Here I thought using the hot water spout if I don't "need" it is just using up my water filter capacity. I love these maintenance videos, thanks a lot for doing this! 👍
I've been googling for 7 hours to find out if my steam is behaving correctly, and I can't find the answer. Here's the issue: I have a brand new Delonghi Dedica Arte. Again, brand new, used 5 times. I've been having a tough time getting the milk to froth correctly, so I aimed the want over the sink, turned off the machine to let it cool down, turned it back on to warm up, hit the correct button to begin warming the steam reservoir, then turned the handle to allow steam to pass through the wand. A nice, healthy amount of steam, with good pressure, filled the air. However, a few seconds later, the steam became almost invisible even though I could hear air passing through the wand with the same amount of pressure. Then, a couple of seconds later, steam would "spit" out of the wand like it did at the beginning, looking full and good, then it disappeared again. This cycle of healthy steam/very little steam occurred for the entire duration of 60 seconds. Is this normal?? Please help me. I called Delonghi about this and even sent them a video of what all this looked like. They haven't made a judgment yet on whether this is a faulty unit or not. What do you say?? Note: I bought this unit to replace a Delonghi Stilosa that had an issue with spitting while frothing. It just seemed like too much spitting of water to me, so I gave it away and upgraded to my new one. But the Stilosa ALSO had this behavior of steam from the wand that I described earlier ... healthy steam/the appearance of no steam but with same pressure; healthy steam/air only; healhy steam/pressure but a little steam ... that cycle. So, again, is this normal??? Or is this a Delonghi problem?
Hi Phil, Thanks for the deep explanation of your issue. The Dedica uses a thermoblock boiler. These create steam on-demand by routing small amounts of water through a very small diameter pipe incased in a heating element. There really is not a "reservoir" of steam. The machine pumps water into the thermoblock and it flashes to steam. Hard to say for sure if your machine is malfunctioning. I have seen these types of machines spit a bit of extra water. I've also used the Dedica in the past and been reasonably able to froth milk - not as good as one can do on higher level machines, but it's possible. Thermoblock boilers just can't produce as much steam and/or pressure as you'd get in machines with true boilers which contain a fair amount of water and headspace (a reservoir if you will) for steam.
@@Wholelattelovepage I convinced Delonghi to take this machine back and allow me to upgrade. After the experiment I described above, this began to happen: I could hear the pump quitting after about 20 seconds, then the machine would just simply die. I'd have to turn the machine off, turn it back on, allow the heat to build in the steamer and continue with frothing. I learned that there is a tiny switch that is activated by the steam dial. But this steam dial, the silver lever, was pulling away from the body of the machine by millimeters (due to the vibration of the machine), causing this switch to disengage and shut off the pump, which in turn caused the machine to shut down. Buyer beware, because this is a design defect, in my opinion, and will occur at some point when owning this unit, I've learned. I found a guy who had to deal with this same problem after owning this model for two years. Another person, 2 months. There's a "how to fix" video on YT, but it's obscure and take some digging to find it.
@@PintoSixty Hi Phil, thanks for sharing your journey. I'll gently suggest you might consider investing in a higher quality product - perhaps a made in Italy true machine like the premium entry-level Gaggia Classic Pro. It's a bit more expensive currently $399 USD but take care of it and no reason it can't go for a decade or more. Should you run into any problems it's a design and construction type that's easy to do DIY repairs on: www.wholelattelove.com/products/gaggia-classic-pro Marc
Hi R, Would help to know machine make/model. In most machines it's pressure in the boiler that pushes water out of the hot water wand. If you're getting steam out of the steam wand or a pressure reading in the boiler then the water in the boiler is heating and should be able to push water out. If getting steam but no hot water there's an obstruction somewhere between where hot water exits the bottom of the boiler and the tip of the hot water wand. There may be scale (or other material ) creating a blockage.
Thanks for the very informative video. I have a Rocket Cellini and would like to do a minor overhaul. Do you sell a package of parts that would be recommended for a basic overhaul or could put together recommended parts? Thanks, Will
Hi Will, Thanks for the question. Typical overhaul would be service, lubricate and rebuild (if needed) the E61 group. We do have rebuild kits for that but some are out of stock. Here's a video showing how to service the E61 group: th-cam.com/video/ELIwD40tsrs/w-d-xo.html While you're at it remove the shower screen and clean or replace, replace the group gasket if needed, service steam and hot water valves, proactively clean the vacuum relief valve on the boiler. Here are some upgrade replacement parts: E61 Shower Screen: www.wholelattelove.com/products/ims-nanotech-e61-shower-screen E61 Silicone Group Gasket: www.wholelattelove.com/collections/group-gaskets/products/caffewerks-silicone-group-gasket-73-x-57-x-8mm If you're PF is clocking in too far get the 8.5mm gasket: www.wholelattelove.com/products/caffewerks-silicone-group-gasket-73-x-57-x-8-5mm
Great video Brian & Mark. Any chance you can produce a quick 5 min video on how Brian services his Espresso machine (high level - daily, weekly, monthly, etc)? I would like to adopt these practices to ensure my newly purchased Prifitec Pro 700 provides years of service. Also, are there complete seal kits for the Profitec Pro 700 I could purchase and what would be the frequency to change them out? Thanks for all you guys do!!
Hi Dan, Thanks for the kind comment. There are not complete seal kits for the Pro 700. We do have 3 levels of rebuild kits for E61 groups, seals for the valves and other parts like a vacuum relief valve replacement. If you run good water through your machine chances are you would not need anything more than cleaning and lubrication of the group and valves for more than a year. With average use I would backflush the group with plain water a couple of times a week. Clean your shower screen and group head area weekly. Back flush with Cafiza about every 100 brew cycles. Turn over a few cups of water in your steam boiler every few days unless you're already using hot water out of the boiler on a regular basis. Group clean and lube 2x a year and same for valves. Here's a video on the E61 maintenance: th-cam.com/video/ELIwD40tsrs/w-d-xo.html and one for the valve maintenance: th-cam.com/video/DCtZx-n4ntw/w-d-xo.html Some good extra info from Brian in those videos! And here's a link to our support page for the Pro 700. It has a ton more videos and articles on a variety of topics: support.wholelattelove.com/hc/en-us/sections/360011447334-Profitec-Pro-700 Hope that helps! Marc
@@Wholelattelovepage Many thanks for the great information. Spent 20+ years working on military aircraft and precision instruments, so truly enjoy the maintenance almost as much as drinking coffee. You and your staff are awesome, keep up the great work and “stay frosty”.
Any chance you can provide a tip on how to clean the stainless steel of a machine like the rocket apartamento? I have been struggling to find a proper way of making the stainless steal shine again.
Hi Eslin, Thanks for the question. I clean a lot of machines for photography - they must be spotless! Best method I've found is an ammonia based window cleaner and microfiber rags. For coffee oils/gunk in drip trays, filter baskets and portafilters Urnex Cafiza is my go to product. Hope that helps!
For the water wand flush to dump scale, you said to warm up the machine and then turn it off before opening the valve. In the video you kept the power on. Does it matter if power is on or off?
Hi HK, If you want to get as much water as possible out of the boiler then heating up the machine and turning off the power prevents the machine from refilling the boiler when removing water. Doing that turns over more water in the boiler and could potentially get out more loose scale particles. If you regularly pull hot water from the wand for pre-heating cups, Americnos etc with the machine powered on that should be plenty of water turn-over.
How do you install the tube back again if one was to accidently pull this out?? I can't find any videos about this. My steam wand is far too hot to touch now even though I didn't pull this all the way out, only an inch or so.
Hi there. If the teflon tube gets pulled out, your best method to reinstall it will involve having to disassemble the steam wand. Removing the entire steam wand assembly (not the valve) and then removing the ball joint tip will make for the easiest way to put things back together.
Hi I've got a Grimac Mia it's got a solonoid valve for the hot water any idea how to purge or empty the boiler with the machine off , or is my best bet to just flush it with the machine on and it will fill and empty at the same time , Id also like to know as I want to descale the machine which also requires emptying the boiler as I've seen in your other videos
You have not addressed if your water wand has a snap valve like my profitec pro 700 has and concerns about it. After probably years of not doing the maintenance you suggest here mine didn't close completely and little drips would come out. When I took it apart there was actually some build up inside the snap valve assembly that had to be cleaned because it was stopping it from closing all the way, when I took it apart I cleaned the valve assembly manually unfortunately I didn't think about soaking it in vinegar while I had it disassembled - next time I decalcify my machine I will run the vinegar solution through that snap valve so it also gets decalcified.
Hi Paul, Thanks for the comment. Here's our video on rebuilding/servicing Pro 700 steam and hot water valves: th-cam.com/video/5vwBG_3KrjE/w-d-xo.html Here's a link to our support page for the Pro 700 which has a whole latte more videos on maintenance, use and DIY repairs: support.wholelattelove.com/hc/en-us/sections/360011447334-Profitec-Pro-700 Also, we advise against using vinegar (acetic acid) for descaling. It's a weak acid and is not as effective as the citric acid used in most specialty descaling products. Bought in bulk, citric acid is generally less expensive than vinegar.
I have a coffee machine, and want to get rid of the steam wand and the valve. Should I do that? And why not? What is the reason that thing is so necessary? I have never used it and have never met anyone who used the steam wand for anything.
Hi 9 4, Well, Think it's best to leave it in place. You did not mention what make/model machine you have. But, if it has a heat-exchange boiler and only a steam wand with no hot water wand the steam wand also dispenses hot water. Dispensing hot water is the only way to turn over water in the heat-exchange section of the boiler. Important to do that every now and then. If you do not, mineral levels in boiler will increase over time and scaling of the boiler will occur.
@@Wholelattelovepage Oh thanks, I will care about that from now :) Then I will definitely leave the wand in place, but probably cut it back a little with a dremel tool, because it is kind of too long I think
Inside of my Profitec 700 steam wand's plastic sleeve small black spots can be seen. I always purge before and after, and clean the tip with a microfiber cloth. Water is from the 0.5 micron charcoal filter, and ~60tds. Could it be mold? I might need to replace that tube.
Hi D, While mold is a possibility I think it's rather unlikely. Any chance it's little bits of carbon from the filter? I use activated carbon for aquariums and that stuff has got to be rinsed a lot before it stops giving off black dust. By the way, the black dust is harmless. I've seen prepacked pitcher filters with carbon give off the black particles with first use as well.
Hi JJ, One question... why is it coming out black in the first place? First thing that comes to mind is failure to purge the wand after milk frothing. If this step is repeatedly skipped milk eventually makes its way back to the boiler and gets cooked to an unpleasant state. No idea if that's what's going on with your machine but it's a possibility. Another possibility is an odd water quality issue. Water treated with polyphosphates to prevent scale attachment or water high in gypsum can result in strange issues. If flushing lot's of water through the boiler does not resolve the issue the last resort is disassembling the machine and opening the boiler to attempt cleaning or potentially replacing the boiler.
What if no water is coming out of the water spout? I have a Profitec Pro 300; removed the tip of the water spout and cleaned the aerator and tried to run water through with the tip off but nothing comes out.
Hi MG, Are you sure the boiler is heating? If it's not, then no water will flow from the boiler. Steam pressure pushes water out of the boiler. Here's a video covering heating issues on the Pro 300: th-cam.com/video/6GyW-uf47LE/w-d-xo.html Another possibility is scale obstruction. Here's a video detailing the hydraulic systems of the Pro 300: th-cam.com/video/6srwEaMr8To/w-d-xo.html Hope that helps! Marc
@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks for the info! I found an obstruction at the L connector where the hot water extraction pipe connects to it, right below the hot water boiler. Looks like it was caused by the descaling tablet. After clearing that obstruction with a pipe cleaner and putting everything back together it works great!
![[Watch Party] RoV Pro League 2024 Winter | with Moowan ( Bacon Time Vs Talon )](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CCEDhu6dPN8/mqdefault.jpg)
![ทางเดินชีวิต - ธีเดช ทองอภิชาติ x อ.ไข่ มาลีฮวนน่า [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1f3wcG16dd4/mqdefault.jpg)
Wow! That tip on cleaning the hot water spout is PRICELESS!! Don’t let scale build up in the boiler by flushing periodically!! Never thought of that!
Hi Ni, Thanks for the comment. Just to clarify, scale could still build up in the boiler and elsewhere in the machine.
Here I thought using the hot water spout if I don't "need" it is just using up my water filter capacity. I love these maintenance videos, thanks a lot for doing this! 👍
Hi B, You're welcome and thank you for the comment!
Thanks for the great tip. This is another detailed and very well explained video. I've added flushing the boiler to my maintenance checklist.
Hi Jack, You're welcome!
Wow that great job boss keep up the amazing work ❤ thank you for sharing your work
Thank you, I will
Super helpful video, just got this exact machine. Will be doing this regularly!
Glad it was helpful!
This tutorial is so good! You guys are so great! :)
Yet another awesome video! Thanks for making this one!! These vids are extremely fantastic references.
Hey 80's, Glad you like them and thanks for the comment!
Marc
invaluable tips as usual
thanks guys!
Our pleasure!
Just cleaned mine after watching lol thanks for the helpful vids.
Hey Mr B, You're welcome!
Help! I never use my hot water wand (not the steam) and now it’s clogged. Zero water output. How can I service it?
I've been googling for 7 hours to find out if my steam is behaving correctly, and I can't find the answer. Here's the issue: I have a brand new Delonghi Dedica Arte. Again, brand new, used 5 times. I've been having a tough time getting the milk to froth correctly, so I aimed the want over the sink, turned off the machine to let it cool down, turned it back on to warm up, hit the correct button to begin warming the steam reservoir, then turned the handle to allow steam to pass through the wand. A nice, healthy amount of steam, with good pressure, filled the air. However, a few seconds later, the steam became almost invisible even though I could hear air passing through the wand with the same amount of pressure. Then, a couple of seconds later, steam would "spit" out of the wand like it did at the beginning, looking full and good, then it disappeared again. This cycle of healthy steam/very little steam occurred for the entire duration of 60 seconds. Is this normal?? Please help me. I called Delonghi about this and even sent them a video of what all this looked like. They haven't made a judgment yet on whether this is a faulty unit or not. What do you say??
Note: I bought this unit to replace a Delonghi Stilosa that had an issue with spitting while frothing. It just seemed like too much spitting of water to me, so I gave it away and upgraded to my new one. But the Stilosa ALSO had this behavior of steam from the wand that I described earlier ... healthy steam/the appearance of no steam but with same pressure; healthy steam/air only; healhy steam/pressure but a little steam ... that cycle. So, again, is this normal??? Or is this a Delonghi problem?
Hi Phil, Thanks for the deep explanation of your issue. The Dedica uses a thermoblock boiler. These create steam on-demand by routing small amounts of water through a very small diameter pipe incased in a heating element. There really is not a "reservoir" of steam. The machine pumps water into the thermoblock and it flashes to steam. Hard to say for sure if your machine is malfunctioning. I have seen these types of machines spit a bit of extra water. I've also used the Dedica in the past and been reasonably able to froth milk - not as good as one can do on higher level machines, but it's possible. Thermoblock boilers just can't produce as much steam and/or pressure as you'd get in machines with true boilers which contain a fair amount of water and headspace (a reservoir if you will) for steam.
@@Wholelattelovepage I convinced Delonghi to take this machine back and allow me to upgrade. After the experiment I described above, this began to happen: I could hear the pump quitting after about 20 seconds, then the machine would just simply die. I'd have to turn the machine off, turn it back on, allow the heat to build in the steamer and continue with frothing. I learned that there is a tiny switch that is activated by the steam dial. But this steam dial, the silver lever, was pulling away from the body of the machine by millimeters (due to the vibration of the machine), causing this switch to disengage and shut off the pump, which in turn caused the machine to shut down. Buyer beware, because this is a design defect, in my opinion, and will occur at some point when owning this unit, I've learned. I found a guy who had to deal with this same problem after owning this model for two years. Another person, 2 months. There's a "how to fix" video on YT, but it's obscure and take some digging to find it.
@@PintoSixty Hi Phil, thanks for sharing your journey. I'll gently suggest you might consider investing in a higher quality product - perhaps a made in Italy true machine like the premium entry-level Gaggia Classic Pro. It's a bit more expensive currently $399 USD but take care of it and no reason it can't go for a decade or more. Should you run into any problems it's a design and construction type that's easy to do DIY repairs on: www.wholelattelove.com/products/gaggia-classic-pro
Marc
How to troubleshoot if no flow is coming out of the water spout?
Hi R, Would help to know machine make/model. In most machines it's pressure in the boiler that pushes water out of the hot water wand. If you're getting steam out of the steam wand or a pressure reading in the boiler then the water in the boiler is heating and should be able to push water out. If getting steam but no hot water there's an obstruction somewhere between where hot water exits the bottom of the boiler and the tip of the hot water wand. There may be scale (or other material ) creating a blockage.
@@Wholelattelovepage Thank you ❤️
Thanks for the very informative video. I have a Rocket Cellini and would like to do a minor overhaul. Do you sell a package of parts that would be recommended for a basic overhaul or could put together recommended parts? Thanks, Will
Hi Will, Thanks for the question. Typical overhaul would be service, lubricate and rebuild (if needed) the E61 group. We do have rebuild kits for that but some are out of stock. Here's a video showing how to service the E61 group: th-cam.com/video/ELIwD40tsrs/w-d-xo.html
While you're at it remove the shower screen and clean or replace, replace the group gasket if needed, service steam and hot water valves, proactively clean the vacuum relief valve on the boiler.
Here are some upgrade replacement parts:
E61 Shower Screen: www.wholelattelove.com/products/ims-nanotech-e61-shower-screen
E61 Silicone Group Gasket: www.wholelattelove.com/collections/group-gaskets/products/caffewerks-silicone-group-gasket-73-x-57-x-8mm
If you're PF is clocking in too far get the 8.5mm gasket: www.wholelattelove.com/products/caffewerks-silicone-group-gasket-73-x-57-x-8-5mm
Great video Brian & Mark. Any chance you can produce a quick 5 min video on how Brian services his Espresso machine (high level - daily, weekly, monthly, etc)? I would like to adopt these practices to ensure my newly purchased Prifitec Pro 700 provides years of service.
Also, are there complete seal kits for the Profitec Pro 700 I could purchase and what would be the frequency to change them out? Thanks for all you guys do!!
Hi Dan, Thanks for the kind comment. There are not complete seal kits for the Pro 700. We do have 3 levels of rebuild kits for E61 groups, seals for the valves and other parts like a vacuum relief valve replacement. If you run good water through your machine chances are you would not need anything more than cleaning and lubrication of the group and valves for more than a year. With average use I would backflush the group with plain water a couple of times a week. Clean your shower screen and group head area weekly. Back flush with Cafiza about every 100 brew cycles. Turn over a few cups of water in your steam boiler every few days unless you're already using hot water out of the boiler on a regular basis. Group clean and lube 2x a year and same for valves. Here's a video on the E61 maintenance: th-cam.com/video/ELIwD40tsrs/w-d-xo.html and one for the valve maintenance: th-cam.com/video/DCtZx-n4ntw/w-d-xo.html Some good extra info from Brian in those videos! And here's a link to our support page for the Pro 700. It has a ton more videos and articles on a variety of topics: support.wholelattelove.com/hc/en-us/sections/360011447334-Profitec-Pro-700
Hope that helps!
Marc
@@Wholelattelovepage Many thanks for the great information. Spent 20+ years working on military aircraft and precision instruments, so truly enjoy the maintenance almost as much as drinking coffee. You and your staff are awesome, keep up the great work and “stay frosty”.
Any chance you can provide a tip on how to clean the stainless steel of a machine like the rocket apartamento? I have been struggling to find a proper way of making the stainless steal shine again.
Hi Eslin, Thanks for the question. I clean a lot of machines for photography - they must be spotless! Best method I've found is an ammonia based window cleaner and microfiber rags. For coffee oils/gunk in drip trays, filter baskets and portafilters Urnex Cafiza is my go to product. Hope that helps!
For the water wand flush to dump scale, you said to warm up the machine and then turn it off before opening the valve. In the video you kept the power on. Does it matter if power is on or off?
Hi HK, If you want to get as much water as possible out of the boiler then heating up the machine and turning off the power prevents the machine from refilling the boiler when removing water. Doing that turns over more water in the boiler and could potentially get out more loose scale particles. If you regularly pull hot water from the wand for pre-heating cups, Americnos etc with the machine powered on that should be plenty of water turn-over.
How do you install the tube back again if one was to accidently pull this out?? I can't find any videos about this. My steam wand is far too hot to touch now even though I didn't pull this all the way out, only an inch or so.
If you do accidentally pull out the teflon tube can it just be slid back in or do you have to completely remove the wand
Hi there.
If the teflon tube gets pulled out, your best method to reinstall it will involve having to disassemble the steam wand. Removing the entire steam wand assembly (not the valve) and then removing the ball joint tip will make for the easiest way to put things back together.
This is my content on this channel
huh?
Hi I've got a Grimac Mia it's got a solonoid valve for the hot water any idea how to purge or empty the boiler with the machine off , or is my best bet to just flush it with the machine on and it will fill and empty at the same time , Id also like to know as I want to descale the machine which also requires emptying the boiler as I've seen in your other videos
You have not addressed if your water wand has a snap valve like my profitec pro 700 has and concerns about it.
After probably years of not doing the maintenance you suggest here mine didn't close completely and little drips would come out. When I took it apart there was actually some build up inside the snap valve assembly that had to be cleaned because it was stopping it from closing all the way, when I took it apart I cleaned the valve assembly manually unfortunately I didn't think about soaking it in vinegar while I had it disassembled - next time I decalcify my machine I will run the vinegar solution through that snap valve so it also gets decalcified.
Hi Paul, Thanks for the comment. Here's our video on rebuilding/servicing Pro 700 steam and hot water valves: th-cam.com/video/5vwBG_3KrjE/w-d-xo.html
Here's a link to our support page for the Pro 700 which has a whole latte more videos on maintenance, use and DIY repairs: support.wholelattelove.com/hc/en-us/sections/360011447334-Profitec-Pro-700
Also, we advise against using vinegar (acetic acid) for descaling. It's a weak acid and is not as effective as the citric acid used in most specialty descaling products. Bought in bulk, citric acid is generally less expensive than vinegar.
I have a coffee machine, and want to get rid of the steam wand and the valve. Should I do that? And why not? What is the reason that thing is so necessary? I have never used it and have never met anyone who used the steam wand for anything.
Hi 9 4, Well, Think it's best to leave it in place. You did not mention what make/model machine you have. But, if it has a heat-exchange boiler and only a steam wand with no hot water wand the steam wand also dispenses hot water. Dispensing hot water is the only way to turn over water in the heat-exchange section of the boiler. Important to do that every now and then. If you do not, mineral levels in boiler will increase over time and scaling of the boiler will occur.
@@Wholelattelovepage Oh thanks, I will care about that from now :) Then I will definitely leave the wand in place, but probably cut it back a little with a dremel tool, because it is kind of too long I think
Inside of my Profitec 700 steam wand's plastic sleeve small black spots can be seen. I always purge before and after, and clean the tip with a microfiber cloth. Water is from the 0.5 micron charcoal filter, and ~60tds. Could it be mold? I might need to replace that tube.
Hi D, While mold is a possibility I think it's rather unlikely. Any chance it's little bits of carbon from the filter? I use activated carbon for aquariums and that stuff has got to be rinsed a lot before it stops giving off black dust. By the way, the black dust is harmless. I've seen prepacked pitcher filters with carbon give off the black particles with first use as well.
The water that comes out of my hot water wand comes out black I’ve purged it a few times and still coming out dark. What do I need to do to fix this ?
Hi JJ, One question... why is it coming out black in the first place? First thing that comes to mind is failure to purge the wand after milk frothing. If this step is repeatedly skipped milk eventually makes its way back to the boiler and gets cooked to an unpleasant state. No idea if that's what's going on with your machine but it's a possibility. Another possibility is an odd water quality issue. Water treated with polyphosphates to prevent scale attachment or water high in gypsum can result in strange issues. If flushing lot's of water through the boiler does not resolve the issue the last resort is disassembling the machine and opening the boiler to attempt cleaning or potentially replacing the boiler.
What if no water is coming out of the water spout? I have a Profitec Pro 300; removed the tip of the water spout and cleaned the aerator and tried to run water through with the tip off but nothing comes out.
Hi MG, Are you sure the boiler is heating? If it's not, then no water will flow from the boiler. Steam pressure pushes water out of the boiler. Here's a video covering heating issues on the Pro 300: th-cam.com/video/6GyW-uf47LE/w-d-xo.html
Another possibility is scale obstruction. Here's a video detailing the hydraulic systems of the Pro 300: th-cam.com/video/6srwEaMr8To/w-d-xo.html
Hope that helps!
Marc
@@Wholelattelovepage Thanks for the info! I found an obstruction at the L connector where the hot water extraction pipe connects to it, right below the hot water boiler. Looks like it was caused by the descaling tablet. After clearing that obstruction with a pipe cleaner and putting everything back together it works great!