bean-to-cup coffee

Pod machine low flow

A Dolce Gusto machine came into the workshop with the customer complaining it takes far too long for the machine to make a cup of coffee.

Upon the initial testing, it was seen that the heated water flowed very slowly from the outlet and took an unacceptably long time to fill a mug.

The experienced tech knew exactly what the problem was due to and proposed a solution.

The cause

The cause of a low flow, where the water is expelled very slowly and the cup takes far too long to fill, is quite simple. It is due to a lack of maintenance, a particular maintenance procedure called a ‘de-scale’. The de-scale procedure should be carried out quite regularly in parts of the country that have ‘hard water’ and mains water is used to make coffee.

The Solution

The solution to the low flow was exactly that, a solution of coffee machine descaler solution run through the hot water circuit to clear out the restrictions that cause the slow flow problem.

Oust descaler was used, but there are many different brands of descaling solutions available. The water tank is emptied, and then the descale solution mixed with cold water is added to the water tank. There is often a ‘calc’ line on the water tank to identify the level of the descale solution required.

Run the pod machine on hot, after adding the blank pod (don’t make coffee) into a jug. This made an instant improvement. The flow increased as it was descaling.

If the flow doesn’t increase sufficiently, the process can be repeated.

After descaling, empty any leftover solution from the water tank, rinse the tank with clean water, and fill it. Run the clean water through the machine to flush out all the remaining descaling solution and your coffee machine will be ready.

The rats-tail returned and the pod machine was back to as good as new and the customer was educated on the regular maintenance required for their Dolce Gusto pod machine.