steam in the container.
And now my steamer is not only almost instant steam again, it is back up to full strength - I hadn't even noticed the gradual change to my steaming technique as I adjusted to the changing pressure...
Grinder: Sunbeam EM0480
I've been pretty good with my machine, cleaning regularly with a solution from the local Coffee Roasters. The showerscreen and washer are removed regularly and cleaned, I wash my PF each time i use it, run a little water through the group head after each use, use the brush most end-of-day times when I turn the machine off...
Where I lapsed was in running the cleaner through my steam wand. I use only Reverse Osmosis water in my machine so it seemed unlikely I'd have problems with blockages or descaling issues etc. so the steam side got let go. Not only let go, but pretty much forgotten - and there hangs the tale...
My steam was, over several months, taking longer each day to start steaming. The pump would start instantly with it's brrrp, brrrp noise, although very soft, but the steam was taking longer, almost by the day, to come through. I've been browsing gumtree and ebay looking for a 6910 for spare parts, thinking my steam pump was on its way out, so I wanted a spare machine to strip for parts.
Then this morning it was time for a clean and I actually read the back of the cleaner bottle where it said to run the stuff through the steam wand. So I did, giving it about 15 minutes of constant cleaner-steam, then 2 x RO water when the rest of the machine was complete as well. I got lots of brrrp, brrrp, shflttt... noises and actually got contaminants clouding the water from the steam in the container.
And now my steamer is not only almost instant steam again, it is back up to full strength - I hadn't even noticed the gradual change to my steaming technique as I adjusted to the changing pressure...

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