# Sage Barista Express descaling frequency



## danielbird193 (Apr 2, 2020)

I've had my Sage Barista Express for about 9 months and I'm ashamed to say that today is the first time I've descaled it and changed the water filter. (I had to find something to do while locked down in quarantine!). Previously I'd just backflushed with cleaning capsules and given the portafilter a good scrub once a month or so, but had never felt the need to descale before.

It ended up being a straightforward job with some descaling solution and new filters from eBay, which I now have a good stock of. So my question is how often should I be doing this in future? I use the machine every day, but only for 2 or 3 coffees a day. Would every six months be enough, or do I need to do it more frequently?

Thanks for any advice.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

What's your water like in terms of hardness?


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## danielbird193 (Apr 2, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> What's your water like in terms of hardness?


 Hard as nails, I'm in South London


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

danielbird193 said:


> Hard as nails, I'm in South London


 Monthly or I'd be using filtered or bottled water with it. I wouldn't be surprised if the scale hadn't already done significant damage


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## danielbird193 (Apr 2, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> Monthly or I'd be using filtered or bottled water with it. I wouldn't be surprised if the scale hadn't already done significant damage


 Thanks, I suspected as much based on my kettle. Hopefully the water filter has helped avoid too much damage.


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