Hi, just after some advice on how to descale my 6910 machine and how often. I live in northern W.A and our town water supply is pumped from underground and has a high calcium content. I use a carbon filter for water that is used in the machine. I backflush the machine often but I think I should be descaling regulary, any sugestions and types of products to use would be much appreciated. cheers Brett
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
Hi brett....
Yep we in WA have the hardest water in Australia.... and bore water would be even worse....
Unfortunately carbon filters wont remove any of the hardness.... you need an actual water softener for that.... and here in WA the only ones worth considering are ion exchange....
Without a softener you will need to descale fairly frequently.... I believe Sunbeam have special chemicals for that (read expensive) but because of their quite unique construction - a stainless steel lined thermoblock - Id be hesitant to use the more conventional descalers..... which should work - but is probably risky.....
Fellow Sunbeam owners can probably give you some better advice on descaling.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
The EM6910 has a Calcium filter in the water tank... Id replace them more often, instead of every 12 months, every 6 months. Theyre about $20 a pop. Give Sunbeam a call to clarify. Their Descaling solutions arent all that expensive and should be fine for the EM6910.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
Page 32:
Descaling
Scale is a surface build up of minerals that naturally occur over time in all appliances
that are involved with the heating of water.
Therefore the espresso machine will requireoccasional descaling. It is recommended
that the espresso machine is descaled every4-6 months, this will vary depending on the
frequency of use and water hardness.
Descaling solution
Use any of the following when descaling the
espresso machine:
[ch61694] Sunbeam Espresso Machine Descaling
Tablets (EM0010)
[ch61694] Sunbeam Liquid Descaler (KE0100), or
[ch61694] Vinegar Solution.
Descaling the espresso machine
Note: Ensure the espresso machine is turned off and the power cord is unplugged.
1. Remove the water reservoir and rinse clean.
Depending on the descaling solution being used use one of the following:
A. Sunbeam Espresso Machine Descaling Tablets
Fill the water reservoir with 1 litre of warm water and place a descaling tablet into the
reservoir. Once the tablet has dissolved replace the reservoir, this takes about 5-7 minutes.
B. Sunbeam Liquid Descaler
Fill the water reservoir with approximately 1.5 litres of water, add 1 capful of
Sunbeam Liquid Descaler and replace the reservoir.
C. Vinegar solution
Fill the water reservoir with approximately 1.5 litres of warm water, add 3 tablespoons
of vinegar and replace the reservoir.
2. Should the group handle be attached to the group head remove it, rinse thoroughly
under running water and set aside.
3. Using a screwdriver unscrew the brewing filter/shower screen from the underside of the group head.
4. Remove and set aside the filter/screen and screw in a safe place.
Important: Be careful not to lose the filter/screen and screw once you have
disassembled the group head.
5. Place a sufficiently large container under the group head.
6. Insert the power cord into a 230-240V AC power outlet and switch the power ‘ON’.
Press the ‘POWER’ button once to turn the espresso machine on.
Note: Remember if the ‘POWER’ light is flashing green this indicates that the
espresso machine is on and is heating up.
When the green light above the ‘POWER’ button stops flashing and turns to a constant red light this indicates that the espresso machine is heated and ready to use.
Additionally the lights above the ‘MANUAL’, single and double espresso buttons will show a constant green light.
7. Press the ‘MANUAL’ button and allow half the solution to cycle through the group head and then once again press the ‘MANUAL’ button to stop the flow.
Important: Do not run descaling solution through the steam wand.
Note: As a safety mechanism the espresso machine is programmed to automatically stop
the water flow after 240mls, therefore you will need to press the ‘MANUAL’ button again
to restart the water flow.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
Vinegar works as a descaler, but it is not odourless, so is not often used, especially in larger boilers or in any boiler that may have a slightly porous surface. Other descalers have far less odour and so are preferred.
So for stainless steel, which isnt likely to be porous, vinegar should work fine. Brass and copper are a different story.
Cheers,
Mark.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
Ive tried most of the DIY mixtures, with varying success.
But when i bought the 6910, I figured it deserved a little respect. So I bought some commercial descaler (and back-flush powder) from Coffee Parts, who are a site sponsor.
I am amazed how much gunk each of the products removes. The descaler is not cheap, but I save the water and descale my kettle and steam iron at the same time.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
Originally posted by Thundergod link=1191327427/0#4 date=1191407275Page 32:
.
I hope you didnt retype all of that!!!
Ive just descaled using citric acid - 1.5 tablespoons in 500ml of water. Its what Ive used on my Saeco for years and seems to do the job as well as any of the branded descalers.
Had a scary moment reassmebling the filter because there was no picture in the manual.
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
So it has been some time and you have done this how many times since ?Originally posted by flatwhite link=1191327427/0#11 date=1192233490Ive just descaled using citric acid - 1.5 tablespoons in 500ml of water. Its what Ive used on my Saeco for years and seems to do the job as well as any of the branded descalers.Originally posted by Thundergod link=1191327427/0#4 date=1191407275Page 32:
.
Had a scary moment reassmebling the filter because there was no picture in the manual.
The results to date are ?
Further more, I use filtered water and have not changes the in-line filter in the water reservoir to date...
However it begs the Question How often if at all do you change this filter and do you leave it in when de scaling ?
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Re: advice on descaling em6910
I have just used the vinigar method in my machine and I removed the filter in the water tank before doing so. Everything went fine and I noticed a little bit of gunk in the water. My machine is about 3-4 months old.
There was no residual taste in the coffee or the water that was flushed through after the process.
It does state not to put descaller through the seam wand. At SB coffee school they only recomended back flusshing tha machine every day after use and dont bother about descaling. I am of the opinion that that is incorrect as it will not clean the thermoblock but will clean the releif valve by the fact that water (clean) is released through the 3 way valve to the drip tray removing any coffee oil build up. but does not go back through the themo block.
These are my thought only and have nothing to do with any others. I base my thoughts on a therotical knowlage and common sense therefore could be wrong and If anyone wants to correct me I will be happy to be.
Regards
Crisp Image
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