Draining – Traditional Dual Boiler Espresso Machines

Draining the Dual Boiler on Traditional Dual Boiler Espresso Machines

Disclaimer:

  • This dual boiler espresso machine technical support is available for information purposes only. 1st-line Equipment, LLC is not responsible for any injury or damages resulting from such information.

Caution:

  • Please note that the following information is available only as a guideline supplemental to your instruction manual. Before draining the dual boiler, please consult the user’s manual before proceeding with these guidelines. Draining the boiler properly is the responsibility of the customer. Additionally, we may charge you if any damage results from improperly completing the necessary procedure as damage due to freezing or is not under manufacturer’s warranty nor shipping insurance. If shipping, significant charges for damages could result from the lack of following these instructions and/or the instruction manual. Not properly draining the boiler can result in severe damage from water freezing inside the internal components.
  • It is imperative that you read these guidelines completely before attempting this process. Feel free to contact our technical services department at [email protected] with any questions you may have before draining your boiler. 1st-line Equipment, LLC does not assume any liability for damages or personal injuries.

Purpose:

  • Remove the majority of the water from the internal components of a traditional dual boiler espresso machine. To prevent freezing and/or water damage during long term storage or shipping.

Machine identity:

  • These instructions are available for a traditional dual boiler espresso machine with a removable water reservoir and with at least one hose in the reservoir to draw water. It is NOT for single boiler or heat exchange espresso machines. Also, it is not intended for heat exchange machines without a water intake hose on top of the reservoir nor any direct water connect espresso machines.

Requirements before you start:

  • espresso machine, power, sink, two large containers or cups that can withstand high heat.

Warning:

  • Water coming out of the machine will be scalding hot! Be careful of steam and splashing hot water during the water removal process.

Draining the dual boiler:

  1. Fill the espresso machine’s reservoir with water.
  2. Plug the espresso machine into an applicable power outlet and power on.
  3. Allow the machine to heat to its normal brewing temperature or pressure.
  4. Place one large container under the brew group/grouphead.
  5. Place the second container under the hot water dispenser/spout/spigot.
  6. Ensure that each container will not tip over or spill when water begins to drain into them.
  7. Remove the lid or cover to your water reservoir.
  8. WITH WATER INTAKE HOSE(S) – Remove the water intake line from the water reservoir. If you have 2 or more hoses, the water intake hose is usually the longest hose or the hose with a water filter/softener attached to it. Perform the following simultaneously to avoid heating element damage!
  9. Engage grouphead coffee switch to engage pump to pump water out of the grouphead and also engage the hot water switch until water stops or after 20 seconds (whichever is sooner). Please note that there is no way to remove all the water from both boilers unless you remove the top cover and a pipe from each boiler is disconnected to drain each boiler manually after the above process.
  10. WITH BOTTOM GRAVITY FEED WATER RESERVOIRS – This one is tricky. The machine’s electronics need to be faked into believing there is water in the reservoir in reservoir mode. Some machines have sensors on the outside of the reservoir, some have magnetic floats, and some have bolts on two sides that need 5 volts of electrical connectivity.
  11. If the machine has an E61 grouphead with a lever on the side, please leave the lever so the grouphead is in the open position (depending upon machine it could be UP or Down) and any freezing water in the coffee boiler will push out through the grouphead.

Shipping notes:

  1. For shipping, package in original packaging exactly as packaged when you received the shipment. Place plastic bags over the machine to avoid scratching from shipping. Secure all loose articles, including but not limited to portafilter handles, baskets, scoops, etc. to avoid cosmetic damage caused by the movement of these items.
  2. The espresso machine box MUST always be placed into a larger double-wall corrugated box with at least 2″ of foam or similar protection placed between the outer corrugated box and the espresso machine box.
  3. If receiving a drained machine, re-prime as per the instruction manual.

Long term storage notes:

  1. If possible, do not store where temperatures will be below 36 degrees F or 0 degrees C.
  2. When taking a machine out of long terms storage, re-prime the espresso machine as per the instruction manual.