# Do I need to descale?



## shatners bassoon (Jan 27, 2015)

Hi all, new to this site but have owned a Gaggia Classic for a while and now starting to take it more seriously. Decent grinder and Rancilio steam wand on the list and the pressurised basket's on its way out.

To avoid a build-up of limescale I use Brita-filtered water in the machine and whilst all seems fine there is a white deposit at the top of the tank filler, which has me wondering if filters aren't 100% effective? I live near London so the water round here is pretty hard but the kettle doesn't seem to suffer. Anyone experienced similar?


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## Kman10 (Sep 3, 2014)

You need to descale


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

London = Regular descaling.

If you haven't up to this point I would buy a kg tub of Dezcal (cheaper than sachets) and do the descaling procedure a LOT. I mean 1-2 times a week for 3-4 weeks. You likely have serious build up in your machine.

Brita helps, but the carts run out a lot sooner in hard water areas and only remove a certain amount of scale. If you want to improve the life of your machine and the taste of your coffee, consider using Tesco Ashbeck (regarded as one of the best for coffee) exclusively with your machine.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Cafiza is used for back flushing not descaling. Do not try to use if for descaling. Use a Gaggia's own product or Puly Caff.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

My bad, I meant Dezcal, edited to reflect


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## PeterF (Aug 25, 2014)

I second that


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## urbanbumpkin (Jan 30, 2013)

You'll need to descale, you can buy big bottles of Ashbeck from tescos for about £1.20. It's pretty kind to machines


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## shatners bassoon (Jan 27, 2015)

Thanks all - will get on the case


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## jonneymendoza (Jan 20, 2015)

I thought flushing = descaling?


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Flushing is the term used when you run clean water through the brew head to remove coffee grounds and loose waste.

Back Flushing is fitting a "blind" filter basket, operating the machine and allowing the water to discharge through exhaust valve. Cleaning agents can be included to remove coffee oils and taint from the brew head.

Descaling means adding descaler to water reservoir and running through boiler (s)


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## NickR (Jul 1, 2011)

Unless yoiu use your machine a huge amount. I would descale no more than twice a year - Its very tough on the machine if you don't have boiler drain valves.


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## shatners bassoon (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm probably the definition of light user at the moment - on average two coffees a week, maybe the odd espresso if I've cooked an indulgent Saturday dinner!

Of course that will no doubt change now I'm about to ditch the pressurised basket and pre-ground coffee


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## MooMaa (Jul 29, 2013)

How often would people recommend descaling if you only use bottled water?


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## NickR (Jul 1, 2011)

MooMaa said:


> How often would people recommend descaling if you only use bottled water?


Very good question. I'm using Tesco's Ashbeck and I'm hoping never to have to descale my machine.


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## DoubleShot (Apr 23, 2014)

Some members recommend descaling at least every six months even if using bottled water. Some even descale more often than that. Not sure it's a good idea to never descale if you want your machine to last and your coffee to taste great!


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## PeterF (Aug 25, 2014)

Every 6 months if you use bottled water.


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## PreCoffeeCantankerousness (Dec 14, 2014)

So what if you live in Edinburgh and have soft Scottish water?

Do you ever need to descale?

I recall some rather vile kettles when I lived in England, but have never had any issues in Scotland.


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## TomBurtonArt (Jan 18, 2015)

I would imagine descaling twice a year no matter what would be a good idea. We get very soft water in the North East but still get some minor scale after regular use.


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## PreCoffeeCantankerousness (Dec 14, 2014)

Thanks Tom.

I did some reading yesterday on general maintenance of grinder & coffee machine & even specific instructions for my pavoni, and they did confirm your assertion of a 6 month descaling cycle in soft water areas.

Cheers!


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## NickR (Jul 1, 2011)

As I said de scaling is very hard on the machine and best avoided entirely.

http://www.home-barista.com/espresso-machines/chris-coffee-says-dont-descale-t34367.html#p389776


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