This is the best and easiest descaling video, way better than the manufacturers videos! I've been putting it off for a few days because the manufacturers videos were a little vague.
Tom is very clear in his explanations. It's my 3rd video of his that I have used/watched. I watched the "Delongi" descaling video and Tom's was better. He explains things more clearly with detail (hold the button for 3 seconds!). This was very helpful information as the Delongi video didn't say that and I couldn't figure out what I was doing incorrectly until I watched Tom! Thank you!
Thank you. I tried the manufacturers guide and couldn't get past the first "OK". Nothing happened. Yours was the next guide I tried. You made it clear that the OK button needs to be pressed for 3 seconds. Now all finished.
This is the best and easiest descaling video Since watching Tom's videos about La Specialista I have been able to make some good coffe and whisk milk thanks Tom the best videos
Thanks Tom fir your reply. So i did tge ckeaning and all errors went away. Now finally could enjoy a good cup of coffee. I was worried that amazon discounted this machine 50% off and wondered if it was a reconditioned unit. But in all is fine machine works great! Your videos are great!!!!
I just got an EX9155 a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. Descale light just came on, but I use ZeroWater filtered 0 ppm water, so I'll probably just run it without descaler as a rinse.
Excellent video. Since watching Tom's videos about La Specialista I have been able to make some good coffe -whisk + grind 2, fresh beans, 14 g etc = Optimal Zone. Thanks Tom.
This is the best video, very detailed and well explained. I got the same model. How often do you do this? Mine, looks too often. I drink 1 cup only each day. But the descaling need to be done every 2 months. Is this normal?
Thanks a lot for the great videos. Really pedagogical way of explaining in the simplest way ever 👍 Is it the same process for the specialists prestigio? Wish I could see a video on that machine from your behalf. Thanks again. Cheers
Thank you for the video. It was very informative. A quick question, I noticed you said filtered water; therefore, you didn’t use tap water, but can I use cooled-down boiled water?
Hi Tom, thanks for all your videos as they have helped me make a much better espresso on this machine (my first). Question about descaling: I only ever use Reverse Osmosis water with Soft water home system (usually tests 2-5 TDS). How important would regular descaling be?
Thank you Tom I really like your videos! I decided to buy because of your reviews a delonghi ecp 3121 and I want to buy a bottomless prefilter, so you know the diamater and the size of a double filter? Thank you for your help!
Hi Tom, I just brought this machine it seems to be working fine. Does it have a water filter in it and if so where do I find it. Thank you from Susan in Australia
Hi Tom, thank you so much for this informative video. Just a quick question, after the descaling cycle,I filled up the water tank to the maximum level and ran a rinse cycle. When the rinse cycle finished, I can still see there was half a tank of water still left. Is this normal? or the full tank of water should be used during the rinse cycle?
Exact same thing happened to me. After closely watching Tom’s video, at around 4:00 his tank does look to have some water in it when he goes to fill up after the rinse. So far my coffee tastes normal so I think I’m good 😅
How often would you say you have to descale it? Or does the machine let you know when it’s time? I just ordered it so I haven’t used it yet, but does the machine automatically turn off after it pours the right amount of espresso? Or do you have to manually turn it off.
Hi Elizabeth! The machine counts the number of extractions, and reminds you of when to descale. As for the espresso yield, you just have to hold the button down for the amount you want, and that will be programmed for next time. I like to let it run longer though, and stop myself by weighing the yield. Cheers!
Hi Tom! I wanted to take water from the espresso hole to clean residue and I discovered that the water was cloudy, I left it in Espresso mode and expelled the water like this, I already repeated the process 10 times and it still comes out the same but in the hot water hole it comes out clean , the machine still does not ask me to descale. What could I do?
► Neouza Bottomless Portafilter for La Specialista: 🇺🇸 amzn.to/3PkXMZK 🇩🇪 amzn.to/3PgAm7J 🇨🇦 amzn.to/3OcVWIS ps - these are affiliate links. If you click and buy, I get a small provision, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
This process is the only thing I don't find great about this machine. I do the first part pf the process and then it wouldn't runs the rinse. Did some manual rinsing and can see that the water is cloudy. Turned it off, now I'm starting it again. I never seem to be able to get the descale light to go out...?
Hmm, I just did this the other day on my machine, and it worked fine. You may have to restart the process, and just use filtered water the second time, instead of descaler. Cheers!
@@TomsCoffeeCorner I've done it 3 times now. Once the descale solution (or subsequent water ones) is done, the "add water" symbol comes on. I add water, it does nothing, so I hit "OK", still does nothing, so I start it over. ? And the red descale symbol doesn't turn off. I've had the machine for a year and a half and only managed to go through the process and have the light turn off once.
@@ginam.8378 Sorry to hear that. I just pulled up this video for myself recently, and it went through the whole cycle fine. Admittedly, it is not that intuitive though.
For me, after the first step, descaling never stops; even if the water is finished, the ok button never turns white. I put more water in and continue, but it never turns white. What could be the problem?
Hello there! Yes, your beans are probably too old - or in other words roasted too long ago. These videos may help: How to extract the perfect espresso: th-cam.com/video/piO6c695Op8/w-d-xo.html How to Get Crema: th-cam.com/video/00NSG9459a8/w-d-xo.html Why Supermarket Coffee Beans are RUINING your Espresso! th-cam.com/video/5BgMKqu8fJI/w-d-xo.html
There's is a water hardness test strip included with a new machine. The results from that inform you what to set the descale counter to. This La Specialista has 3 options for that descale interval. It looks like a water temperature setting. It's a water hardness setting! The Button immediately to the right of the "ok" button. One light setting is longest descale 3 lights is shortest descale interval. "Section 7. Water hardness" in the manual.😊
@@TomsCoffeeCornerI descaled mine a week ago and needs it again.. the machine is only 3 weeks old.. do you think the machine is faulty? I set the water hardness to medium..
Been a year since owning the Arte and my machine is having a LOT of vibration and rattling with exactions, steaming and hot water. Every time the pump makes some sort of noise it rattles. Time to contact Delonghi, this happened after a descale of the machine.
The descaling light on my machine appeared after i defaulted the settings... which set the water hardness back to very high (was on low)... Only gone through 1kg beans so far... Changing settings back didn't do anything. Looks like i'll give it a descale
You can. Or you can just ignore it for a bit. I would suggest descaling every 1-3 months, depending on how hard your water is. Or, use a brita filter, to reduce the scale your machine is getting exposed to.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Water hardness here in australia is very low. So i set it to the lowest setting :) ended up using a Caffeto descaler.. the Lactic based one is too expensive imo.
Just wondering if any one had to descale a brand new machine out of box. Im shocked that this the eror im getting. Will see what happens after cleaning 😓
Someone else mentioned that too. Not sure what's going on - I didn't have that issue. Just use filtered water for the descaling procedure, this first time. Cheers!
Hi Tom please can u do a comparaison between nowadays entry level espresso machines ( delonghi ec versions for example) and old time machines like saeco via veneto and gaggia baby
Just do a theorical(no real machones are tested by you ofc) between saeco manual models like via veneto or poemia and delonghi dedica models ( ec685 range)
@@danairankim4656 Let me see if I can find the time to make a proper video. What I can say is this: the Dedica is way less fussy to use, and has nice features like the volumetric dosing, auto turn off, and descaling reminder. The older Saeco could make a good espresso with it's boiler, but requires more fiddling, and has less creature comforts. Cheers!
This is the best and easiest descaling video, way better than the manufacturers videos! I've been putting it off for a few days because the manufacturers videos were a little vague.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback!
Tom is very clear in his explanations. It's my 3rd video of his that I have used/watched. I watched the "Delongi" descaling video and Tom's was better. He explains things more clearly with detail (hold the button for 3 seconds!). This was very helpful information as the Delongi video didn't say that and I couldn't figure out what I was doing incorrectly until I watched Tom!
Thank you!
Thanks very much for your feedback! Tom
Yes - hold the OK button for 3 seconds - vital info but not in the DE LONGHI video!
Thank you. I tried the manufacturers guide and couldn't get past the first "OK". Nothing happened. Yours was the next guide I tried. You made it clear that the OK button needs to be pressed for 3 seconds. Now all finished.
Proud owner of a La Specialista due to your video recommendation.
Now glad to know all about descaling.
Keep doing what you doing!
Ty!!! Mine was not doing anything when I was following the manufacturer video… they don’t mention the hold down for 3 seconds. Ty!!
Same in here! Following the manufacturer video n i was doing nothing for 10 mins after pressing the OK button.
I'm here for the exact same reason lol
here for the same reason 😂
This is the best and easiest descaling video Since watching Tom's videos about La Specialista I have been able to make some good coffe and whisk milk thanks Tom the best videos
Thanks Tom fir your reply. So i did tge ckeaning and all errors went away. Now finally could enjoy a good cup of coffee. I was worried that amazon discounted this machine 50% off and wondered if it was a reconditioned unit. But in all is fine machine works great! Your videos are great!!!!
Glad to hear it!
I just got an EX9155 a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. Descale light just came on, but I use ZeroWater filtered 0 ppm water, so I'll probably just run it without descaler as a rinse.
Excellent video. Since watching Tom's videos about La Specialista I have been able to make some good coffe -whisk + grind 2, fresh beans, 14 g etc = Optimal Zone. Thanks Tom.
I have this video favourited as I always come back to it whenever my descaling light comes on! Very easy to follow
Awesome, thanks for that feedback!
Thanks for the video. Same issue as other viewers. I can not finish descaling process. Sadly no one posted an update or solution.
I am not sure, since I haven't had this problem. Have you contacted Delonghi?
Thanks so much for watching!!!
This looks easier process to descale than the dedica thank you for video
Hello, thank you for the video. Do i need to do a backwashing too ? With the white pill & the filter that blocks out the espresso? Thank you
This is the best video, very detailed and well explained. I got the same model. How often do you do this? Mine, looks too often. I drink 1 cup only each day. But the descaling need to be done every 2 months. Is this normal?
Glad it helped! I'd do it every 1-2 months, depending how hard the water is in your area. Cheers!
Thanks Tom! Helpful, as always😀 greetings from Greece!
Very easy descaling video
Thanks, Daniel!
I really appreciate it
You help a lot of people. Thanks again
Thanks a lot for the great videos. Really pedagogical way of explaining in the simplest way ever 👍
Is it the same process for the specialists prestigio? Wish I could see a video on that machine from your behalf.
Thanks again. Cheers
Hi! Thanks for the feedback. :) I think the process should be just the same. Cheers!
Good video, simple easy to follow. many thanks
You’ve earned a sub from me Tom! Best descaling vid out there. Really helped me with my machine
Thank you for the video. It was very informative. A quick question, I noticed you said filtered water; therefore, you didn’t use tap water, but can I use cooled-down boiled water?
By filtered water, I mean Brita filtered water from the tap. 👍🏻
Greetings from Spain
Greetings back to you from Germany!
Hi Tom, thanks for all your videos as they have helped me make a much better espresso on this machine (my first). Question about descaling: I only ever use Reverse Osmosis water with Soft water home system (usually tests 2-5 TDS). How important would regular descaling be?
Only 5 TDS?! Then you probably don't have to worry. My water is 250 TDS.
Thank you Tom I really like your videos! I decided to buy because of your reviews a delonghi ecp 3121 and I want to buy a bottomless prefilter, so you know the diamater and the size of a double filter? Thank you for your help!
Hi there! Delonghi always has 51mm.
You explained it well. Thanks a lot.
Hi Tom! Do you ever backflush the la specialista and if so how?
Nope, no need, and no option to do so.
Hi Tom, I just brought this machine it seems to be working fine. Does it have a water filter in it and if so where do I find it. Thank you from Susan in Australia
Hi Susan! No, there is no water filter here. I would recommend using a Brita filter. Cheers! Tom
Hi Tom, thank you so much for this informative video. Just a quick question, after the descaling cycle,I filled up the water tank to the maximum level and ran a rinse cycle. When the rinse cycle finished, I can still see there was half a tank of water still left. Is this normal? or the full tank of water should be used during the rinse cycle?
To be honest I don't quite remember, but I think it's fine. As long as the water coming out doesn't taste sour (from the citric acid of the descaler).
Exact same thing happened to me. After closely watching Tom’s video, at around 4:00 his tank does look to have some water in it when he goes to fill up after the rinse. So far my coffee tastes normal so I think I’m good 😅
Tom, can we buy any brand of descale solution for our LaSpecialista’s, as long as it’s 500ml?
Yes, any citrus based descaling solution should work fine Ivan. Cheers!
thanl you for this video. I stuck the the first 3 second press ok. 😂
very well described! thanks:)
Hi, do i need to descale this every time im going to use it in daily basis. Thanks
I would suggest every 2-3 months.
Which woody sieve do you have? Looks elegant.. how can i but it?
Neouza. Which market are you in?
How long does this process take? Because my water has been running for 2 hours and the colour of the "ok" button has not changed.
Hmm, the whole thing takes maybe 30 minutes. You might have to turn the machine off, and restart the process.
How often would you say you have to descale it? Or does the machine let you know when it’s time? I just ordered it so I haven’t used it yet, but does the machine automatically turn off after it pours the right amount of espresso? Or do you have to manually turn it off.
Hi Elizabeth! The machine counts the number of extractions, and reminds you of when to descale. As for the espresso yield, you just have to hold the button down for the amount you want, and that will be programmed for next time. I like to let it run longer though, and stop myself by weighing the yield. Cheers!
Very helpful, thank you!!
You betcha!
Hi Tom!
I wanted to take water from the espresso hole to clean residue and I discovered that the water was cloudy, I left it in Espresso mode and expelled the water like this, I already repeated the process 10 times and it still comes out the same but in the hot water hole it comes out clean , the machine still does not ask me to descale. What could I do?
Is the problem over? Possible solution
Thank you so much as this video was great help to me!
You're very welcome!
Is it alright to leave the drip tray out while descaling? My container doesn't fit underneath the hood hehe..
I'd suggest finding a flatter container...there may be other water sources that drain into the drip tray. Cheers!
Thankyou for this!!
Hello can you tell me what water filter can i use in this model?
Thanks for this .. what’s the little bag of brown balls do that come with the machine ?
Oh gosh, I don't recall. I think those might have been water softening balls.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner also is it normal for the descaler light to come on after 2 weeks ? 2 coffees a day ?
Thanks for that Video 👍🏻 where do you have the wood Portafilter? Thanks
► Neouza Bottomless Portafilter for La Specialista:
🇺🇸 amzn.to/3PkXMZK
🇩🇪 amzn.to/3PgAm7J
🇨🇦 amzn.to/3OcVWIS
ps - these are affiliate links. If you click and buy, I get a small provision, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
The noise this thing makes makes me wanna die ☠️
Thank you Tom
Hi Tom, I smell like plastic on the sides holes after making 2 coffee , yhat is normal? Thank you!
Hey I am not really sure what you mean. I have never smelled burned plastic.
This process is the only thing I don't find great about this machine. I do the first part pf the process and then it wouldn't runs the rinse. Did some manual rinsing and can see that the water is cloudy. Turned it off, now I'm starting it again. I never seem to be able to get the descale light to go out...?
Hmm, I just did this the other day on my machine, and it worked fine. You may have to restart the process, and just use filtered water the second time, instead of descaler. Cheers!
@@TomsCoffeeCorner I've done it 3 times now. Once the descale solution (or subsequent water ones) is done, the "add water" symbol comes on. I add water, it does nothing, so I hit "OK", still does nothing, so I start it over. ? And the red descale symbol doesn't turn off. I've had the machine for a year and a half and only managed to go through the process and have the light turn off once.
@@ginam.8378 Sorry to hear that. I just pulled up this video for myself recently, and it went through the whole cycle fine. Admittedly, it is not that intuitive though.
Thank you very helpful
You're welcome!
thank you for this video!!
No problem 😊
For me, after the first step, descaling never stops; even if the water is finished, the ok button never turns white. I put more water in and continue, but it never turns white. What could be the problem?
Hmm, maybe try rinsing again. Or if that doesn't work do the process over, but just with water.
@TomsCoffeeCorner thank you. Tried multiple times and with water as well. May be time to raise service requests with delonghi.
I have same problem
I have the same problem! We rinsed it probably 10 times no joke! Bc it still tastes like chemicals ever since descaling!
thanks fellow coffee nerd
You betcha!
thank you very much
You betcha!
Why does my coffee taste like chemicals after descaling?
Cheers Tom
Thank you so much.
Never mind descaling how do you cancel the descale when it comes on (First day of use!)
Honestly, you could just ignore it, until you actually have to descale. Or, run the descaling program and just use filtered water.
Im not getting any foam on my americano. Do you know what the reason might be?
Hello there! Yes, your beans are probably too old - or in other words roasted too long ago.
These videos may help:
How to extract the perfect espresso: th-cam.com/video/piO6c695Op8/w-d-xo.html
How to Get Crema: th-cam.com/video/00NSG9459a8/w-d-xo.html
Why Supermarket Coffee Beans are RUINING your Espresso! th-cam.com/video/5BgMKqu8fJI/w-d-xo.html
If I don’t use descaled does it take longer?
Not sure what you mean, but yes you have to use descaler solution.
Thank you!!!
i finished descaling and washing the machine, and the ok light is white and the descale light is flashing.
what shuld i do?
I am not sure. I have heard some people have had issues with descaling. Maybe repeat the process, but without descaler?
Hi..how many hours need for 1 session descale?
Oh, I'd say about 30 minutes or so.
Thanks man!
You betcha!
Thankyou! 💕
How often for descaling
whenever your light comes on
How come I am being asked to descale every 3weeks? Is that normal?
It could be normal, depending on how hard you set your water in the settings, and how many shots you pull. Cheers!
There's is a water hardness test strip included with a new machine. The results from that inform you what to set the descale counter to. This La Specialista has 3 options for that descale interval. It looks like a water temperature setting. It's a water hardness setting! The Button immediately to the right of the "ok" button. One light setting is longest descale 3 lights is shortest descale interval. "Section 7. Water hardness" in the manual.😊
can descale, how do I clean it?
i did all and the descaling light still on
Idk why
I have heard some people having issues with that. Can you try again, with just plain water, and see if it goes out then?
Hello how often this process needs to be done
Depends on how hard your water is. I'd say every 1-2 months.
@@TomsCoffeeCornerI descaled mine a week ago and needs it again.. the machine is only 3 weeks old.. do you think the machine is faulty? I set the water hardness to medium..
how often do you have to descale??
That depends on how hard your water is, but I would suggest once a month to ensure the proper functioning of your machine for years to come.
Been a year since owning the Arte and my machine is having a LOT of vibration and rattling with exactions, steaming and hot water. Every time the pump makes some sort of noise it rattles. Time to contact Delonghi, this happened after a descale of the machine.
Well, all vibration pumps cause rattling, to be honest.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Yeah but this is waaay worse than it used to be. Delonghi wants a recording of it 🙂
@@KebabEaterwhat number did you use to contact the company? How did you find it?
@@Portia1416 Well i dont know which country you live in. I looked up Delonghi Australia. So you can look up Delonghi in your location
Hello.. ı did the same thing but my ok button its not lighting.. ı cant start
Could you try turning the machine off and on, and trying again?
The descaling light on my machine appeared after i defaulted the settings... which set the water hardness back to very high (was on low)...
Only gone through 1kg beans so far...
Changing settings back didn't do anything.
Looks like i'll give it a descale
You can. Or you can just ignore it for a bit. I would suggest descaling every 1-3 months, depending on how hard your water is. Or, use a brita filter, to reduce the scale your machine is getting exposed to.
@@TomsCoffeeCorner Water hardness here in australia is very low. So i set it to the lowest setting :)
ended up using a Caffeto descaler.. the Lactic based one is too expensive imo.
What if the water button is flashing as well
Could it be that the water tank is getting low on water?
Just wondering if any one had to descale a brand new machine out of box. Im shocked that this the eror im getting. Will see what happens after cleaning 😓
Someone else mentioned that too. Not sure what's going on - I didn't have that issue. Just use filtered water for the descaling procedure, this first time. Cheers!
Is the problem over? Possible solution
Thank you so much! I couldn't find the manual.
You betcha!
Hi Tom please can u do a comparaison between nowadays entry level espresso machines ( delonghi ec versions for example) and old time machines like saeco via veneto and gaggia baby
Hi Danai, believe it or not, I do have a Via Veneto...and a Dedica. I could do a video comparing them. Would that be of interest?
@@TomsCoffeeCorner hey that's gonna be cool just do it plz
Just do a theorical(no real machones are tested by you ofc) between saeco manual models like via veneto or poemia and delonghi dedica models ( ec685 range)
@@danairankim4656 Let me see if I can find the time to make a proper video. What I can say is this: the Dedica is way less fussy to use, and has nice features like the volumetric dosing, auto turn off, and descaling reminder. The older Saeco could make a good espresso with it's boiler, but requires more fiddling, and has less creature comforts. Cheers!
Short and consice as always
Thanks, Mikael! That's what I aim for. 😉
Cheerio
Thank you so much