Do you periodically empty your boiler (HX machine)

[scientist]

For your standard HX machine like the Giotto, do you periodically empty your boiler to get rid of 'stale' water?

I have 2 thoughts

1) emptying once in a while is good because the water could, over time, dissolve a bit of the copper / solder that the boiler is made of and affect flavour

2) emptying is bad because it introduces new Mg / Ca / carbonates etc into the mix and adds to the scaling

Thoughts?

[mulquemi]

scientist,
I have two Bezzera HX machines (single & double group),one Boema (single group),one Simonelli (single group),one LaCimbali M27 (two group).All of these machines use rain water only (plastic storage tank with pre flush) from steel roof (no lead). I don't expect any contamination from Mg/Ca/carbonates etc anytime soon.
I regularly draw off stored water to maintain that fresh tasting coffee perfection,as I believe that after a time stored boiler water can and doe's take on a non fresh taste,my good wife keeps things in check there,will say " her cup of tea takes on an "iodine" taint so I'm now regularly moving stored water,problem gone now.
Cheers,
Mick.

[MrJack]

I use the hot water wand on my BZ99s to heat my cups. That, and the steam use, ensure that the boiler is regularly refilled.

The brew water doesn't sit in the boiler; so the issue of affected taste is, well, a non-issue.

[sprezzatura]

Refresh your boiler. Very important! Introducing fresh water dilutes precipitates and stale water. Do you use the tea tap? How about a nice, cup of concentrated dissolved minerals and coppery-water in your long black? Yuck! Introduce fresh water every day.

[sprezzatura]

Addendum: I drain my boilers every 4 weeks.