Descaling a fully automatic coffee machine: how do you do it?

Hoe moet ik mijn koffiemachine ontkalken?

To ensure that your coffee machine continues to work in the long term, you must descale your coffee machine properly.

Content:

- How does limescale form in your coffee machine or kettle?
- What are the advantages of descaling your coffee machine in time?
- When should I descale my coffee machine?
- Equipment for descaling the coffee machine
- Can I also descale my coffee machine with vinegar or other agents?
- Descale your coffee machine in 7 steps (step-by-step plan)
- Do I need to clean other things on my coffee machine besides descaling?

How does limescale form in your coffee machine or kettle?

Limescale is created in your coffee machine by the water from your water pipe. Water from the mains contains calcium and magnesium salts. When these salts are heated, limescale is formed, which bites into the pipes of your coffee machine. Over time, the amount of lime in your pipes will increase until your coffee machine can no longer get the water through the pipes. This is not only bad for your coffee maker, it can also destroy your device.

What are the advantages of descaling your coffee machine in time?

- Your cup of coffee tastes better, there is less or no lime in your cup of coffee.
- More pressure is available during brewing resulting in better coffee.
- The cups of coffee are fuller
- The machine makes less noise during brewing
- The parts in your machine run less risk of damage

Descaling your coffee machine: How do you do that?

When should I descale my coffee machine?

A coffee machine must be descaled at least monthly and at most every 3 months. Do you use your coffee machine very intensively or do you live in an environment with hard water? Then we advise you to descale monthly. Due to intensive use, the parts wear more violently when descaling too little.

A fully automatic espresso machine or coffee machine can easily be descaled if you use the right cleaning products and actions. Note: it may differ slightly per device, we use the espresso machine from Hipresso as an example.

Equipment for descaling the coffee machine

To descale the coffee machine you need the following parts:

- Descaling tablets or liquid
- Cleaning cloth
- Drip tray (with fully automatic machines you can often use the drip tray for coffee grounds)

Can I also descale my coffee machine with vinegar or other means?

It is said in many different places that you can descale your coffee machine with vinegar, for example. The disadvantage of this is that agents such as vinegar do not dissolve the lime but break it down. This does not have to be a problem in a teapot, because all the space is available. However, the water pipes of a coffee machine are often tight and there are many filters available through which the water passes. We therefore advise you to use the right cleaning products to guarantee the longest possible life of your device.

Step-by-step plan for descaling a coffee machine

1. Empty the water container and make sure the water container is clean. There may be residue left here from the water (or during filling).

2. Fill the water tank to the amount that fits.

3. Let the descaler (tablet or liquid) dissolve in the water in the reservoir.

4. Place the drip tray under the appliance outlet. This prevents other places from getting dirty or flooding.

4. Select the descaling program from the settings menu. It can differ per coffee machine how you start the descaling program.

5. During the program the machine may ask to empty the drip tray, keep an eye on this.

6. When the program is completely over, rinse the water reservoir with water and let the coffee machine run through once so that all descaling residues are removed from the machine.

7. Your machine can be used again!

Do I need to clean other things on my coffee machine besides descaling?

We certainly advise you not to descale your coffee machine alone. The brewing group of your machine must be kept clean and we also advise you to remove the coffee beans from the machine.

To clean

Descale the Hipresso coffee machine

Below you can see step by step how to descale your coffee machine. If you have any questions, you can always contact us.

1.
The message will appear that the coffee machine needs to be descaled. Click this message away and make sure you grab all the parts that are needed to descale the coffee machine.

Hipresso koffiemachine ontkalken melding

Hipresso koffiemachine ontkalken, hoe ontkalk je een volautomatische koffiemachine

2.
Place the residue container under the outlet. This means you don't have to empty the coffee machine water container every time. It is also useful to take the descaler with you.

3.
Choose the 'menu' button under the options.

Hipresso koffiemachine hoofdmenu | Volautomatische koffiemachine ontkalken.

Volautomatische koffiemachine zelf laten ontkalken.

4.
When you are in the menu, choose the option 'Descaling' under the heading 'Cleaning'.

5.
Empty the water reservoir completely and rinse it twice with tap water. The entire bottle of Durgal descaler can then be emptied into the water container. Fill the same bottle of Durgal with water and add this to the water bowl as well.

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6.
The coffee machine starts up. Descaling takes about 30 minutes.

How do you descale a coffee machine

Depending on the amount of coffee you drink and where you live, your coffee machine needs to be descaled about once every one and a half to two months. Your coffee machine will indicate itself when it needs to be descaled.

However, if you experience problems with the flow of your coffee or milk, we always advise you to descale your coffee machine. Many problems are caused by a dirty coffee machine!

Your coffee machine can be descaled with all types of descalers, but we recommend using agents that are intended for a coffee machine. Descalers for coffee machines are made to be used for this purpose and will be more targeted.

We use Durgol. Descaling a coffee machine is important and we therefore recommend that you use well-known brands that are known to work. This way your coffee machine will continue to work well in the long term!

Even if you have a water softener at home, it is important to descale your coffee machine. In addition to the lime build-up in your coffee machine, coffee residues also remain in the machine. The milk system of the coffee machine is also cleaned during descaling.

When you use our Durgol coffee machine descaler, you descale 1 bottle at a time. You mix this by adding the same bottle of water once.

We recommend the Durgol descaler for coffee machines. Click here to view it.