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Descale the boiler and heat exchanger (preventive): Profitec Pro 500
Before you start
- Tools
- portafilter with blind filter, container under the hot water valve
- Supplies
- espresso machine descaler (powder or tablets, metal-safe; dose per its instructions); fresh water
Warnings
- Only for preventive descaling: never descale a machine that is already scaled up; take it to your dealer. Source: Profitec Pro 500 (PID) user manual DE/EN, Profitec's manual as hosted by Whole Latte Love
- Loosened scale can block valves and gauges and damage the machine. Source: Profitec Pro 500 (PID) user manual DE/EN, Profitec's manual as hosted by Whole Latte Love
- Use a gentle descaler that does not attack metal, suited to this machine. Source: Profitec Pro 500 (PID) user manual DE/EN, Profitec's manual as hosted by Whole Latte Love
- Damage from scale is excluded from the maker's liability and voids the warranty. Source: Profitec Pro 500 (PID) user manual DE/EN, Profitec's manual as hosted by Whole Latte Love
Steps
- Heat the machine up to working pressure, or to the PID's set temperature.
From the manual: “Heat up the machine until the operational pressure or the preset temperature on the PID has been reached.”
- Switch the machine off.
From the manual: “Switch off the machine.”
- Open the hot water valve and let the boiler empty completely.
From the manual: “Empty the boiler completely by operating the hot water dispenser.”
- Raise the brew lever to drain the heat exchanger, then close the hot water valve and lower the lever.
From the manual: “Discharge the heat exchanger by operating the brew group lever.”
- Mix the descaler with water as its instructions say and pour it into the tank.
From the manual: “Dissolve the descaler in water according to the instructions and pour the solution into the water tank.”
- Switch on; the empty boiler refills by itself.
From the manual: “Switch on the machine. This automatically fills the empty boiler.”
- Run about 250 ml through the group so the heat exchanger fills with solution.
From the manual: “release about 250 ml water through the group”
- Lock in the portafilter with the blind filter and raise the lever 3 times for about 20 seconds, lowering it each time.
From the manual: “operate the brew group lever 3 times for about 20 seconds each time”
- Leave the solution to act for the time the descaler's maker gives.
From the manual: “let the descaler react according to the manufacturer’s instructions”
- Raise the lever to flush out the remaining solution.
From the manual: “Release the remaining descaler solution by operating the brew group lever.”
- Switch off and empty the boiler through the hot water valve.
From the manual: “Switch off the machine and empty the boiler by operating the hot water dispenser.”
- Unscrew the hot water nozzle while draining so no scale collects in it. Optional
From the manual: “unscrew and remove the nozzle of the hot water dispenser”
- Clean the water tank and fill it with fresh water.
From the manual: “Clean the water tank, then pour fresh water into it.”
- Switch on so the boiler refills with fresh water.
From the manual: “The boiler automatically refills with fresh water.”
- Top the tank up again.
From the manual: “Refill the water tank with water.”
- With the blind filter in, raise the lever 3 times for about 20 seconds to rinse the expansion valve, then remove the blind filter.
From the manual: “This rinses the expansion valve.”
- Raise the lever for about 60 seconds to rinse the heat exchanger.
From the manual: “Operate the brew group lever for approx. 60 seconds in order to rinse the heat exchanger.”
- Repeat the drain, clean-tank and refill steps 3 to 5 times to rinse the boiler. Repeat 3-5 times
From the manual: “three to five times in order to rinse the boiler”
Sources
Researched on .
Community: the maker’s text, hosted somewhere else, usually by a retailer.