Proper care will ensure years of service from your coffee brewer and electric kettle, and that includes keeping your equipment clean and descaling when necessary. In hard water, scale from limestone content in the water may build up in your machine. Scaling can lead to extended preparation time and possible damage to your coffee brewer or kettle.
There are a couple of things that signal there is mineral scale build-up, and it might be time to descale your brewer or kettle:
- If brewing takes longer than the recommended 6 minutes
- If your brewer stops mid-cycle
- If your brewer is steaming more than usual
- If your brewer fails to achieve the proper water temperature of 198-205 degrees F (92-96 degrees C)
- If your brewer makes an unusually loud noise
- If the heating of water in your kettle seems slower than usual
- If your kettle fails to achieve the proper water temperature
Because it has less mineral content, using filtered water for your coffee brewer and kettle can also save you time and money in the long run, and you won't have to descale your equipment as often.
How often should I descale my Bonavita brewer?
We recommend descaling the brewer at least once every 100 uses. If you have hard water, which contains more mineral content, or if you experience any of the signals mentioned above, descaling more often is recommended. The Bonavita brewers will produce 3 audible beeps at power on every 60 brewing cycles when it is necessary to descale.
We recommend using a good quality biodegradable and phosphate-free coffee machine descaler. Note that the Descaler should not be confused with Cleaner. They serve different purposes. Descaler is designed to break down mineral buildup inside your brewer to ensure great coffee and consistent functionality. We also do not recommend using vinegar to clean or descale your brewer. Vinegar may not effectively descale your brewer, and can be difficult to rinse thoroughly. Vinegar may also leave behind an odor that can impact the flavor of your coffee.
How to descale your Bonavita brewer
- Follow instructions on the coffee machine descaler packet
- Pour into Bonavita water reservoir
- Press and hold power button for ten seconds, the descale cycle will start
- Run a regular brew cycle 2-3 times with fresh cold water to rinse
- When the descaling process is over, the cycle counter will reset from 60 to 0
How often should I descale my Bonavita kettle?
When mineral scale builds up in your kettle, it can affect temperature consistency and slow down heating time. To ensure optimum performance, Bonavita recommends descaling the kettle when mineral build-up is visible inside the kettle.
How to descale your Bonavita kettle
1. Follow instructions on the descaler packet
2. Pour into kettle
3. Bring solution to boil
4. Let vessel cool for 15 minutes, then discard solution
5. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water
Hope this answers all of your questions around extending the life of your kettle and brewer! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to our team and we'd be happy to help you!
