Backflushing.....

Cuir_Beluga

Hi all, todays question is all about backflushing 😛.

How often do you do it? Do you just use water or do you use a cleaner?

Also would anyone care to go through the process in an easy to follow manner?

I haven't done mine yet. I am a little........scared :🙂.

Thanks, Sue.

GeekKopi

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Hi all, todays question is all about backflushing 😛. How often do you do it? Do you just use water or do you use a cleaner? Also would anyone care to go through the process in an easy to follow manner? I haven't done mine yet. I am a little........scared :🙂. Thanks, Sue.

Good morning sue I back flush once per day with water only and once per fortnight with a 1/2 teaspoon of detergent. The process is rather simple With water each day I flush 5 times. I wait till pressure reaches 9 bar and then I switch the lever off. Same process with detergent on a fortnightly basis 5x with detergent. Then I rinse the blind filter and flush another 5x with water. I also wriggle the portafilter in the group head to remove any coffee particles inside the group at the end of the session. I also remove the shower screen and clean that too. I prepared a quick video here on my Facebook page which shows the basics and links an article for more detail on the process. https://www.facebook.com/EspressoLifeAU/videos/560272104112266/

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks GeekKopi. So the lever has to be off, let pressure build and then lever up until water comes out and then repeat?. Now you know why I am scared. I have no idea lol.

GeekKopi

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Thanks GeekKopi. So the lever has to be off, let pressure build and then lever up until water comes out and then repeat?. Now you know why I am scared. I have no idea lol.

Using the blind filter turn your machine on to brew and once pressure reaches 9bar turn it off and let the water flush out into the drip tray from the exhaust. It happens quickly so keep an eye on the brew pressure gauge.

Cuir_Beluga

Got it, thanks GeekKopi 🙂. That is your FB page?

GeekKopi

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Got it, thanks GeekKopi 🙂. That is your FB page?

Yep that's my page. Back flushing is easy. Just keep an eye out on the pressure gauge and flush until the water looks clean coming out of the exhaust. For me it takes around 5x flushed with detergent to clean then I continue flushing with only water to ensure I get rid of any cleaner (like a rinse cycle).

GeekKopi

One thing I forgot to mention is that th frequency of chemical back flushing should be determined by your usage. I chemical backflush once every 500grams of coffee brewed so for me that's once a fortnight. If I up my coffee consumption then I'll backflush more regularly with chemicals. Coffee shops should be chemical back flushing daily

Cuir_Beluga

Page liked :coffee2:. I'll have a go at it tomorrow when hubby is home in case I fudge it. Not that he could do much I suspect :🙂. Thanks again.

GeekKopi

Cuir Beluga wrote:

Page liked :coffee2:. I'll have a go at it tomorrow when hubby is home in case I fudge it. Not that he could do much I suspect :🙂. Thanks again.

thanks sue

askthecoffeeguy

Great video gerkkopi - II.guess the only thing I would add is that I usually add a little hot water to the powder to form a paste before I insert the handle into the machine I also like to inset the handle and basket into the group after its been flushed with chemicals, and run the chemicals through the group, before giving it a quick scrub with a green scourer - it's faster than soaking the handle and the results are just as good! 😉

Brett_H

Great thread guys. Thanks for the video GeekKopi!

GeekKopi

askthe coffeeguy wrote:

Great video gerkkopi - II.guess the only thing I would add is that I usually add a little hot water to the powder to form a paste before I insert the handle into the machine I also like to inset the handle and basket into the group after its been flushed with chemicals, and run the chemicals through the group, before giving it a quick scrub with a green scourer - it's faster than soaking the handle and the results are just as good! 😉

Great idea re running the chemicals through the pf. At present I just dump everything in hot water in the sink with some cleaner and let it soak while I backflush.

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks guys. Mission is accomplished, I'll leave the chemical flush until next week. Thanks again 🙂.

mycuppa

Let me play the other card for a moment. Chemical cleaning needs to be put in perspective. Some do it too often, others not enough. I see cafes doing it once a week and they are pumping out 60 plus kilos per week. Can I taste any taint on their cup at day 6 .? Absolutely no way. I see cafes doing it once every 6 months (albeit lower kilos, say 10+ kilos per week) and I can barely taste a taint (if at all). To be honest i always considered the lazy cleaners a high risk prospect. My GS3 makes 6 - 8 cups a day. Let's say it runs thru just over 500g per week. Rarely do I get time to back flush. It's lucky to be back flushed once every 3 months. For some people this would be criminal. Let me tell you there is zero taint. There is a balance in everything. All too often I see people mistakenly undertake extreme chemical cleaning routines when in actual fact it's a skill or technique issue that is causing their cup quality challenges. Imagine chemically stripping down your BBQ every couple of uses. What would it taste like I wonder ? I often face a similar paradox when deciding to get the chisel out and start hacking at the faceplate of one of my roasters. Do I clean it and lose that element of "season" or risk rancid, killer charcoal flakes randomly appearing in the finished product.

Cuir_Beluga

Food for thought mycuppa. Mine has only has had around 1/2 a kg through it so far :laugh:.

Brett_H

Great post as always Jeff, thank you! When I was at university a friend of mine never once cleaned his drip-machine saying that to do so would ruin the flavour of the coffee. He brewed a beverage that he never once had to share!!!!

Lacehim

I used to be right on this but over the years I got lazy. It gets a chemical backflush maybe every few months if I remember. I haven't bothered about water ones. I have to say that backflushing isn't mentioned in any manuals for the machines I owned, it's something that gets suggested. I've never seen a post or met a person that's damaged a machine due to not back flushing everyday and I can't taste any difference to my brew when I've cleaned it.

GeekKopi

I don't notice a taste difference after back flushing but it's nice to see the dirty water out after doing so. Re manuals, my VBM manual has a whole section on water and chemical back flushing.

Cuir_Beluga

Thanks everyone. I did a water one on Friday night and I was a little surprised at what came out. It wasn't a whole lot but more than what I thought it would be. I probably just didn't know what to expect 😃.

GeekKopi

Backflush water or soda stream cold brew? Looks similar, no? My resultant brew from the chemical backflush this arvo. Looks tasty..... Not!