Descaling Mini II...is this guide the best?

[Evan]

Hey guys. I've had my Mini II for about two years, and I think I should probably descale it. Is the following how-to still relevant?

http://www.s1cafe.com/viewtopic.php?t=1359

My unit does have the drain so I wouldn't need to siphon, but aside from that is there anything else I should do differently? Will this descale both the steam and brew boiler?

Thanks!

[chas]

Instead of vinegar, food grade citric acid is better. If you have a local beer supply store you can probably buy more there than you will ever need for a couple of bucks.

You can't open the steam boiler, but you can and should probably open up the group boiler for inspection. Just be sure you order and have the replacement gasket on hand before unscrewing the back boiler cover.

[Evan]

I have Dezcal packets, will those work?

And what am I looking for when opening the brew boiler? I wish there was a better guide on this available.

Thanks.

[chas]

Sure. I suspect those are just citric acid anyway. Be sure to mix it with hot water before adding to the cold boiler on an unplugged machine.. Hot water works a lot better in descaling.

[elguapodecarlos]

I just asked the same question to Chris a week ago from Chris Coffee and he told me that I should not descale my machine. I told him that I have had my machine for 2 years and have been using reverse osmosis water. He said that I should never descale my machine that many people start having problems after descaling theirs. It is basically not necessary to descale.