Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Problem after cleaning

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • tukadafoonday
    replied
    It's interesting you talk about this - I did descaler through my EM6910 the other day which cleaned a whole lot of crud from the steam wand.

    What I have noticed now though is steam takes a little longer to build up as well as when I shut the steam off it keeps letting steam come through the wand for a while until pressure has gone.

    Anyone know if there are some seals or something which I could/should replace as I would think that I don't have an air tight system which is not holding pressure in fully?

    Leave a comment:


  • pghusn
    replied
    Hi Joka640, I have the same issue with my old em7000. I was going to throw it out, but I’ll try to descale it and see if I can get the wand working- I may be able to sell it!

    Leave a comment:


  • JavaB
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Joka640,

    Good to hear it all worked for you.....

    Yep, descaling the thermoblock is necessary...... there must me an "approved" method of doing it..... but in any case, what you did has fixed the problem.

    Leave a comment:


  • Joka640
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    well against the advice of the manufacturer, i bought some descaling powder from the super market and used it through the steam wand/thermoblock...

    Needless to say, my problem is solved!!!! WOOT!

    The amount of junk that came out of the steam wand was a little scary, the water was a brownish Grey turbid colour... I ran it for a while and allowed it to stand with the machine off, passed through some more fluid before finally rinsing with a complete tank. All is well again...

    Thanks for your help guys.

    Leave a comment:


  • JavaB
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Joka640....

    Mmmmm

    Interesting problem. Thermoblocks only have a thin tube running through them (with a stainless steel liner in the case of the Sunbeam). Over time calcium salts from the water will deposit scale and reduce the flow and efficiency.

    Now if the steam thermoblock only supplies steam (via the steam wand) the heat will evaporate off the water from the descaling fluid which will then deposit the chemicals along the walls of the steam thermoblock - and make the problem worse....

    Many years ago I had a thermoblock (single) and by using the brew cycle it cleaned it (and restored the steam power as well)...

    But with the Sunbeam dual????? Unless hot water is produced by the steam thermoblock I dont know how you would descale it. I cant see it damaging the steam wand, but if it comes out as steam, then the chemicals will be left in the block - which will do damage.

    Maybe someone with a Sunbeam has some ideas..... the steam thermoblock will need descaling (far higher temps than the brew one.... and everything - bar the vaporised water - will be left in the block!!)

    Any ideas??

    Leave a comment:


  • Joka640
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    I have descaled the machine twice since owning it, however not the actual steam wand, as the instruction manual says not to run descaling fluid through the steam wand... Is there a special steam wand descaling fluid i should purchase??

    I appreciate your time and efforts to help me.

    Just to clarify - the user manual says clearly "IMPORTANT: Do not run descaling solution through the steam wand."

    How would this harm the steam wand??

    Leave a comment:


  • JavaB
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Joka640

    Hi, Ive found that over a period of time the holes in the steam wand slowly reduce is size due to a little milk caking in them..... when you give it a good clean , the holes are back to the correct size....

    When reduced in size, you pass less steam and it comes out at higher pressure.... so all is good in the texturing department.... even if the boiler (thermoblock in your case) is slowly getting covered with scale.....

    When the holes in the tip are opened, the scale has reduced the steam volume.... no longer enough to provide adequate pressure through the holes and texturing is less efficient.....

    So it could either be the holes in the tip being partially blocked (generally texturing still works OK - its just slower) or the very small tubes in the thermoblock are filling with scale.

    Have you descaled lately? Sunbeam produce a special descaling liquid which you should use at the frequency they recommend to keep your thermoblocks in good condition.... if you dont they will eventually scale up so much- no water will flow- big problem!

    Leave a comment:


  • Joka640
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Yeah, it does seem like i may have lost a little power. I still havent cleaned it with a brush as yet, as i have been lazy in buying one...

    Leave a comment:


  • rice
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Maybe the holes in the tip are a little clogged? You could try digging around with a pin (or other sharp, finely pointed thingy) ?

    Leave a comment:


  • leebroozlee
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Yeah just sounds like youve lost some steam power somehow

    Leave a comment:


  • Coffee_Kid
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Is the steam weaker?

    Leave a comment:


  • Joka640
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning


    Hey, thanks for responding.

    I always wipe the milk off after each use, but there is always a small amount in the fine groves just above the tip where the step is, that builds up after a while. Youd have to look close to see it, apart from that the tip is very clean.

    I havent changed a thing with my technique either...

    I think i will look at buying a cleaning brush tomorrow, and ill remove the whole want and give a real thorough clean on the inside...


    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • Coffee_Kid
    replied
    Re: Problem after cleaning

    Hey,

    Are you sure you cleaned out the wand completley?It sounds like you aint getting enough steam out of it or its too low in the jug. I would reccomend to wipe down the wand after every use because the build up of milk isnt eye pleasing.

    Leave a comment:


  • Joka640
    started a topic Problem after cleaning

    Problem after cleaning


    Hi guys,

    I have a Sunbeam EM6900 which i have had for a year now, and have had no problems getting excellent micro-foam, infact it is the only part of my coffee making that i have not "played" with or "tweaked" for a good 6 months.

    PROBLEM: Last week i wrapped the wand up with a dish cloth and let it run for a minute or so to loosen the burnt/caramalised milk so i could wipe it away. I have done this several times before with no problems (it works quite well), however now when i texture, i keep getting unsightly small bubbles that are really killing the micro foam. When i drop the tip, once i have desirable foam, to stretch the milk, it makes a much louder, churning coarse noise and all these small detergent like bubbles appear in the milk. It is producing very disappointing foam.

    Does any one have any suggestions or advise on how i might rectify this problem, or maybe what is causing it??? Has this ever happened to anyone else?

    Cheers
Working...
X