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How To Descale The Delonghi Magnifica Smart Coffee Machine: A Step-By-Step Guide
Written by Alice
If you own a De’Longhi Magnifica Smart automatic coffee machine, this article is for you. This coffee machine was voted the best entry-level bean-to-cup coffee machine of 2023 in reviews carried out by our experts. It has many advantages: multiple settings to easily adapt to your coffee preferences, an improved steam nozzle and a modern, optimised design. But to make the most of all these features, you still need to maintain your coffee machine properly! So how to descale the DeLonghi Magnifica Smart? Let’s take a look at the best way to do it and what cleaning products you will need.
WHY DESCALE YOUR DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART?
A bean-to-cup coffee machine that has not been descaled will produce drinks that are not as hot, and the De’Longhi Magnifica Smart is no exception! The limescale will settle on the walls of the internal circuit and the water will no longer be in direct contact with the thermoblock. This will also mean the hot water will flow in a more uneven way.
Automatic coffee machines also need to be maintained, by cleaning the brewing unit, to guarantee the taste of your coffee. This is essential if you want your coffee machine to bring out the full flavour of your coffee. If you don’t do this, your coffee will start to taste a little stale, even though the machine won’t actually be damaged.
But descaling should not be taken lightly. If it is not carried out regularly, the limescale will end up clogging the internal circuit and causing leaks. Note that this is not covered by your coffee machine’s warranty.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOUR DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART NEEDS DESCALING?
- Your drinks are not coming out as hot as they should. This may mean that the internal circuit is clogged with limescale.
- The machine itself will tell you that it needs descaling. This is indicated by a light on the left-hand side of the dial. This indicator light will come on when the machine needs descaling.
HOW TO DESCALE DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART?
Before we start the step-by-step descaling of your De’Longhi Magnifica Smart, it’s important to mention that in this article we’re working on the assumption that you’re using a filter cartridge.
Also, make sure you use the correct amount of descaler as recommended by the supplier of your coffee machine or by the universal descaler.
The steps involved in descaling the DeLonghi Magnifica Smart
To begin with, take the water tank and remove the filter cartridge. This will prevent the descaler from being filtered out by the filter cartridge, making descaling almost useless.
Empty the water tank and pour in 10cl of descaling solution, before adding 1L of clean water.
Place a container (or small bowl) under the steam nozzle and the coffee spout.
Press and hold the “rinse button” for 5 seconds . The descale indicator will light up steadily and the steam button will flash.
Turn the steam knob (top left) anticlockwise to position I.
Descaling begins with the steam nozzle. The flow will alternate between the steam nozzle and the coffee nozzle.
Once the tank is empty, the decanter indicator will flash to let you know that it needs to be cleaned. Refill the water tank to the MAX level and replace the tank. Remove the water accumulated in your container and drip tray.
The steam button will flash. Turn the steam knob (top left) back to I. The flow will resume until the end of the tank.
Repeat this step one more time.
Once this step is complete, fill the water tank to the MAX level, then fit the filter cartridge.
The descaling process is now complete!
Advice from Anaïs, bean-to-cup coffee machine expert at MaxiCoffee:
“I recommend rinsing twice, as recommended in our tutorial, to make sure you’ve removed all the descaler residue.”
DESCALING THE DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART: HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DESCALE MY DELONGHI MACHINE?
This will depend on the water quality in your area: water with a high calcium content will require more regular maintenance.
When you install your machine, you’ll find a test strip in the manual. Once the test has been carried out, you can feed the result back to your machine, which will tell you when to descale.
On average, descaling should be carried out every 3 months.
OUR PICK OF THE BEST DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART COFFEE MACHINE DESCALER
Universal Descaler – Arfize – 500 ml
This universal liquid descaler will considerably extend the life of your coffee machine by combating limescale deposits.
This descaler can be used to descale any coffee machine: hand-held espresso machines and espresso grinders, of course, but also filter coffee makers. You can even use it on your kettle!
The Arfize brand has developed a full range of maintenance products.
Available now
Universal Descaler – Arfize (500 ml)
– Can be use for coffee machine, manual coffee machine, kettle
– Removes limescale from all appliances
– 5 Doses Capacity
DELONGHI MAGNIFICA SMART DESCALING FAQ
How long does a DeLonghi Magnifica Smart last if it is not descaled often?
The lifespan of your De’Longhi Magnifica Smart machine will depend on several parameters inherent to your geographical area, in particular :
- the hardness of your water ;
- water used (tap water, filtered water with cartridge filter, bottled water, etc.).
That’s why we can’t give you an exact answer to this question. But regular descaling will help your machine to run smoothly and last longer.
How do I know that my DeLonghi Magnifica Smart has been descaled?
When the descaling is complete, the light on the left of the dial will stop coming on.
If this is not the case, you can contact the brand’s customer service department. They will check the descaling steps with you and, if necessary, guide you. If the light is still on, they will reset the machine.
What are the common mistakes made when descaling the DeLonghi Magnifica Smart coffee machine?
Descaling can take a long time (about 30 minutes for a complete descaling programme). You may therefore wish to stop the descaling process in progress, which may cause the machine to be blocked in descaling mode.
If you use a large enough reservoir when draining, descaling will almost take care of itself.
Now you know how to descale your De Longhi Magnifica Smart. But there’s much more to maintaining an automatic coffee machine: cleaning the front panel and/or the milk system, cleaning the grindstones and the grinder, and rinsing. Take a look at all the DeLonghi cleaning products you may need.
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