A well-performing espresso machine is the cornerstone of any good coffee business.
Like any integral piece of machinery, your coffee machine will reward you for showing it a little TLC. If neglected, you could find your business serving poor tasting coffee, and potentially end up looking at a costly repair bill or even a replacement machine.
Perhaps the single biggest issue to be aware of in coffee machine maintenance is limescale. Described by some as the ‘silent killer’ of coffee machines, limescale can often build up without being noticed. Worse still, if left untreated limescale will consign even the best coffee machines to the scrapheap.
Together with our team of in-house coffee machine engineers, we have put together this short guide to limescale and how to avoid it causing serious harm to your coffee machine.
What is Limescale?
Limescale is naturally occurring chalky residue found in any equipment or machinery used to heat up water. As water turns into steam, the lime molecules become separated from the water and remain behind. This is particularly true in areas that are described as having ‘hard water’.
Whilst completely safe to drink, hard water is more damaging to machinery because it naturally contains more calcium bicarbonate or similar ions. Calcium salts, such as calcium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate are both more soluble in hot water than cold water.
As new cold water with dissolved calcium carbonate/bicarbonate is added and heated within kettles, washing machines, dishwashers and, yes, coffee machines, carbon dioxide is removed and calcium carbonate is left behind.
As these deposits are left behind they can become harmful to a coffee machine’s interior, blocking working parts and preventing optimal water heating conditions. It can also cause corrosion and damage to the outer layer of metallic surfaces. This is particularly bad news for coffee machines as any rusting will affect the taste and can even cause coffee to be harmful if consumed!
As limescale affects espresso machines from the inside out, all of this can go unnoticed until it is too late. So what can you do to prevent limescale damaging your business?
Prevention is Better than Cure!
As we know that limescale is left behind by the water your machine uses, there is a handy way to stop limescale at the source. Simply by installing a water filter or Calcium Treatment Unit can help prevent a great deal of limescale build up before it even begins.
As an added bonus, filtered water makes great coffee!
If you are unsure about which pre-filter solution your coffee machine requires, give one of our friendly experts a call today and we’ll help you stop that limescale in its tracks.
Deep cleaning:
Although installing a water filter will help prevent limescale problems, there is no substitute for a thorough, specialist cleaning of your coffee machine. With the right knowledge and descaling products for your machine, a deep clean can restore your coffee equipment back to full health, giving your espresso machine more mileage and helping you serve even better coffee.
Think your coffee machine could benefit from a little TLC? Speak to us now to book your machine in.
Service, Service, Service.
In the end, there is only one surefire way of guarding against machine breakdown – regular servicing.
Even the strictest cleaning process cannot account for all forms of coffee machine wear and tear. Just like your car, it is essential to give your coffee machine a regular check up. In return, a regularly serviced coffee machine will reward you with years and years of beautiful coffee. For optimal performance and to avoid missing costly problems in the future, machine manufacturers recommend having your coffee machine serviced by an industry expert at least once a year.
Think your coffee machines needs a service? Don’t delay, book now.
It’s not too late!
It could be that you suspect something is wrong with your coffee machine at the moment. Here are a few common complaints that indicate a service could be required.
- Too much or too little coffee poured
- Coffee not heating properly
- Machine is slow to build pressure – or does not build up fully
- Milk foaming is difficult to achieve
- Warning lights flashing
- Machine leaking
If you notice any of these issues, or anything else unusual about your machine, the good news is that a machine service could solve the problem! Moreover, you’ll have piece of mind that your coffee machine is back to full health for another year.
Our dedicated engineers are specialists in servicing every major coffee machine brand and model on the market. If you have any questions or are worried about your coffee machine, we have a friendly team of experts on hand to offer advice right now.
Should you require a coffee machine service, repair or water filter, Beanmachines are your fast, reliable and affordable coffee machine experts.
