Delonghi EC702 Boiler Head Cleaning Question

[cccopela]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to these forums and have a couple of questions regarding my Delonghi EC702 15 bar pump espresso machine. I bought this machine at the beginning of September this year and I would say it has served me fairly well. I am a college student and I share a room with my girlfriend, who also loves espresso. As a side note, I studied abroad in France my freshman fall and that is where I was truly introduced to espresso and the reason for which I decided I wanted to buy my own machine. Being a college student my budget was relatively low, obviously, but it fit this machine which had a lot of reviews, and overall a fairly high ranking for its price.

Anyway, about a week after getting the machine, whenever I would pull a shot of water to preheat the portafilter and all that jazz, the water that would come out of the boiler head would be brown and smell like stale coffee. I finally got ahold of a screw driver to go about cleaning the boiler head, but all that I could get off to clean was the little filter-like thing that the water goes through right before it contacts the coffee. Although this was indeed dirty, cleaning it did nothing to solve my problem. Now..I noticed there was a gasket up beyond the little filter of the boiling head, but I could not get it out for the life of me.

So, can anyone instruct me how to properly and fully clean the boiler head and all of its components so that I can brew my espresso with clean water rather than stale coffee water?

Thank you all for your help,

Cam

 

[shadow745]

Judging by the parts diagram there isn't really anything beyond the shower screen and group gasket. When you noticed the discolored water did you have the portafilter/basket locked in? If so, there is more than likely some residue build up on/in those parts. That machine looks as if it uses pressurized baskets and they can be difficult to keep clean unless you soak/rinse them well often.

Also must ask if the machine was purchased new...

 

[cccopela]

Judging by the parts diagram there isn't really anything beyond the shower screen and group gasket. When you noticed the discolored water did you have the portafilter/basket locked in? If so, there is more than likely some residue build up on/in those parts. That machine looks as if it uses pressurized baskets and they can be difficult to keep clean unless you soak/rinse them well often.

Also must ask if the machine was purchased new...

yes, I did purchase it brand new. Is the group gasket the gasket in the boiler head? If so, is it removable? Thanks!

 

[shadow745]

Yes the gasket is a tight fit around the boiler group. It should be removable, but be careful not to damage it. No older than your machine is there shouldn't be much build up on/around it to worry about. Use the tip of a cloth or an old toothbrush to clean that area after each use.

Still have to believe the issue is with the portafilter/basket.