Coffee Appreciation

I’ve got one of those cheapo DeLonghi espresso machines, came free as an unwanted gift from one of my other half’s work friends. Running water through it comes out very cloudy - what should I be doing / using to de-scale and sort it out?

We have particularly hard water where we are but we run it all through a filter before it goes in the machine, so hopefully once it’s cleared it’ll stay relatively clean.

I use these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wellehomi-High-precision-Jewellery-Accurate-Batteries/dp/B01N323E64/ref=pd_sbs_60_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N323E64&pd_rd_r=0253d8f0-0241-11e9-ab13-97438e369c97&pd_rd_w=8CXiY&pd_rd_wg=wzln6&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=SENFQA5ZT6AX639J6S3J&psc=1&refRID=SENFQA5ZT6AX639J6S3J

On Balance scales 0.1g measure for about a tenner from local creative smokers kit shop. Just keep them dry.

Just keep them dry.

important, have lost a couple over the years if i got channeling issues and coffee made it outside of the cup and into the lcd display.

luckily they're cheap enough to replace once a year or so if need be.

Stupid question alert.

After watching the vid that HatBeard linked the other day I decided to take my Classic apart to clean it up.

Upon putting it back together I realised I completely forget to mark up the two connections for the brew thermostat. When it comes to electrics I'm absolutely useless. I guessed which ones to connect by studying the video, and the machine works. But what would happen if I connected them the wrong way round? Would the brew temperature be affected? If would the thermostat just not work?

I pulled a shot just to pull one and clear the machine through, and the espresso seemed to be giving off more steam than usual. But I'm really not sure if this is because I've cleaned the living bejesus out of the boiler and group head, making it more efficient.

Thanks in advance!

It's AC, so I don't think the direction matters as it switches constantly.

Ok, cheers. They do mention about not having to worry about the order of connections on the solenoid, but do mark these though.

Yeah, won't matter if live and neutral are the other way round on the stat. It'll still be good.

Good news. Thanks both!

if it's the top thermostat then the yellow wire was on the outside connector on mine.

Thanks, but it was the one on the lower left side of the boiler. Also, as mine is an old Classic (I bought it off @hippy about 8 years ago, and God knows how long he owned it for), the colouring of the wiring is all different.

Seems to be working fine this morning, so happy days!

thinking about it, it's a screw on piece so it's probably impossible to actually know which of the two pins is which unless you look at the markings on the thermostat before unscrewing it and seeing where they point. so i think you're good to go.

I might have some pics from inside that machine when I worked on it if you still need them?

Cheers mate, it's all working so for now I'm going to leave it in one piece.

Which version of the Porlex Mini is the newer - the one with a tab on the spindle, or the pentagonal drive?

Tab on the spindle. The pentagonal drives would get warped through repeated use and removal of the handle. The straight tab was designed to solve it.

Any idea if the spout on an original Gaggia Classic portafilter is removable? If so, what way does it unscrew?

Yes it is. It unscrews anti-clockwise if you’re holding it with the spout facing upwards.

Does it not unscrew anti-clockwise no matter where the spout is facing?

Thanks

A bit of leverage and off it popped. Thanks!

Sigg hot and cold flask we discussed a while back now reduced to a tenner - finally ordered one!

https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/sigg-hot-cold-accent-bottle-0-5l-E6114122.html?colour=123

I found (just the) one in a local TK Maxx, on the 24th.
Yet to try it.

Nice.
In retrospect I'd get a 0,5L one as well.