Hi. My espresso machine clogged during cleaning and now no steam / pressure gets through to the coffee basket. I've tried vinegar as well as Calcium / Lime / Rust remover to no avail. Any suggestions to free up the flow?

It's probably clogged up with hard water deposits. Fill the water reservoir with plain white vinegar and put the espresso pot in place as usual, but do not load coffee! Run as usual for making espresso.You may have to run a couple of tanks, until the vinegar is pretty much colorless. Then run a couple of tanks of water to flush the vinegar. If your machine has a steam valve for frothing milk, put the steamer pot under it and open the valve as well. Over time, the steam valve can clog up with milk solids, called casein, which is actually a form of organic plastic.

It is likely that it is clogged up with scale. If you live in an area with hard water, especially well water, the calcium in the water is left behind when the water steams away. Take about a quart of regular vinegar and pour it into the tank you normally pour the water. Let it stand about 30 minutes and then run a regular cycle as if you are making coffee except without the coffee grinds in the brew basket. Keep pouring fresh water through it until you not longer smell vinegar coming out. It will put it back into normal running condition.

sounds a if your heating element isn't being allowed to generate enough hot to send the hot water up the pipe, see most coffee makers do not actually pump the water, what happens is that the water passes through a heater that rapidly heats the water causing steam to push some of the water up the pipe(also creating the popping noise you hear), if the pipe is coated with residue from the water(most water has calcium and other mater which is deposited on the pipe walls during rapid heating), you need to do a cleaning cycle either using a commercial cleaning solution made for coffee pots or you can run some vinegar through it stopping for a few minutes about half way through the amount you are using to allow some of the vinegar to dissolve the residue from the pipe walls. that should clear up the problem, you should clean it at least every couple of weeks to keep it running smoothly

It sounds like calcium has built up in the machine. Try running pure vinegar through the machine a couple of times. Hopefully that will clean out the calcium and it will start working again. I had the same deal with a coffee pot that took forever to run the water through. After two sessions of vinegar it worked like new

Place 1/3 part distilled white vinegar and 2/3 part water into the water reservoir. Turn the machine on and wait for the heat light to go off. Once the heat light goes off, turn the steam vs. water knob to the water drop icon, and turn the main function knob to steam/water. Make sure to have your frothing cup underneath the steam element ready to catch the water. The vinegar/water solution should clear out the calcium that clogs the steam element. Also, remove the cover to the steam element and dip it in a bowl with vinegar for about 5 minutes, and use something like a pipe cleaner to clean out that cover. Then apply vinegar and hot water to a rag and clean the calcium off the shaft of the steam element. Once you are all finished with this, run plain water through the espresso maker on the steam/water setting to clear out the bitter vinegar residue. Now, try again to make espresso and froth it.

Since milk contains calcium, the steam element has to be decalcified more often than a regular coffee maker. The EM-100 is a beautiful machine, but it is definitely high-maintenance - you will probably spend more time cleaning it than making cappuccino, etc.

Good luck!

-Tha Mp3 Doctor (is also a huge Cuisinart fan)

descaling gonna improved the pressure = stronger coffee and clean the inner boiler =warmer coffee but use descaler only not vinegar descaler melt calcium vinegar remove some calcium in littlt piece 1 part descaler 1 part water fill the water container open valve for a few second close it leave it for 15 minute and repeat untill empty after rince very good that stuff is corosif


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FROM MONTREAL CANADA PIERRE

you have to descalcify the machine not with vinegar .vinegar removr calcium in little pieces and might block the machine descalcifier melt the calcium on the heating element you have lots of calcium that mean less heat you use 1 part descaler 1 part water put in water containerstart the machine for a few second turn off for 10 minute if you never descaled the machine leave it for 15 minute and repeat untill empty rince very good a few water container that stuff is very corosif after a good rinse try the coffee it should be good thank you for using fixya pierre

it started to leak after the descaling and the water that leak is the water very hot you might have a leaky boiller in the descaling process calcium in the boiller melt and if you have bad seal =leak in the boiller. if you use a descaler product and if you use vinegar that might be y you have no steam vinegar remove calcium in little pieces and sometime those pieces block the machine descaler product melt the calcium thanks for using fixya pierre

sounds like you need to remove the coffee oils from the Brew Head Screen and filter basket which a decalcifier and vinegar will not touch.
Starbucks cleans theirs every night.
info:
soak the Brew Head Screen, unscrew from the brew head where the coffee oils come into contact with machine, and filter holder in a coffee oil remover by www.urnex.com or dezcal.

hello take the pipe put it in a solution of calcium remover leave it in for a couple a day calcium in pipe is like concrete after a day or so try to pass a steel wire in it the calcium gonna get softer everything gonna come of after take the same product fill the machine run the machine with it for a good clean up most of the people loose good expresso machine because of hard water a clean up every few month it gonna work good and our coffee gonna be warmer .p.s when you use special cleaner rinse the machine very good the cleaner is very corrosif cheers