Backflushing with cleaner- how often?

[simonp]

I'm wondering what opinions on how often you should backflush your machine with cleaner?

I generally do mine with Caffizza (sorry can't remember the spelling) every 5 or 6 weeks, as I only do 2-3 doubles a day. But given my recent shot badness and the large ammounts of gunk tat came out last nigh, I am thinking I need to do it more regularly.
I do also remove the showerscreen once a week and scrub around, and then do a quick backflush without cleaner.

[phil]

I do mine much more often than that.

I clean the group after every shot, wiping the head with paper kitchen towel and backflushing with clean water. I also use the "baby safety" (ie. large) size of cotton buds ("Q-tips" to those more used to the American term) to clean around the head and up to the gasket.

This removes most of the muck that would otherwise accumulate but even so I have to clean my machine every week or so as otherwise my shots suffer badly. I've just cleaned it whilst eating my lunch and the amount of crap that came out was appalling, even allowing for the above (admittedly rather anal) routine.

Still, at least I know that if my two lunchtime espressos taste bad I can't blame the machine!

[simonp]

I do mine much more often than that.

I clean the group after every shot, wiping the head with paper kitchen towel and backflushing with clean water. I also use the "baby safety" (ie. large) size of cotton buds ("Q-tips" to those more used to the American term) to clean around the head and up to the gasket.

I do clean the group each time too, flush and wipe around with a brush and some damp kitchen towel.

I did wonder if the new lower pump pressure is allowing the crap to build up inside.

[kingseven]

I clean with chemicals every night, with water backflushes through the day.

Just got some new stuff in - mentioned it on here a while ago. Its great (if perhaps a little too good at its job.) Very good at the accumulated crap under the basket and good in a back flush. Its weird cos its a liquid that I've put in a spray and it feels weird to squirt it into the blank plate but it does the trick.

Its called "Break Coffee machine cleaner" and its made by Faren. I was trying to convince Gaggia UK to import (cos its very cheap!) but they seem reluctant.

Oh well - I've got my bottle so I'm sorted!

[matts]

even allowing for the above (admittedly rather anal) routine.

You said it Between hoovering the grinder after every shot and the cotton bud thing you could be on 'How clean is your house' and even Aggie woud be impressed

Simon I don't think it's anything to do with the pressure, 5-6 weeks is probably a bit long, I tend to do backflushing with Urnex every 2-3 weeks or so.

Cheers
Matt

[zix]

I second phil here: clean after every shot, or if I have visitors after every round. Backflush with detergent about once a week.
Also, have a look at the gasket and the showerscreen about every other month or so. I changed gasket and showerscreen after around six months and it was not too soon (I make two to four doubles a day, E-61 machine). If you are getting more and more of a "sameness" in taste regardless of bean, even though you have backflushed and descaled your machine, try changing gasket and showerscreen (or clean the showerscreen instead of changing it). It helps.

[matts]

I clean with chemicals every night

This is standard coffee shop stuff for a commercial machine though? Or do you do this on your home Gaggia as well?

Matt

[kingseven]

My home Gaggia hardly gets a look in to be honest - I spend too much time at work and when I am not at work I need to sleep!

[jumper]

sorry for what im about to say but,
i dont get why people who buy an espresso machine can never make time to clean it.
you really need to backflush every day even if you only made one shot.
if you dont do it the coffe residu will eat your machine up from the inside(a little dramatic but still..)
i get about 20 home machines a week at work that are broken down because of bad maintenance.
and the lifespan of a machine is also significantly less.
mark

[pault]

agree with the comments about cleaning regularly with water - I do multiple flushes and towel wipes and take the whole head out once every week -but I really have my doubts about using all those chemicals - I used the recommended ones once - flushed like mad and could still taste the chemical residue for ages afterwards.

I don't like taking that chance with my health to be honest ... but then I don't have a dishwasher (girlfriend excepted) so maybe I haven't built up the necessary tolerance

[wlodek]

I don't like taking that chance with my health to be honest ... but then I don't have a dishwasher (girlfriend excepted) so maybe I haven't built up the necessary tolerance

I was hoping the residue subject would turn up. The big difference between the espresso machine and a dishwasher is the quality of flushing. While I am relatively happy that the dishwasher leaves very little of residues because of a full double flushing, draining, dripping off etc. (I don't use the chemicals in the last flush), I can't say I trust the simple flushing (no draining) of the complicated plumbing of the espresso machine.

I am all for cleanliness, dismantle, wash, flush, brush and wipe (including the cotton buds bits if I don't take the front of the group apart), but I am a bit worried about all the detergents. Does anybody know what is in these concoctions?

Also, how far back do the coffee bits go during the brewing process? Do we know? Are they sucked back very far? What is the mechanism of such process?

Anyone else has these worries about the chemicals?

W.

[pault]

Anyone else has these worries about the chemicals?

W.[/quote]


not the people who are too busy glowing in the dark

[wlodek]

Doubt it's that bad ... anyway, I am closer to Sellafield than you are.

W.

[michel]

Strange. I always cleaned the grouphead with detergent once a month... Must have forgotten it as I cant remember cleaning Giotto for 6 months or more with detergent...
Even more strange: The taste is in fact better at the moment than I can remember having when 'being extremely proper.' The extremely good taste, aroma, crema, syrup-shot quality is - when thinking it over - due to not cleaning with detergents anymore...

Michel

[matts]

The extremely good taste, aroma, crema, syrup-shot quality is - when thinking it over - due to not cleaning with detergents anymore...

I'm not sure if you're kidding...? The reliability of 6 month old taste memories aside, are you seriously suggesting that a machine with stale coffee oil residues in it is a good thing?

As far as I understand it's not the coffee 'bits' that are the problem, it's the oil residue. The brew path you are cleaning when backflushing only goes back from the group and down through the solenoid valve out to the waste tray, a relatively short trip. I can't agree that this is a flush problem either, it's easy enough to put enough clean water back the same way way after the detergent flush. It's also standard to put a 'seasoning' shot through after your detergent backflush and then dump it rather than drink it. I presume that you then get some (fresh!) oil coating back on the clean metal.

Most espresso cleaners designed for backflushing use TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) as their main ingredient, plus some buffers that help protect the TSP from attacking the metals too agressively. I don't know anything much about this chemical, but conducted a rigourous scientific experiment today by cleaning my metal plunger pot bits with Urnex, rinsing them carefully with hot water, and then licking them. Couldn't taste a thing

Cheers
Matt