Coffee machine not working as well as it should? It could be time for a descale. Here’s how to descale a Sage coffee machine.
Image source: Sage
With one of the best coffee machines on the market, you’re certainly a big fan of great tasting, home-made coffee. That’s why when you have a Sage coffee machine, it’s essential to keep it in the best condition for as long as possible.
You may not have thought about it, but descaling your machine is one of the bests ways of keeping it running like a well oiled engine. But how do you carry out a descaling of your coffee machine?
All models will have a guide on how to descale your machine in the user manual. This will help explain what to do and how to get it done. However, if you’re still a little bit confused, then we’ve written a comprehensive guide below on how to get your machine free from any limescale and working and producing the perfect cup of barista level coffee every time.
Here’s a look at how to descale your sage coffee machine.
How To Descale A Sage Coffee Machine
Signs Your Coffee Machine Needs Descaling
Sometimes it can be tricky to determine whether or not your machine is in need of a good descaling.
Often you will be able to see whether there is a great build up of limescale on areas in the machine such as the tank or other places where water may sit and run through.
However, sometimes it can be a little less obvious, so here’s a few points to look for when determining whether your machine is ready for a descale.
Cooler Water Temperature
If your shot of espresso is a little bit cooler than what you would normally like or expect, then this is usually down to a limescale issue and needs fixing. Not always easy to tell, but if the water is noticeably different then it’s time to take a look.
Low Flow Rate
If you’re not getting the right dosage amounts, this is linked to a poor flow rate and will usually be caused by a limescale build up in the tank or the grouphead. The flow may be rather slow or just a trickle out of the head, which will take you much longer to make a coffee. If that’s the case, give it a descale and a full flush through.
Low Steam Pressure
A drop in steam pressure is also a sign that your coffee machine needs a descale. Drops in pressure of the steam wand means that limescale is probably blocking up the components and limiting its capabilities. fix the issue with a quick descaling.
Why Do I Need To Descale Coffee Machine?
A coffee machine isn’t the most complex of machines out there, but what they do have is lots of smaller components and water running through them. As with any products that have or use water, the risk of limescale build up is very common.
Think about your humble kitchen kettle. An incredibly simple piece of kit, but one that will forever need descaling form the amount of limescale that builds up in the bottom of it. A coffee machine is no different to the kettle, in the respect that where it as water sitting in it for periods of time and water runs through various components of it – limescale will forever unfortunately be an issue you have to deal with.
The problem is, when you heat water as you would do for making a coffee, it begins to produce a chalky like substance. This stuff can get everywhere and often ends up floating about as debris and ending up in our drinks. Not what anyone wants!
This is especially the case for areas that have hard water, which you commonly see in places like London and the South of the UK. Extremely hard water and coffee machines do not go hand in hand, therefore it’s so very important that to ensure you get the best possible coffee, you give your machine a good descaling when required.
Image source: Sage
How To Descale A Sage Coffee Machine
So now we know why and how to spot when the machine is in need of a descale, but how do we actually descale it?
Here’s how you go about descaling your Sage coffee machine:
First up, go to your machines display and go down to where it sats descale. Your machine will know when it needs to be descaled and so this setting will only be available if it is ready for descaling to take place.
Next up, you need to find a container which can hold up to 1 litre of liquid. Remove the drip dray and put the other container underneath the machine.
In a separate bowl, mix 1L of warm water with the Sage descale powder, dissolving it for about five minutes. You can get some Sage descaler here.
Add this Sage descaler liquid into the machine’s water tank at the back of the machine and lock it in.
Now, with your empty 1L container underneath the grouphead, you can start the descaling process. With the hot water outlet and the steam arm in the container, this will allow them to descale fully as well. The empty container will be there to catch all the gunk and residue that comes off of the components.
On the display, press Enter to begin and make sure to follow the instructions that will appear on the screen. It will then tell you to switch between the various elements of the equipment, which you will need to change throughout the cycle for each function.
Once the cycle has been completed, all limescale should’ve been removed from the components in the machine. However, it’s always best to give it another flush through but without the descale solution. this will just make sure that no bits of residue are left floating around in the machine, before you start making your next coffee.
When you’re happy that the cycle is complete and all chalky bits are removed from the machine, empty the tank and container and give it a quick rinse in the sink.
Give the group head, hot water outlet and steam wand a quick flush through. Then you should be good to go. Your Sage coffee machine is as good as new and your coffee experience will be back to its very best!
Hopefully that guide will help you with getting your machine back up to scratch. However, if you’re still struggling, check out this handy video on how to descale your Sage coffee machine.
Give it a quick watch:
How Often Should I Descale Sage Coffee Machine?
The great thing about the Sage coffee machine is that it will let you know when it needs a descale of its components. Your machine will give you an alert when it’s ready so it removes all the guesswork.
Therefore, as it could happen at anytime (albeit it will be every few months or so), you need to make sure that you have enough sage descale solution available for when it is required.
It’s always recommend to have the Sage own brand of descaler as this is generally the best for getting the problem solved. It also means that going forward, if you have any issues with your machine, it is more likely to remain under the warranty unlike if you used other solutions.
It certainly is a bit of a hassle having to descale it, but at the end of the day, you love great tasting coffee and so it needs to be done (and done correctly).
Can I Use Other Methods To Descale Sage Coffee Machine?
As mentioned there is plenty of choice when it comes to other descale cleaning solutions, which you can find here. However, we always suggest that you stick with the offering from Sage. I’ve found it to be the most efficient of the descaling solutions, so always best to stick with Sage.
Another important point to mention is to use of other non-specific descaling solutions. Often people think that the use of vinegar to descale is a good cheap option for your machine. This couldn’t be more wrong and if anything will do the opposite of helping improve your coffee.
Vinegar is mildly acidic and so running that through your coffee machine can lead to damaged internal parts, including rubbers seals and gaskets. This can lead to leakages and effect the flow of the water through the machine.
Vinegar also has a very strong taste and distinct smell. No one is ever looking for a coffee that tastes of vinegar and so getting rid of any trace of vinegar from the internal parts is very difficult to achieve.
Simply put, never use vinegar to descale or clean your machine. You’ve spent enough on your expensive coffee machine from Sage. It pays to get some good quality cleaning and descaling solution, to make sure you are getting the finest quality coffee available.
Unless of course you love a vinegar cappuccino (and don’t we all, right?!), then by all means get some tasty vinegar in there…
Final Thoughts
That was our look at how to give your sage coffee machine a good descaling. This is such an important task to carry out fairly regularly, which is super easy to do and only takes a few minutes to complete.
There’s nothing worse than a machine that just dribbles out water, or has limescale floating around and ruining your daily coffee.
Get yourself a proper descaling solution from Sage and give it a good clean – the right way.
If you’re looking for how to give your Sage coffee machine a clean, check out our comprehensive article here on how to clean your Sage coffee machine.
