The question of power and scale

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bonganim

The question of power and scale

Post by bonganim »

I popped in at my espresso machine importer for a quick 'fix' - he makes a killer cup. While savoring the coffee we got to talk about my machine. I then explained that I switch my machine OFF and ON as and when I want to pull a shot. In response, he's warned me against my practice saying that that is not good for my boiler and my electricity bill as well.

His take was that this practice is what causes limescale and that the boiler draws more power at start-up than when left ON 366 days (on leap years)and 24/7. Does this add up? I only make around 8 shots a day - 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening. Even my weekend consumption does not go above 12 a day.
Endo

Re: The question of power and scale

Post by Endo »

The power argument (starting up takes more energy than leaving on) is urban myth disproven many times. You can easily disprove it yourself if you wish with a simple kill-a-watt device which measure power consumption over a period of time.

The scale buildup has to do with time, temperature and mineral concentration( which will be higher when fresh water is introduced). It won't get any better or worse during transient temperature rise, but it will get worse the longer you keep it on and the more fresh water you introduce.

In other words, turn it off if you don't anticipate wanting a shot in the next 3 hours or so. You can keep it on obviously if you want to avoid the 40 minute warmup time and expect to have walk-up shots.
bonganim

Re: The question of power and scale

Post by bonganim »

I understand now. The chance of scaling up is almost non existent for my machine. My area has incredibly soft water and I run an extra softener and filter for my setup. As for the electricity, I guess I will just have to make calculations and make an informed decision.
Endo

Re: The question of power and scale

Post by Endo »

Keep in mind, very soft water with no mineral content (like RO water) does not taste nearly as good. I prefer to keep my water at 100pph and descale every 2 years. After all, if I wanted the convenience of not descaling over taste, I would have simply bought a Nespresso and replaced it every 10 years when it scaled up. That would be cheaper.
expy98

Re: The question of power and scale

Post by expy98 »

bonganim wrote:I only make around 8 shots a day - 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening. Even my weekend consumption does not go above 12 a day.
Only? I feel totally inadequate w/ my 1 shot in the AM and the occasional shot in the PM. 2 per day is my absolute limit, after that it has to be decaf.

There's not much you can do about the brew boiler but for the steam boiler, I purge about 4-6 oz of hot water when I'm done steaming to
minimize the mineral buildup.
Dan Bollinger

Re: The question of power and scale

Post by Dan Bollinger »

If you never turn on your machine you save the most money, right? If you turn it on for one week it uses 1/52nd the cost for running it all year. If you turn it on for all but one week it uses 51/52nd the cost. But, according the _______ (expletive deleted) that you talked to, turning it on for all 52 weeks somehow uses less? Yeah. Right. :roll:
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