# AAAAHHHH!!!!! Burning Smell at Group head!!



## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

Hi Guy's,

I need some advise, I switched on Silvia today and did my usual routine of flushing the boiler to ensure it is full of fresh water and left her to warm up.

When I unlocked the PF there was a smell of burning adhesive(actually it smelled like burning MDF if you have ever smelled that) and the PF seemed very hot(not massively hotter than usual, just enough that i noticed. It was also stinking like the group)

The boiler is full and water at the group is not flashing to steam or anything, WTF is going on?


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

could it be cooking dezcal residue? I did a de-scale the other day, flushed it properly and everything, pulled shots on the day and the day after but it has been sat unused for a couple of days as i have been focused on brewed. Could residue have built up in its idle period and would it stink like that when it got hot?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Suggest don't worry unless it happens on an ongoing basis. Pull a few shots.


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I have tried a backflush.. Still stinks, I stuck my nose in to check and the fumes pretty much burned out my nasal cavity!! that was what lead me to think it might be Dezcal. I'll have a play tomorrow, pull some shots and what-not. Cheers Mike, just having someone else to blame has given me the confidence to give it a go.. HAHA!


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

Just realised what the smell is, I think it's Formaldehyde which is why it smells like burning MDF, How the hell has Formaldehyde or a chemical that has broken down into it found its way into my machine??


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Well there's this...









and this...


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I had this on my Gaggia Classic (ah those were the days) tracked it down to some coffee/oils somewhere in the group head. very thorough cleaning sorted it


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## Outlaw333 (Dec 13, 2011)

I have had a cleaning session with some Full Circle of all the group components and done another back flush to try and get rid of the problem and flushed and flushed and flushed again, it helped alot but was not a total fix, so I left her on unused for a while to try and burn off the nasties which seems to be working, the formaldehyde stink has now faded to a faint whiff, i'll pull a couple of shots for the sink and do another flush which I hope will sort it.

Thanks for the advise guys


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