# Hints & Tips.



## Grumpy (Jan 21, 2011)

A quick tip...

Empty plastic milk bottle? Use the steam wand, give it a blast to soften and then crush it saves a alot of space in the bin.

Grumpy

Ok a more serious tip.

This might be worth knowing.

We all know how boilers become soured or fouled, but I have come across another rare way twice now.

A new customer called me because they had experienced a soured boiler 3 times in the previous 3 years, so some investigation was required.

The machine, a Bezzera Bistro was never switched off and they were adamant they didn't soak the steam wand so it was not milk contamination; further enquiries revealed that they only used the machine for shots and steaming milk, hot water was provided by a boiler next to the machine, this was the problem.

The machine only replaced the water which was lost when steaming the milk and this in itself was not enough fresh water to stop the boiler water turning stagnant, to make things worse, because the machine was left switched on 24/7 in never cooled and therefore the water in the boiler never contracted which would have allowed a quantity of fresh water to be pumped in when switched back on.

The cure was for them to switch the machine off and open the hot water valve to empty as much water from the boiler as possible and then to switch back on to allow fresh water in, I recommended they did this once a week which they did after I had cleaned out the boiler and the problem has not returned.

Home machines with a boiler and heat exchanger I would think could suffer the same fate as not a lot of boiler water is used. Just a thought and I hope it helps.

Grumpy


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