Expobar minore - particles in hot water wand

[Agrajag]

I rarely use the hot water wand but did so this morning and saw some particles in the cup. Unscrewed the end filter bit and saw this


Feels like soft metal flakes. I took the cover off the machine saw that the pipe to the hot water just comes straight from the steam boiler - so bit worried where this might've come from/what it is? Any ideas?

I got this machine 2nd hand only a couple of months ago, I plan to get it serviced soon anyway (I don't know the service history at all).

[sprezzatura]

Hi! I wouldn't be too concerned (especially as you indicate that you rarely use the hot water tap). Boilers are notorious sumps for swarf (from manufacturing process and assembly), precipitates like calcium and other debris.

This is why (in part) why there's a filter on the tea tap like your kitchen mixer. It functions to diffuse the water so it doesn't spit angrily all over you as you make a guest a cup of tea as well as filter boiler debris.

if you take it in for a service you can request a boiler drain and flush and de scaling.