It is very easy to keep your beautiful Silvia in tip top shape. If you don't follow these simple steps you will soon suffer the consequences, you will no longer be getting that lovely crema on your espresso, your steam pressure from your wand will become weak, your whole machine could clog up with lime-scale. We recommend the following 4 steps.
1. De-scale your Silvia regularly.
The frequency that determines how often you should do this is down to the level of lime-scale in your water. If your water has a high level we would recommend de-scaling every month, if you have a small amount of lime-scale you will probably get away with doing it every 2 months. How do I de-scale my machine? Buy some Puly cleaner descaler
https://www.homecoffeemachines.ie/collections/cleaning-poducts
Follow the instructions on the packet, its very straight forward.
2. Back-flush your Silvia regularly.
You should back-flush your Silvia every 1 - 2 weeks depending on how often you use your machine. Back-flushing cleans the three way solenoid valve and in behind the group head screen.
For back-flushing you will need a blank filter which comes supplied with your Silvia and some Puly cleaning powder from Home Coffee Machines Ltd.
3. Keep the brew/group head gasket clean
Grinds build up on your group gasket every time you make an extraction with your Silvia. These grinds get embedded into the gasket and over time can damage it. They also reduce the effectiveness of the gasket. You will notice this if you get leaking from around the portafilter when extracting. Its easy to clean your group gasket, just use one of these cleaning brushes especially formulated with stiff bristles.
4. Replace your brew/group screen and gasket when required
We recommend that you replace your group gasket and screen once a year, the gasket becomes perished with the heat and grinds and the screen becomes clogged and damaged from use. We have a little video on the group gasket and screen page to show you how to replace these components.