# Descale



## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

Ok... So I've purchased an old machine from a hard water area (more on this when it arrives). This is a Wega Mini Nova with the plastic top (roughly 15 years old?).

I have a feeling that the recent owner has not looked after the machine and it is going to be caked in scale. Any advice on what stuff to buy? Industrial DSCALE-4? Citric Acid? Commercial Coffee machine descale stuff? I imagine a small amount of dismantling will need doing!

I'm in a soft water area so after the overhaul a light descale a couple of times a year will suffice for upkeep, yeah?


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## Eyedee (Sep 13, 2010)

Bella barista are now advocating citric acid

"Our magic discovery...Much better than commercial descalers, environmentally friendly and coffee machine friendly..You should not use vinegar"

Why it's better than commercial descalers is yet to be pointed out.

Ian


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

At a guess, the scale will be heavy, its London area and 15 years of use... having seen the other restoration threads on this forum with that kinda history I wouldn't like to think what the inside of the boiler looks like.

I used Dezcal, which is citric, on a moderately scaled boiler. It took 4 days of soaking at double strength to remove the scale, without being able to see inside the boiler (it was dismantled) I never would have know how long to leave it.

Other restoration threads have mentioned 'phos descaler', on advice of a member 'espressotechno' and was reported to be very much more effective than Citric.


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