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BILT Osmotic Scale Reduction Cloth Pack (OSCAR 150) – large
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$14.99
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In stock
BILT Osmotic Scale Reduction Cloth Pack – large
The Bilt Osmotic Scale Reduction Cloth Pack (O.Sca.R.) is an innovative product for reducing limescale in your espresso machine. It converts the calcium and magnesium ions into low-level sodium ions (<150 mg/liter).
The Oscar pack is very easy to use. Remove the pack from the plastic bag. Rinse the pack under cold water to remove any sediment. Place it in the water tank of your espresso machine or a pitcher filled with the water you are going to use. That’s it! No special procedures. It does take about 15 hours to convert the water in the tank. Hence, we recommend filling your reservoir at half full of treated water OR filling the reservoir where the machine will not be used for 15 or more hours.
Specifications:
- Approximate Size: 6 inches x 4 inches.
- For 2.5 – 4 liter reservoirs.
- Operates between 5 and 40 degrees celsius water temperature.
- Meets FDA requirements (Heading 21, Section 173.25, par. A. Sub 1).
Instructions:
- Remove the pack from the plastic bag.
- Rinse under cold water for 5 minutes to remove any sediment.
- Place in a pitcher or the reservoir of your espresso machine. It will take 15 hours to convert the water. Pouch can remain in pitcher.
- Every 2 weeks, rinse the pouch under cold water. Replace every 6 months.
Notes:
- This product is not re-generable.
- The manufacturer recommends replacing once a year. We recommend placing every 6 months, just like those in refrigerators.
- This pack will not fit in all reservoirs for espresso machines. The reservoir must be fully open for this product to be easily put in and removed. Some reservoirs have a only small opening for a water hose to go in.
- The pack should not be placed in a boiler vessel that has a heating element. It is only meant to be in cold water.
- A few customers have indicated a bad smell of the water after using this product. This is the result of the water that is reacting with the Oscar150. Unfortunately, we do not know which waters this will happen to.
Informational Chart:
Hardness
(French degrees)Softening Time
(hours)Treated
(liters)Beverages
(80 cc)9 3 830 13830 18 9 415 6900 27 15 276 4600 36 21 200 3300 45 27 165 2750
| Brand | BILT |
|---|
Ask a question
Please ask follow up questions as a new question. Submitted questions will be first reviewed, answered, and lastly publicized.
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Do these expire? I bought 8 large ones and the first 2 were ok but the rest smelled musty and I couldn’t rinse the smell out even after 20 min. The inside of the bag had black spots etched all over the foil. I threw them away because it made the water taste bad.
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Q Do these expire? I bought 8 large ones and the first 2 were ok but the rest smelled musty and I c...... Read more answer nowAsked by CI on October 7, 2025 1:00 amAnswered by the admin
We are sorry to read this. The manufacturer does not put any expiration date. The pouch inside each foil bag is moist and the seal "can" break in shipping. They should be stored in a cool dry place and away from humidity that can attract mold or fungi organisms. We just opened a few bags to inspect inside, and none have any black mold. In the future since your environment may be prone to black mold, we suggest removing them from the bags and allow to fully air dry outside of the foil bags.
When I put the water softener packet into the Torre espresso machine's water tank, it just floats to the top. Should I fasten it to the side of the tank with double faced tape? Otherwise it just floats. I wet it under the faucet before putting it in the tank but it didn't make a difference.
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Q When I put the water softener packet into the Torre espresso machine's water tank, it just floats...... Read more answer nowAsked by Mike on August 1, 2025 1:16 pmAnswered by the admin
Please thoroughly soak it under running cold water for 5 minutes.
Received OSCAR today. It comes in a plastic bag but I don't feel a water permeable pouch inside. Is the outside bag water permeable? I don't won't to open the bag only for all the contents to fall out.
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Q Received OSCAR today. It comes in a plastic bag but I don't feel a water permeable pouch inside. ...... Read more answer nowAsked by Herman Allison on July 8, 2022 8:14 pmAnswered by the admin
Please remove the plastic bag.
The specs say large bag is 10mm x 15mm. The measurement unit should be cm not mm! It should read 10cm x 15cm!
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Q The specs say large bag is 10mm x 15mm. The measurement unit should be cm not mm! It should read ...... Read more answer nowAsked by GEGJR on April 4, 2021 10:47 pmAnswered by the admin Sorry, this was a typo by our staff.
I wanted to check and see if you all were going to be getting more of the large BILT packs (https://www.1st-line.com/buy/bilt-osmotic-scale-reduction-cloth-pack-large/) and if so, if you had any idea when that might be?
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Q I wanted to check and see if you all were going to be getting more of the large BILT packs (https...... Read more answer nowAsked by Rob on January 26, 2021 6:37 pmAnswered by the admin
At end of 1st quarter or sometime 2nd quarter this year.
I keep this bag/pouch in a glass pitcher of spring water in my fridge. I tasted the water in the pitcher for the first time today (before putting in my machine) and it tasted a little strange. Is this normal? My bag/pouch is just a few months old, fyi. Thanks.
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Q I keep this bag/pouch in a glass pitcher of spring water in my fridge. I tasted the water in the ...... Read more answer nowAsked by David on July 8, 2020 12:48 pmA I put it in the machine reservoir and the water is filtered before it goes in the reservoir. That said, I don't notice any unusual taste. Interesting though...I might try brewing without it in the reservoir to see how it tastes. I have a whole home dual filter system and then I also pull the water through the fridge filter before it goes in. So I can probably do without the bag in the water. If I get anything notable, I'll add back to this.A It sounds as if your experience was like mine. I had used tap water for a few months without the cloth, and the taste was OK, a bit overly “bright”. Poland Spring didn’t taste right. So I added the cloth to the tap water in the tank, and the taste changed, much as you describe. It tasted flat and stale to me. So I then switched to filtered tap water and it tastes great to me now. Hope this helps. Admin's Note: There is a possibility that the water becomes too soft and alters the taste.
To be clear--so I just throw this directly into the the reservoir, correct?
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Q To be clear--so I just throw this directly into the the reservoir, correct? answer nowAsked by JC on June 3, 2020 8:16 pmA You are absolutely correct! Try and wait 24 hours before your next brew session so it can have the full effect.A Yes. That is the recommendation. I did it after using tap water for a while (as the manual recommended) and didn’t like the flatter, sour taste of my espresso. I then switched to filtered water without the scale reduction cloth and am very happy now with the taste.A Yep
Is this going to be back in stock anytime soon? My water tank is 2.5 L. Should i just buy the small size?
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Q Is this going to be back in stock anytime soon? My water tank is 2.5 L. Should i just buy the sma...... Read more answer nowAsked by chorenstein on April 23, 2020 3:34 pmAnswered by the admin Yes, please buy the smaller size for now as most of Italy has been closed due to COVID-19.
In the notes section, it says, "This pack will not fit in the all reservoirs for espresso machines............".
Please clarify whether it is "... not fit in.... " or ".....able to fit in... ".
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Q In the notes section, it says, "This pack will not fit in the all reservoirs for espresso machine...... Read more answer nowAsked by Jim Chan on July 11, 2019 9:24 pmAnswered by the admin If the water reservoir has a small round opening, it will not fit. Sorry, we do not have every reservoir for every espresso machine to try this on. In these cases, a pitcher filled with water would need to be used.
