Espresso Machine Maintenance
is essential for
Good Coffee at Home!!




 
Espresso machine maintenance: these machines need cleaning... often!!
Coffee contains coffee oils and these oils, together with the very fine coffee dust which is flushed out of the ground coffee will clog the holes in the shower screen, sit in the
crevices of the grouphead and, if left long enough, gunk up valves and other vital components in your machine.


Espresso machine maintenance is therefore really essential if you want your machine to keep working properly.
Using the recommended cleaning agents will ensure that your equipment will be maintained... using the wrong chemicals for your precious espresso machine could mean an expensive repair at best, or a destroyed boiler, heating element and pump at worst.
Good online shops, such as ours, stock brand-name cleaning agents, as well as  cleaning tools. 

Always follow the machine's manufacturers instructions for maintenance, and if in doubt, ring a specialist, like a dedicated espresso machine dealer or service agent

Ideally you need to carry out some form of minor maintenance every time you make a coffee, or at least at the end of every day.
A brush-out of the grouphead and a simple (back-)flush with clean water is generally sufficient.
A  form of "blind filter" ( basket without holes in it) is essential for back-flushing.
Your espresso machine dealer should be able to provide you with the specific one for your machine, or, at a pinch, a "make-do" one made ftom a piece of rubber in the bottom of your basket, can also work


The more major espresso machine maintenance can be scheduled at the end of a busy week, or, if your machine is not doing mor than 3 or 4 coffees per day, at the end of every month.

Use the group-head brush to clean out the ridges in the group-head.

Get a good back-flushing detergent and follow the instructions on the packet.
However, Do NOT keep the pump running for more than 5 seconds, or more than 5 times in a row, before giving the machine a rest.
The pump can overheat if used this way.

Keep flushing until the last of the coffee residue has been flushed out of the group-head and the water in the blind filter is clear.
(This flushing with detergent will also clear the three-way valve, if present in your machine, of coffee-oil residue.)

Then, undo the screw which holds the "shower-head" in place and soak any "loose" part (shower-screen, brass water-distributor, O-ring etc) in detergent, as well as the baskets and portafilters.
Rinse everything well, before re-assembling.

Finally, flush a few times with clean water and run a "seasoning-shot" before you make any espresso  for consumption.
Once per year the machine needs a technical service, to make sure the heat inside the machine has not damaged the insulation on the electric wiring and ensure your boiler- and pump-seals are all in good order.

Budgetting for these espresso machine maintenance schedules is good practice... not spending money on keeping your equipment in tip-top shape is not only damaging your precious gear, but also delivering coffee of ever-decreasing quality.
Rancid coffee oils can taint quickly and if left long enough they are very hard to remove.
 
The following video gives a good idea of how to maintain an espresso machine; although the machine used in the video is a professional unit, the same steps are valid for your home-machine.